Queen set for an extra £3m after strong profits for Crown Estate June 25, 2019 The Queen is set to receive a £3m revenue boost after The Crown Estate today announced its income for 2018/19 grew 4.3 per cent. The Crown Estate said it was returning £343.5m to the Treasury, up from £329.4m in 2017/18. The Royal Family is set to receive 25 per cent of that money through the [...]
Capco investment boss to quit as Earl’s Court de-merger speculation mounts June 19, 2019 The investment chief at Capital & Counties (Capco) revealed plans to step down this morning, sparking fresh speculation over the future of the property giant’s struggling Earl’s Court development. Managing director and chief investment officer Gary Yardley is leaving the company at the end of this month, as the firm prepares for a potential split [...]
London property market drags down UK house prices June 19, 2019 UK house prices were dragged down by subdued demand in London last month, as buyer caution continued to linger in the capital during April. London witnessed the lowest annual growth out of any region, with prices falling by 1.2 per cent over the year to April 2019, up from a fall of 2.5 per cent [...]
Berkeley Homes reports slump in profits June 19, 2019 Housebuilder Berkeley Homes outlined plans to ramp up new developments despite reporting a slump in pre-tax profit this morning. The figures Pre-tax profit fell 20.7 per cent to £775.2m in the year ended 30 April, but was higher than analysts’ expectations of £730m. Revenue was £2.95bn, up 4.1 per cent from £2.84bn the previous year, [...]
Legal Q&A: I have a small portfolio of rental properties. Will I be affected by the recent ban on tenant fees? June 18, 2019 The short answer is that if you are renting out properties in England under an assured shorthold tenancy, students let or licence, you are going to be affected by the recent ban on tenant fees. It is now unlawful for you or your letting agent to charge any fees other than those which are prescribed [...]
UK house prices near record high for new homes on market June 17, 2019 UK house prices for newly-marketed properties neared a record high this month, spurred on by a cluster of UK regions shrugging off recent political uncertainty. Read more: UK house prices grow at fastest rate for two years Four northern regions witnessed their highest ever asking prices in June, pushing property prices nationally up 0.3 per [...]
Our pick of the new homes going on sale in London this weekend June 13, 2019 250 City Road, EC1V From £985,000Berkeley Homes is launching a collection of 670 sqft one-bedroom apartments at its huge 250 City Road development this weekend. The 48 new homes can be configured based on the buyer’s preference, and are located throughout the new 36-storey Valencia Tower, where residents will benefit from a rooftop yoga terrace [...]
London housing market rebounds slightly after Brexit delay June 13, 2019 The London housing market showed signs of bouncing back last month as sentiment rose to its highest level since April 2017, according to the latest forecasts. Negative trends in agreed sales, prices and new instructions all eased in May after the Brexit deadline was extended to October, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) latest [...]
The potential consequences of the Tenant Fee Ban June 13, 2019 Welcome to a new era, where unscrupulous letting agents are no longer allowed to demand that tenants pay hundreds of pounds in unjustified fees. The new law has been several years in the making, but at the start of this month, it finally became illegal for letting companies in England to charge tenants rip-off fees. [...]
Most Help to Buy beneficiaries ‘did not need scheme’ June 13, 2019 The government’s Help to Buy scheme has been accused of subsidising existing homeowners, after it emerged most people who have bought a house using the programme could have done so without it. A National Audit Office report today said three-fifths of buyers could have bought a property without the support of Help to Buy, “but [...]