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 [...]
Taylor Wimpey shares jump as housebuilder maintains expectations despite uncertainty January 9, 2019 Taylor Wimpey saw its share price rise today as it remains on track to meet its full-year expectations, despite the slowing housing market. In an eagerly-anticipated trading update the housebuilder said total house completions increased three per cent in 2018 to 14,947, while total order book value was £1.78bn, up from £1.62bn the same time last [...]
Wework to rebrand as The We Company in business structure overhaul, turning its eyes to fintech January 8, 2019 Shared workspace provider Wework is rebranding itself as The We Company, as the firm aims towards a more diversified business portfolio. To be announced at an internal company conference later this week, The We Company will become the parent to several offshoots, including Wework as its main office provider. Others include its residential unit Welive, and an [...]
UK house prices get unexpected December boost but market remains subdued January 8, 2019 UK house prices rose 1.3 per cent in the three months to December compared to the same period last year, according to new figures from Halifax. The annual growth rate was up from the 0.3 per cent recorded in November, but house prices were 0.4 per cent lower than in the preceding three months. Read [...]
Central London office space take-up soars to highest level since 2014 January 7, 2019 Fresh evidence of the capital’s thriving office space market has been brought to light today, with new figures showing that take-up in Central London last year soared to its highest level since 2014. Property agents are forecasting that the boom in London’s letting activity will likely carry on into 2019, as supply shortages and persistent [...]
Portland Stone became the building block of London, but does it have a place in modern British architecture? January 7, 2019 There are certain things you stop noticing after a few years in London. The first thing is how busy it is; crowds become the norm. The abominable air quality only becomes apparent when you leave. Another thing is Portland Stone. Chances are, you don’t even know you’re looking at it, but there aren’t many streets [...]
My House: Kristian Robson, the man behind Chelsea tailoring brand Oliver Brown tells us how he built his Notting Hill house on top of a duck pond January 7, 2019 The owner of men’s tailor Oliver Brown on his charming mews house in Notting Hill. As told to Melissa York. "When I first moved into my house, one of the neighbours told me it was built on top of a duck pond that was filled in with concrete in the 1960s. So that was interesting [...]