Interiors: As we face a future without wood-burning stoves, we look at alternative ways to fire up the home November 16, 2017 Earlier this autumn Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, caused a storm by announcing plans to put restrictions on wood-burning stoves, forbidding the burning of solid fuel in certain zones. If they go ahead, it’s not only the authenticity of a stone-baked pizza from your favourite pizzeria that would be extinguished – the aromas and hypnotic [...]
Here’s why housebuilder shares are down today November 8, 2017 It was a bad morning for housebuilders, with companies listed on both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 dragging the indices lower. Persimmon, the UK’s largest housebuilder by volume, led the fallers on the FTSE 100, with shares dropping 3.4 per cent to 2,772.5p, while Barratt, Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley Group were all among the [...]
Every London borough ranked by house price growth in the next three years November 3, 2017 Despite doomsday predictions for house price growth in the capital, prices in Hackney will continue to keep growth strongly over the next three years, new research has suggested. Prices in Hackney are expected to grow more than five per cent in the years to 2020, followed by Westminster and Lewisham, which will both experience growth [...]
Most affordable London commuter towns: How a one hour commute can save buyers £500,000 on London house prices October 30, 2017 Living an hour outside London could slash half a million pounds off house prices compared with buying a home in zones one and two of the capital, according to new research. Commuter towns such as Crawley, Windsor, Rochester and Peterborough have an average house prices of £316,000, a survey by Lloyds Bank has found. That [...]
What will an interest rate hike mean for house prices? October 17, 2017 Inflation hit three per cent in September, adding fuel to the fire for commentators calling for a rate hike. There has been talk of a rate rise for years now, although it hasn’t moved above 0.5 per cent since March 2009. The Bank of England hasn’t increased the rate since December 2007, when it began [...]
This London Tube map shows how much house prices have changed in the capital over the past 10 years October 13, 2017 You might have seen the Tube map for scooters. You may already be poring over the festive Underground map in anticipation of Christmas(even though Halloween hasn't happened yet). But have you seen a London Tube map showing just how much property prices in the capital have changed over the past decade? Well, feast your eyes [...]
The 19 UK towns most at risk of a house price bubble: Cleveland, Blackburn and Blackpool come top October 12, 2017 UK house prices may still be rising, but with the Bank of England on the brink of hiking interest rates, the market may be about to change trajectory. Now, by comparing lending levels with house price rises, new research has listed the UK towns and cities most at risk if lending conditions change. Mortgage broker [...]
Here’s how much it’ll cost you to buy a single square foot in London October 6, 2017 The average London home now costs just under £500 per sq ft, according to new data – a rise of more than 50 per cent in five years. The figures by Zoopla suggest the average London home now sets buyers back £496 per sq ft, up from £321 in 2012. Newham, which includes Stratford, was [...]
How to solve the housing crisis in five years October 4, 2017 The UK housing market is failing millions of people. It produces far too few homes, and then offers them at unaffordable rents and prices. Yet we could cure this national housing crisis in just five years, using high-technology modular construction, reimagined council housing and patient institutional capital. In Japan, the modular future has already arrived. [...]
Interiors: How to commission a tapestry and why they’re making a surprising comeback in British homes October 4, 2017 The lengths some people will go to for a wedding. In 2013 Prince Albert II of Monaco paraded his bride along a red carpet 103 metres long and weighing a mighty 1.3 tons. And it wasn’t just any old red carpet – it was a hand-tufted commission from the artist Jan Kath, whose work is [...]