Bovis Homes shares climb as it signals progress on shareholder returns May 22, 2019 Shares in housebuilder Bovis Homes opened higher this morning after it issued an upbeat trading statement ahead of its annual general meeting today. Read more: Housebuilder Bovis's profits reach record high as it keeps customers happy The company said it has seen its average private sales rate rise 17 per cent over the first five months [...]
Property transactions dip in April as political uncertainty weighs on buyers May 21, 2019 Property transactions slipped slightly in April as political uncertainty hampered a traditional spring surge. Read more: How London house prices in every borough have performed in 2019 Residential property transactions fell 0.3 per cent month-on-month in April, but were up 0.8 per cent on last year, according to the latest figures from HMRC. The dip [...]
This new private members’ club is only for successful start-ups May 21, 2019 "I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member,” Groucho Marx famously said, reputedly resigning from the Friars’ Club in the 1940s. The nature of private members’ clubs has adapted considerably since then, and many are now relaxed as to whom they accept. Bucking this trend, however, is Home [...]
Property Legal Q&A: I am buying a flat and have been advised that the landlord of the building is missing. Should I be worried? May 21, 2019 Often, where the owner of a flat has not heard from the landlord in a while, they will consider the landlord as “missing” but that may not necessarily be the case. Your solicitor should check what enquiries have been made to try and locate the landlord. For example, the landlord may have died and his [...]
Shaftesbury boosts West End property revenue as showdown with major shareholder looms May 21, 2019 West End landlord Shaftesbury’s war of words with its largest shareholder hotted up today as it announced a 5.2 per cent revenue boost in its first-half results. The company is facing a potential £10m claim from its largest investor – Hong Kong billionaire Samuel Tak Lee. Lee, who owns approximately 26 per cent of the [...]
London house prices: How Brexit uncertainty has hit house prices in every borough May 20, 2019 London is “acting as a drag” on the rest of the UK housing market, with prices across the capital falling in the last year, according to new figures from property giant Rightmove. Read more: UK house prices suffer fifth month of Brexit-hit growth While some regions in the UK such as the midlands and the [...]
Revenue falls at Foxtons as tough London housing market takes toll May 20, 2019 Estate agents Foxtons said revenue fell in the first quarter which it blamed on challenging conditions in the London property market. Foxtons, which has its annual meeting today, said sales volumes continued to be at record lows and Brexit uncertainty is impacting on consumer confidence. The company also said chief financial officer Mark Berry is [...]
London house price growth falters despite annual spring surge May 20, 2019 House prices in London remain down year-on-year despite the annual spring surge, driven by a slump in inner city sales, according to property website Rightmove. Greater London recorded a monthly rise of 1.2 per cent, equivalent to £7,339, pushed largely by outer London properties that rose 1.9 per cent. Inner London prices, meanwhile, registered a [...]
Opinion: Don’t be so quick to abolish no-fault evictions – it is easy to be beguiled by the myth of the underdog May 17, 2019 Everyone loves an underdog. The David and Goliath narrative was prominent in the reporting of the Government’s proposal to abolish Section 21 Notices, which residential landlords can use to end assured shorthold tenancies (“ASTs”) without the tenant being at fault. I would like to sound a dissenting note. Since 1997, the law has gradually moved [...]
Why is the mortgage market strangely resistant to technological change? May 16, 2019 Technology is so pervasive that it is easy to forget just how fundamentally it has impacted our lives. In fact, it is hard to think of an area of life that hasn’t been made more accessible, faster or cheaper. Personal finance is no exception. Price comparison websites, mobile banking, and other innovations have all transformed the [...]