London house prices: More than £12bn worth of properties are lying empty in the capital – and guess which borough is the worst May 25, 2016 We're used to hearing about how overpriced London houses have become – so research claiming that the capital is home to more than £12bn-worth of empty properties should be a wake up call. Across England, more than 200,000 properties are vacant – equivalent to £38bn. But while Bradford has the biggest vacancy rate of anywhere in [...]
This is just how misleading the figures are for London’s “average” house price May 25, 2016 Ever wondered why you can't actually find a decent property in London at the city's average house price – which we're often told is £550,000? Research released today suggests that figure is actually quite misleading: less than half of London's property is at this price – and even less in prime central London locations, Emoov research shows. The [...]
Shaftesbury hikes dividend after adding to its West London portfolio May 25, 2016 Shaftesbury posted strong half-year results this morning, with an increase in net property income, EPRA earnings and an interim dividend increase of 4.8 per cent. The property firm's net income was up by 8.8 per cent, to £42.1m, compared with £38.7m at the same point last year. The interim dividend per share for the West End property company [...]
Zoopla’s innovation strategy pays off with mega profit growth in half-year results May 25, 2016 Online property portal Zoopla continued to shrug off competition today as it released robust growth in its half-year results over the six months ended 31 March. The figures Revenues grew 130 per cent to £96.4m, while adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) rose 89 per cent to £40.5m. This followed the inclusion of six months [...]
Storage company Big Yellow hikes its dividend after a year of surging profits May 24, 2016 The self-storage company Big Yellow boasted strong profits today after expanding its property portfolio this year. The company intends to up its storage space in the south east and has snapped-up prime sites in London for development, along with stores in Surrey and Kent. Big Yellow's revenue grew 20 per cent year-on-year, up to £101.4m at the [...]
Brexit wouldn’t be that bad, says property boss May 24, 2016 The incoming chief executive of property firm Helical Bar has said that the idea of Brexit is not as catastrophic as some are claiming. Speaking to City AM, Gerald Kaye said: "It's causing some uncertainty in the market, but Brexit may not be quite as bad as some people suggest. "But the money is on us remaining." Property [...]
UK property transactions down by 45 per cent in April as stamp duty changes hit May 24, 2016 The number of property transactions in the UK fell by 45 per cent between March and April, according to new data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The figures from HMRC show 94,370 properties were sold in April compared to 164,400 in March as landlords scrambled to snap-up homes before stamp duty changes came into effect, putting a [...]
Now you can live in the apartment where D-Day was planned – if you have a cool £4.7m May 24, 2016 It's the ultimate piece of war memorabilia: an apartment in the building that served as a base for the Special Operations during the planning of D-Day has just gone up for sale. The only catch? You'll need a cool £4.75m to live in it. The five-bedroom duplex apartment is in Montagu Mansions, used as a headquarters [...]
Rents are rising at the fastest rate for six months May 24, 2016 Rents are rising at the fastest rate for six months, according to data released today, reaching an average of £793 in England and Wales in April. Rents are 2.4 per cent higher than at the same point last year, according to the latest research from Your Move and Reeds Rains. Three regions – the East Midlands, West [...]
Beautiful Things: The items on our shopping list this month, from instant cameras to invisible teapots May 23, 2016 Votteler Chair £POA, walterknoll.de This Walter Knoll armchair, based on a 1956-design by Arno Votteler, is a perfect example of Scandinavian objectivity and austerity. The angular volume of the upholstery rests on a delicate tubular steel framework, while the armrests are made from elegantly shaped solid wood. German industrial designer and academic Votteler, who founded [...]