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 [...]
UK remortgaging rate jumps as owners cash in on low interest rates May 16, 2019 The number of people remortgaging their homes with additional borrowing spiked in March, according to data released today, as people took advantage of favourable interest rates. Read more: Experts warn of 'bumpy ride' for UK house prices Meanwhile the number of new loans to both movers and first time buyers fell in March year-on-year, figures from [...]
Wework reports $264m loss ahead of stock market debut May 15, 2019 The We Company, the parent company of office space provider Wework, reported losses of $264m (£205m) in the first quarter of this year ahead of its highly anticipated stock market debut later this year. Net losses fell by $10m from $274m last year as revenue continues to double annually and the number of large customers [...]
The big fixer-upper: How to solve the problems in the mortgage market May 15, 2019 We've sent people into space, built driverless cars, and engineered robots that can think like us. And yet, fixing the mortgage approval process still seems out of humanity’s reach. The market is riddled with inefficiencies. Consumers are forced to fill out documents detailing every corner of their lives, while clunky underwriting processes mean that it [...]
Landsec: A tale of two portfolios May 14, 2019 Investors trying to work out what the future holds for property giant LandSec, which delivered a dismal set of results to the City this morning, could do worse than take a stroll through its Square Mile development. The complex, aptly named One New Change, is a fitting example of how the FTSE 100 real estate [...]
Japanese property giant strikes £90m deal with Urban Splash to build thousands of new homes across the UK May 14, 2019 Japan’s largest housebuilder is entering the UK property market after signing a £90m deal with developers to deliver thousands of new homes across the country. In a joint venture with Homes England and Urban Splash, leading modular builder Sekisui House is planning to deliver 2,000 new residential homes a year for the next decade. Read [...]
Bluewater owner Land Securities sees losses almost triple amid retail closures May 14, 2019 Land Securities, the owner of Kent’s Bluewater shopping centre, saw losses almost triple in its latest financial year as it blamed a “challenging year” full of retail closures, but still managed to bump up its dividend. Read more: JP Morgan downgrades shopping centre landlord Intu The figures The retail property giant saw losses before tax [...]