London Craft Week 2016 kicks off next month – and here’s what to book before tickets run out April 14, 2016 Craft is the new cool. How many craft beers are tickling the taste buds of trendies from New York to New Zealand right now? From craft beer to modern-rustic homes to country-casual hotels, across the globe we have fallen for all things home-made, upcycled, and – the holy grail – bespoke from the maker. And [...]
Property of the Week: the local investor who transformed an old wig factory in Beckenham into a £1.25m house April 14, 2016 On the way home from the pub in Wickham Road, Adam Jude Grant used to walk past a huge decrepit building – one of the oldest in dwellings in Beckenham, south east London – and wonder why it was falling into disrepair. Built in 1777, it sits in the Chancery Lane conservation area and has [...]
Property Entrepreneurs: Jake Willis, co-founder of London Shared, on the changing rental market and moving online April 14, 2016 There’s been lots of talk recently about house sharing as a way for young professionals to afford life in central London. And while the concept’s not new, there are few ways to make it simple. Many renters end up advertising rooms and interviewing potential housemates, feeling the heat as landlords demand full rent from day [...]
Why Build to Rent is the answer to London’s housing shortage April 14, 2016 Every week, City A.M. invites an industry professional to write about an emerging trend in the property market. Build to Rent represents a new way of living at a time when people are struggling with affordability and poor rental accommodation. And it could be the answer to the UK’s housing shortage providing large numbers of [...]
Holiday homes on the Costa del Sol are set to rise in the next few years as supply begins to run dry April 14, 2016 The Spanish property market may have been in a slump for the past few years but the bounce back has started. Enquiries are up in Marbella, glittering hang out of reality TV stars and the superyacht set, as well-heeled buyers source a home on the Med. The main hub of activity in this Costa del [...]
These scientists can predict where London’s next up-and-coming neighbourhoods will be April 14, 2016 Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing. In hindsight, we would all have taken a punt on Jeremy Corbyn's Labour leadership triumph in May last year. We would also probably have invested in a little pied-a-terre in Hackney back in 2010, when it was listed as the area with the second-highest level of deprivation. Fast forward six years, and the [...]
Developers just won approval to turn this iconic London tower into luxury flats April 13, 2016 Just what London needed: more luxury apartments. Yes: at a planning meeting last night, billionaire property developers David and Simon Reubens won planning permission from Westminster City Council to turn London's iconic Millbank Tower into hundreds of luxury homes. The tower, which has previously housed the United Nations and the Office for National Statistics' predecessor, [...]
Property bubble shows no sign of popping yet as mortgage lending marches higher April 13, 2016 Mortgage lending grew by one-fifth over the last twelve months as the number of first time buyers, people moving homes, buy-to-let investors and remortgages all grew according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). In total, £8.7bn was taken out for new mortgages in February 2016, up 21 per cent on last year, while another [...]
Interserve joint venture walks away from £1bn One Nine Elms scheme as talks collapse April 12, 2016 A £1bn scheme to build twin luxury residential-led towers in Nine Elms faced a new hurdle yesterday after a construction deal with the contractors collapsed. CI-One Construction, Interserve's joint venture with China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), said it has "mutually agreed to end negotations" with Dalian Wanda over its appointment as the main contractor at One Nine Elms, near Vauxhall. The [...]
London house prices actually fell last month – but Londoners need a six-figure salary to afford to buy a home April 12, 2016 Another day, another set of house price figures – but this time there's a bit of good news for those struggling to afford a home. Yep – house prices in the capital actually fell in February on the month before – dropping to £524,000, from £540,000 in January. But house prices can be volatile – [...]