Making housing more affordable is crucial if we’re to improve social mobility in London February 13, 2017 The City of London Corporation announced last week that it will sponsor the Social Mobility Employers’ Index, a new initiative from the Social Mobility Foundation and Social Mobility Commission which ranks Britain’s top businesses on how open they are to accessing talent from all backgrounds. We are backing the Index with £70,000 of funding as [...]
The average house price in England and Wales has gone above £300,000 February 13, 2017 The average house price in England and Wales has gone over £300,000 for the first time. According to the Your Move house price index, house prices grew 3.1 per cent year-on-year across England and Wales in January, reaching an average of £300,169. However, this was less than half the house price growth (7.3 per cent) [...]
Property of the Week: “the flat with no paint” in Pimlico, a reclaimed and restored treasure February 10, 2017 Belgrave Road, Pimlico, £1m It’s quite rare for an entire Victorian terraced building in central London to be bought by one, small developer, but it’s even more unusual that all the buyers need to bring is their wardrobe. Each of the converted flats in this building on Belgrave Road, Pimlico, have been meticulously designed with [...]
Focus On Victoria: A £4bn investment in housing, retail and infrastructure is making it a destination in its own right February 10, 2017 If the Queen’s getting a £369m refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, it seems only fair that the neighbourhood surrounding it should get a polish, too. £4bn should just about cover it, and that’s how much has been invested in the area by developer Land Securities over the last five years. Around £700bn of that has gone [...]
Interiors: Floral patterns, big blooming flowers, wicker chairs and the colour green are on trend for spring 2017 February 10, 2017 Sometimes in life things are simple. If you want an instant update for your home this spring, just gather together the biggest bunch of assorted big blooms you can find, cut them down to spill over a huge clear vase with a splash of water, and Bob’s your uncle: exuberant, casual, fresh and floral. When [...]
New Builds: New homes on sale this weekend in Barking, The City, Hampstead, Canning Town and Blackheath February 10, 2017 360 Barking, Barking From £295,000 This collection of one and two bedroom flats on Cambridge Road is in the heart of a soon-to-be “reinvigorated” town centre in east London. Plans are underfoot to turn its riverside into “Barcelona-on-Thames” and these new homes come with underfloor heating, in-built appliances and access to a garden roof terrace. [...]
Property tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz is about to get a new superyacht – but not in time for Mipim February 10, 2017 As annual property knees-up Mipim approaches, many of the industry's big dogs are polishing up their gin palaces – but word reaches us Vincent Tchenguiz will just miss out on showing off his brand new, €22m superyacht at the event in March. Property tycoon and Annabel's regular Tchenguiz, best known for his triumphant crusade against the Serious [...]
The government’s assault on buy-to-let landlords is hurting tenants February 10, 2017 The bill for the government’s misguided war on buy-to-let is coming due. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said yesterday that rents are likely to rise by 25 per cent over the next five years, outpacing house price growth, as landlords pare back their portfolios and tenants are left to fight over a diminishing supply [...]
Revealed: London’s 40 first-time buyer hotspots February 9, 2017 Looking for a place to call your own in the capital is tough if you're a first-time buyer – although house price growth is lower, most places are still out of reach. But new research has listed the 40 areas in London where first-time buyers are still thriving, with prices in some of the most [...]
This is what Londoners want within walking distance of their homes February 9, 2017 When it comes to buying a home, Londoners are the most demanding customers in the country. In the UK as a whole a staggering 25 per cent of people say they "wouldn't need anything in particular" near their homes, according to a survey by YouGov. Read more: This is how far house prices have plunged in [...]