London house prices: Former Mayfair garage becomes world’s most expensive mews house after £24m sale September 2, 2015 A former garage in Mayfair which once housed 1920s sports cars has smashed the record for the world’s most expensive mews house after being sold for £24m. The four-storey property, known as 43 Reeves Mews, dates back to 1734 when it once served as stable quarters housing servants and groomsmen of the super-rich residents of Grosvenor [...]
London mayoral elections: Tower blocks are no place to bring up families – it’s time for Londoners to reclaim their horizon September 2, 2015 "We believe most of the wave of proposed towers now hitting the city will do permanent damage to its public spaces and views, without answering London’s real housing and employment needs. There is a lack of evidence for the benefits of these buildings, of planning that can direct them well, and of genuine public consultation." [...]
Government’s starter homes programme won’t help London’s first-time buyers August 27, 2015 Londoners hoping to buy their first home will not get much help from the government, according to a new report out today. In the report, Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, takes issue with the government’s affordable house building policies, saying its flagship “starter homes” programme will fail to help most first-time buyers. Prime Minister [...]
King of Soho Paul Raymond’s London property empire rises in value to £565m August 23, 2015 Soho Estates, the West End property empire of the late porn baron Paul Raymond, saw the value of its assets rise eight per cent to £565.6m last year. Raymond left the bulk of his estate to his granddaughters Fawn James, a director, and India James when he died in 2008, aged 82. The [...]
The super-rich paying a £50,000 deposit to RENT in London August 20, 2015 With rising house prices placing home ownership out of reach for many and overseas investment rife, London’s lettings market is booming. But the commonly-painted picture of young professionals struggling to pay for their grotty house share in Dalston only tells one side of this increasingly complex story. For competition isn’t only fierce at the affordable [...]
London house prices: Not another brick in the wall? London has a 24 million brick shortage August 19, 2015 London is more than just one brick short of a full load. A new study reckons the capital has a 24 million brick shortfall if it's to meet the demand for new homes. As the population of the UK's capital swells to nine million by 2021, the Linton Group claims London will need 66,000 [...]
UK housing: Skills shortages forcing construction firms to turn down building work August 19, 2015 Is a skills shortage fuelling the UK housing market's supply issues? Research published today suggests that two-thirds (66 per cent) of small and medium construction firms have had to turn down work because they don't have the staff to carry it out, according to the Federation of Master Buildings. London has the biggest [...]
Cost of renting a room in London rises to an all-time high August 19, 2015 Renting a room in the capital costs more than ever before, according to a new report out today. SpareRoom, the flat and house share website, said that the average monthly rent for a lodger in London in the first six months of this year was £694, a 5.3 per cent increase over last [...]
Shortage of prime London homes fuels frenzy of 24-hour exchanges August 18, 2015 An acute shortage of property in prime central London is driving more buyers to exchange on homes within 24 hours even as the top end of the market slows, according to search agent Banda Property. The boutique firm, which acts on about 50 sales a year, said that buyers were insisting on a 24-hour exchange [...]
Mayfair sees fastest rent price growth in prime central London August 18, 2015 Mayfair is leading the way in prime central London rental price growth, a lettings agent said yesterday. Rents in Mayfair have shot up 7.5 per cent over the last 12 months, according to E J Harris. Prime central London has seen rents rise 4.1 per cent. The firm warned that prices are likely to keep [...]