House sales fell in 85 per cent of London boroughs in 2018 January 11, 2019 House sales slumped in 85 per cent of London boroughs in 2018 amid a difficult time for the UK’s property market, new data revealed today. London fared worse than the rest of the country in terms of the number of transactions, with a 6.5 per cent overall year-on-year drop compared to a 4.9 per cent fall [...]
Interiors: Wellness is set to continue being a big theme in 2019, but here are some simple ways to make your home healthier January 11, 2019 One of the emerging trends of last year, the “reading nook”, was all about creating a cosy space to retreat to (one that also works for creative writing, listening to music – anything that’s the yin to your daily yang). It was really an extension of the wellness craze, something that’s set to continue into [...]
Opinion: If we want to stop families fleeing London, we need to design new apartments with their needs in mind January 11, 2019 Encouraging families to stay in London is vital to the economy and the social fabric of the capital. According to the latest figures from the influential think tank, Centre for London, the number of people aged between 25 to 34 fell by about 30,000 people between mid-2016 and mid-2017, with a net reduction of 21,000 [...]
Property of the Week: Interior designer Elspeth Lynn sells her home in Bayswater that’s an homage to Gatsby glamour January 11, 2019 For some people, making a house a home is fun, but for others it’s a chore. Especially – as is the case in many of central London’s most desirable postcodes – if it’s not even your main residence. If you don’t have time for a fixer upper, simply buy an interior designer’s flat. As luck [...]
Focus On Westminster: The home of Big Ben hasn’t traditionally been home to many Londoners, but nearby Victoria is changing that January 11, 2019 It is a curious truth that while Westminster may be home to the capital’s most famous icons, from Big Ben to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster hasn’t traditionally been home to many Londoners. Its proximity to the seat of government and its grand offices of state inspired companies to sprout up around it, creating a [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend January 11, 2019 New developments on the market this week Hampstead Manor, Hampstead From £740,000 A two bedroom show apartment is being unveiled this month on a huge restoration project in Hampstead, north London. Situated on Kidderpore Avenue, the interior design firm Johnson Ribolla has taken inspiration from authors who’ve lived in the local area to dress each [...]
UK’s largest pub owner Ei to sell off properties in £348m deal January 11, 2019 The largest pub company in the UK, Ei Group, will sell off the lion’s share of its commercial properties to a US hedge fund in a deal worth £348m. Ei today said it will sell 370 properties to Tavern Propco, a newly-incorporated private fund owned by Davidson Kempner Capital Management. The pub owner and operator, [...]
Mortgage prisoners to be released from poor deals under new plans January 10, 2019 Tens of thousands of so-called mortgage prisoners trapped in high interest rate loans, could be freed from their bonds by remortgaging to cheaper deals under new plans announced today. The homeowners took out loans before new rules were introduced in the wake of the financial crisis. These regulations now make it impossible to switch to [...]
Why the cheapest mortgage deal isn’t necessarily the right one January 9, 2019 The Financial Conduct Authority’s report into the mortgage market found that around 30 per cent of borrowers were unable to see that they were eligible for a cheaper deal. On average, these consumers paid around £550 per year more over the introductory period compared to the cheaper product. But this poses a question: is the cheapest [...]
Five ways to clean up your buy-to-let portfolio in 2019 January 9, 2019 While January is a great time to be making financial resolutions, with many over-spending at Christmas, it’s sometimes best to concentrate on making the most of what you already have. For 2.5m people owning £1.4 trillion of buy-to-let, investment property is the best place to start. It comprises an enormous part of personal wealth, it [...]