UK housing crisis: Greenbelt “under siege” as councils earmark land for 275,000 more homes to be built, research claims April 25, 2016 England's Greenbelt will become home to more than a quarter of a million houses, as part of the government's efforts to resolve the UK's housing crisis. Councils have allocated land for 275,000 houses to be built on England's greenbelt – an increase of 50,000 on last year – research published this morning claims. But while some people might [...]
New homes on sale this weekend, including the former BBC Television Centre in White City April 22, 2016 Television Centre, White City From £700,000 The former home of the BBC forms the centrepiece of the regeneration of White City, which will see 5,000 new homes built in total. The first batch of homes will go on sale from 23 April at 11am in the Television Centre Pavilion. The first phase will consist of [...]
Property of the Week: This novel loft conversion doubled the living space at 28 Nottingham Place in Marylebone April 22, 2016 You’ve heard of wealthy homeowners digging down into their basements, but have you ever seen them build up? The owners of the fourth floor apartment at 28 Nottingham Place, a period building in the heart of Marylebone, have decided to do just that and increase their living space from 680sqft to 1,219sqft at the drop [...]
Spend it like Beckham at this weekend’s Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in Battersea Park April 22, 2016 When the Beckhams go shopping these days it’s with an air of refinement, an eye for detail and a nose to sniff out some decorative objets to fill their many, many rooms. David was spotted at the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in Battersea Park in January, and on Tuesday, for the spring fair, it [...]
Housebuilder share prices jump as analyst turns totally positive on UK housebuilders April 22, 2016 Shares in housebuilders have suffered in recent months, partly thanks to analyst Liberum, which in November published a note suggesting shares in UK housebuilders were "overvalued". But this morning, the analyst turned (slightly) bullish, saying it was "less cautious" about housebuilders' share prices. Back in November, Liberum's Charlie Campbell downgraded Barratt, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey to "sell", saying [...]
Londoners: Stop whinging about astronomical rents. It’s so much worse in these other cities April 22, 2016 Renters in London probably think they have good reason to feel hard done by. House prices seem to be going one-way, while wages just aren't keeping up. Map: How much you need to earn to live in every London postcode But a new report, out today, from the Global Cities Business Alliance, shows that Londoners [...]
This scientist’s 3D map of UK house prices will make you weep into your morning coffee April 22, 2016 A physicist with a "morbid curiosity" about London house prices has literally added a new dimension to the horror of the capital's property boom. This fly-through 3D animation shows the house prices of all properties sold in England and Wales from 1995 onwards, averaged and adjusted for inflation. London sticks out as a huge red scar on [...]
YouGov Poll: Twice as many people support buy-to-let tax hike than oppose it April 22, 2016 The recent hike in the stamp duty levy for buy-to-let landlords was met with fierce opposition from landlord groups when it came into force on 1 April. However, according to YouGov survey released today, more than twice the number of UK adults were in favour of the three per cent surcharge than those who opposed [...]
When Brent meets Chelsea: How buying property in all 32 London boroughs over the last 20 years would have made a savvy investment April 21, 2016 Judging which areas will generate the best returns over the next 20 years can be tricky even for the wisest property sage. Data from estate agent Knight Frank show that Hackney was the best performing borough during that time, with an annual price growth of 11.9 per cent, followed by Lambeth at 11.2 per cent. However [...]
Estate Agent Wars: Competitions watchdog warns firms over suspected collusion in OnTheMarket antitrust row April 21, 2016 Has the government just hammered the final nail in the coffin for OntheMarket? Estate agents have been sent a warning by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), telling them they may be breaking the law by making "joint decisions" to join the portal and exit rivals such as Rightmove and Zoopla. Those who are suspected of [...]