Liz Truss wants to build on Green Belt land to fight of ‘tsunami’ of Farage and Corbyn, as Cabinet minister drops leadership hint May 12, 2019 Senior Cabinet Minister Liz Truss has called for 1m homes to be built on Green Belt land to protect against the Tories being “annihilated by the tsunami of Corbyn and Farage”. The Treasury chief secretary took aim at the policy of protecting the land – a favourite among Conservative grassroots activists – saying: “We need [...]
Millennium & Copthorne profits plunge after major refurbs at luxury hotels May 10, 2019 Upmarket hotel chain Millennium & Copthorne has posted a steep drop in first-quarter profits and revenues due to major refurbishment projects. The company, which is chaired by Singaporean billionaire Kwek Leng Beng, reported pre-tax profit of £11m for the quarter, down almost 60 per cent from £26m the year before. Read more: Millennium & Copthorne [...]
Housebuilder Barratt eyes full-year results ‘modestly’ ahead of expectations May 9, 2019 Housebuilding giant Barratt has said it expects its full-year results to be “modestly” ahead of expectations after posting a rise in sales for the year so far. The London-listed firm posted sales of £3.4bn to 5 May, up 2.4 per cent on the same period last year. Read more: Barratt Developments builds profit in strong [...]
Number of homes put on market tumbles as survey nears three-year low May 9, 2019 More surveyors reported a drop rather than a rise in new houses being put up for sale last month than in any other poll since June 2016, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). Read more: London Marathon property prices revealed ahead of this year's race Waning appetite from new buyers and uncertainty [...]
Purplebricks beaten black and blue as shares sink again after CEO departure May 8, 2019 Purplebricks’ shares plummeted almost 11 per cent today in the wake of its chief executive’s resignation and admission it has expanded too quickly. Read more: Purplebricks shares drop after founder steps down The online estate agent’s share price dropped 11.9 per cent yesterday to 119p as the news broke that Michael Bruce was stepping down [...]
UK house prices: Experts warn of ‘volatile’ UK housing market after sharp April growth May 8, 2019 Experts today warned that volatility is affecting the UK housing market as Halifax recorded a sharp annual jump in house prices in April. Read more: UK house prices suffer fifth month of Brexit-hit growth UK homes are now worth an average £236,619 following the stark five per cent rise for the three months to April, [...]
Stamp duty is making the housing crisis even worse May 8, 2019 There is no silver bullet to fixing the nation’s housing crisis, short of the obvious but politically challenging solution of building a lot more houses. Nonetheless, certain taxes and regulations make an already flawed market even more distorted and act as additional barriers to those seeking to buy and sell homes. And in the case [...]
City watchdog proposes mortgage shake-up to boost consumer choice May 7, 2019 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today announced changes to mortgage advice rules to try and increase choice for consumers. The City watchdog identified a number of ways its advice rules are acting as a barrier to the development of new tools to help consumers choose and buy a mortgage and the new rules are aimed [...]
Purplebricks shares drop after founder Michael Bruce steps down May 7, 2019 Shares in online estate agent Purplebricks fell as much as eight per cent in early trading after it revealed founder and chief executive Michael Bruce is stepping down. Purplebricks said Bruce has resigned with immediate effect and will be replaced by chief operating officer Vic Darvey. Read more: Shares in Purplebricks plummet as UK and [...]
Sandbanks tops Britain’s list of most expensive seaside towns May 6, 2019 Sandbanks, the Dorset destination known for its waterfront mansions and views over Poole harbour, has topped a new list of Britain’s most expensive seaside towns. A home in the coastal location now stands at more than £750,000, rising 26 per cent in the past 12 months and remaining comfortably above the second most expensive seaside [...]