Opinion: Why we need a new certification system to make sure new homes will last for generations to come August 4, 2016 Plans set out by the government to build one million new homes by 2020 has instigated a mad rush to push through as many developments as possible in the coming years. It is vital that we learn from past mistakes of quick-fire developments, built in a hurry that are now obsolete or no longer fit [...]
Trade association asserts that builder’s merchants sales are strong August 4, 2016 The trade association representing builder's merchants has stressed today that sales are in the industry are strong after construction supplier Travis Perkins said that it had been hit by the Brexit vote. The Builders Merchants Federation said sales in the sector were up were up 3.1 per cent in June as compared to the same period last [...]
This was the biggest City office deal in the last quarter August 4, 2016 Amazon made the biggest office deal in the City in the last quarter, taking 47,101 sq ft of space in Beaufort House. Research from BNP Paribas Real Estate showed Amazon made the biggest City move in a period when lease length fell from 9.5 years to 7.8 years as occupiers sought more flexibility. Read more: Westfield Stratford set [...]
Here’s how far fixed rates have fallen in the last six years August 4, 2016 Fixed rate mortgages have fallen continuously for the past six years – with marked falls taking place before the Brexit vote. Rates have fallen by an average of 2.5 per cent since 2010, according to data released today from Legal & General. Read more: Experts are not impressed by HSBC's new 0.99 per cent fixed [...]
Property of the week: The Fitzrovia apartment where Friends star Matthew Perry stayed while he performed in the West End is on sale August 3, 2016 Just one of the terraces in this enormous penthouse where Friends star Matthew Perry lived is bigger than the average family home being built in the UK. Measuring in at over 1,000sqft, the eighth floor roof terrace is the jewel in the crown of the apartment complex that Perry, who played sarcastic New Yorker Chandler [...]
Prime central London house prices have fallen by 1.5 per cent year-on-year August 3, 2016 Prime central London house prices have fallen by 1.5 per cent year-on-year in July, according to estate agent Knight Frank. A report on home sales from the company showed Brexit has triggered sellers to make "overdue reductions" to the asking price of their properties. Knight Frank said: "It is too soon to say what impact Brexit will have on pricing [...]
Olga Polizzi on creating a suite in Brown’s Hotel inspired by the novels of Rudyard Kipling August 3, 2016 In this summer of botanical wallcoverings and all things tropical, lush and green, one jungle-inspired interior design project in Mayfair is king of the swingers. The sumptuous Kipling Suite at Browns Hotel in Mayfair is where favoured guest Rudyard Kipling stayed and penned, they claim, much of The Jungle Book. And if the best hotel [...]
This map shows the average rental price for a double room in every London postcode August 3, 2016 Renters of London, rejoice – for those punishing hikes in rent you've been experiencing since the downturn may have come to an end, new figures have suggested. The average rent in the capital increased just one per cent year on year in the second quarter of this year, SpareRoom's London Rental Index has shown, compared with [...]
Brexit doom-mongers are wrong: London house prices aren’t going to crash August 2, 2016 On the morning of 24 June, as Britain woke up to the reality that as a nation we’d voted to leave the EU, it may have seemed like the world was turning on its head. The pound was crashing, stock markets see-sawed, and the political landscape of the UK was irrevocably changed. Just over a month [...]
New York deli Dean & DeLuca is setting up shop in Mayfair August 2, 2016 Famous New York deli Dean & DeLuca is bringing its gourmet food offering to Mayfair. The shop – favoured by celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Helen Mirren – is opening on 117 Mount Street early next year, joining big name brands such as Christopher Kane and Roksanda. Read more: London's most exclusive postcodes now home [...]