Rent rises: East London outpaces West London in rental growth race March 18, 2019 Fresh evidence of demand for East London’s housing market has been underlined by new figures today, with traditional high-growth areas in the west of the capital seeing more of a slowdown in recent years. Rents in East London’s nine boroughs rose on average by more than 20 per cent since January 2012, compared with growth [...]
House prices fall in London as buyers await Brexit resolution March 18, 2019 London house prices fell in March as Brexit uncertainty held back the usual spring bounce, and are down almost four per cent year on year, a new report has said. The number of sales agreed by estate agents in February was also nearly 10 per cent lower in the capital than a year before, property [...]
London hosts bulk of Britain’s £100bn of secretly owned property March 17, 2019 Over 87,000 properties in England and Wales are owned anonymously through companies registered in tax havens, it has been revealed today. Together, these properties are worth at least £56bn, according to Land Registry data, and likely worth more than £100bn when accounting for inflation, according to new analysis by anti-corruption organisation Global Witness. Read more: [...]
Queensgate Investments buys four Grange hotels in central London for £1bn March 15, 2019 Real estate investment firm Queensgate has snapped up four Grange hotels in central London in a deal worth roughly £1bn. The company has acquired the Grange’s upmarket hotels at St Paul’s, Tower Bridge, the City and Holborn. In total the portfolio comprises 1,345 rooms and roughly 930,000 square feet (sq ft) of real estate. Read [...]
Holiday Homes: We visit the resort in Portugal that’s out to prove that resort golf doesn’t have to be amateur hour March 15, 2019 If you’re serious about golf, but would also like a place in the sun, it’s often hard to find a golf resort with a course that aims above pitch and putt. Monte Rei, a prestigious resort in Portugal in one of Europe’s most sought after golfing destinations, is trying to change all that and be [...]
Focus On Clapham: Commons, good schools and cosy gastropubs means families stay put in SW4 March 15, 2019 The appeal of living in Clapham is clear for all to see. It has great transport connections along the Northern Line and Clapham Junction – one of the most well-connected stations in the UK – , particularly for south London. It’s better value for money than its north-of-the-river counterparts. The 220-acre Clapham Common is all [...]
Interiors: Allow us to introduce you to ‘lagom’, the latest Swedish interior design trend you’ve never heard of March 15, 2019 The more-is-more, maximalist approach to home interiors is everywhere at the moment, but it’s not for everyone. Do you crave a little calm? Are you not the type to pimp your place in a rainbow of colours? Perhaps you like balance. You like blond woods, clean lines and sculptural shapes. You’re partial to some ‘hygge’ [...]
Opinion: First time buyers purchasing new builds with the help of Mum and Dad are missing out on SDLT relief March 15, 2019 Stamp duty land tax relief for all first-time buyers for purchases up to £500,000: this was the pledge made by the Chancellor, Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, in the 2017 Autumn Budget. Given the usual stamp duty threshold is far lower than the average house price in London, this was a big win for first-time [...]
Property of the Week: The historic lodge of the former St John’s Wood dairy is on sale for £5.35m March 15, 2019 It’s hard to imagine it now, but there was a time when Tesco didn’t even exist and Londoners got their milk from cows that wandered the streets. This lodge harks back to this simpler time, as it used to service the St John’s Wood farm and dairy. There used to be hundreds of milking parlours [...]
Opinion: Post-Brexit Britain should be open to the world and a foreign buyer tax sends exactly the opposite message March 15, 2019 House price growth is at its lowest rate in five years, according to the latest ONS statistics. While Brexit is clearly a contributing factor, stamp duty is the main culprit in the London market. It is therefore highly alarming that the government has decided to press ahead with divvying out yet another stamp duty burden. [...]