London Sports Festival moves from 3×3 basketball success to pickleball at the City of London Corporation’s Guildhall Yard
Is your house killing you? Why some people think paint, carpets and furniture could be poisonous October 31, 2019 Think back to the last time you redecorated a room. Did you paint a wall? Lay a new carpet? Buy a shelving unit with a Swedish-sounding name? According to some housebuilders, architects and designers, all of these things could be making you ill. They say that many common types of paint, carpets, flooring, kitchen and [...]
London homes take longer to sell than other UK cities October 30, 2019 Property owners seeking to sell their homes in London could be forced two wait an extra two weeks compared to other major UK cities, as the capital suffers from weak market conditions. Residential properties now take 14.5 weeks to sell, more than one month longer than it took to complete a sale in 2016. Read [...]
Mortgage approvals boosted as buyers rush ahead of Brexit October 29, 2019 Mortgage approvals were boosted last month as prospective buyers rushed to complete home purchases ahead of the 31 October Brexit deadline date. The latest figures from the Bank of England (BoE) showed mortgage approvals for house purchases reached 65,919 in September after falling to a three-month low of 65,681 the previous month. Read more: New [...]
Hammerson consults shareholders over executive pay concerns October 28, 2019 Property developer Hammerson is continuing to consult shareholders after two resolutions, including its remuneration report, faced investor backlash at the company’s latest annual meeting. The shopping centre landlord, which owns Birmingham’s Bullring, said that the remuneration report was approved by shareholders, but noted that 29.7 per cent of the votes were against the policy. Read [...]
New rules announced to help UK mortgage prisoners October 28, 2019 The City watchdog has removed barriers to help trapped mortgage customers switch to a better deal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today confirmed the introduction of new rules to help so-called mortgage prisoners, which are consumers who would benefit from switching but are unable to change to a more affordable mortgage despite being up-to-date with [...]
Government ‘should overhaul’ stamp duty to boost housing market October 27, 2019 The government should slash stamp duty to help boost housebuilding and encourage people to buy their own homes, a new report has stated. Stamp duty is the second most unpopular UK levy behind inheritance tax, and a gradual rise in rates has meant the average buyer in England pays £2,300 when they buy a property. [...]
Legal Q&A: Should I invest in an apartment building with exterior cladding? October 25, 2019 The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 brought into sharp focus the fire risks posed by flammable external wall systems known as ‘cladding’. From a buyer’s perspective the presence of cladding will impact a number of areas, not least the ability to obtain a mortgage, potential remedial costs and the future saleability of the property. Commonly, [...]
New builds: Homes on the market in London this week, from a Battersea tower to a former camera factory October 25, 2019 Shoreditch Exchange, Shoreditch From £785,000 for a one-bed Two new show homes have just been launched at Regal London’s Shoreditch Exchange. Located on Hackney Road, the development includes 184 one, two and three-bed apartments with access to cinema rooms, a gym and roof terraces, as well as a WeWork office. The show homes, one of [...]
What are reservation agreements, and could they really stop gazumping? October 25, 2019 A sale falling out of bed at the eleventh hour is one of the biggest bugbears for those wanting to move home. But the government has now proposed a solution in the form of ‘reservation agreements’, which it now plans to trial early next year. Under this system, which is common in Europe, both buyers [...]
Property of the Week: This Regent’s Park mansion was the setting for a Victorian scandal October 25, 2019 Owning a neoclassical mansion in Regent’s Park would be quite nice in itself. Buy this former ambassadorial residence that has just come to the market on Cumberland Terrace, though, and you will also be able to retrace the steps of 19th century royalty, artists and high society. The grade I-listed, five-bedroom mansion was built in [...]