Property lawyers should prepare for 2008-style crash, regulator says October 24, 2022 Property law firms should ready themselves for a “significant fall” in work as a result of a downturn in the UK’s real estate sector, the industry regulator has said. The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which regulates conveyancers and property solicitors, said firms should prepare for a reversal of the past decade’s boom as economic [...]
Exclusive: How London’s prime property financing space weathered Brexit, Covid and market mayhem October 24, 2022 Prime property finance is experiencing a boom in demand but battling falling prices. Yet, as the most resilient part of the market shows it can insulate itself from Brexit, the pandemic and current financial woes. While not immune from external shocks, its ability to recover faster than the rest of the industry makes it a [...]
Investors scramble to dump UK property funds as valuations dive amid widening Kwarteng mini-budget chaos October 13, 2022 Following last week’s bond market turmoil, which sent shockwaves through the City, investors are now scrambling to exit UK property funds. Since the new chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, presented his Mini-Budget at the end of September, the pace at which investors are pulling out of UK commercial real estate funds has accelerated. In the 10 days [...]
Fire sale UK plc: Goldman Sachs to snap up British assets on the cheap as panicky UK pension funds flee October 11, 2022 In a near-unprecedented rush by British pension funds to raise their cash holdings, Goldman Sachs and a range of other investment giants are planning to snap up UK assets at discounts of up to 30 per cent. Since Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrously received mini-budget at the end of September, UK pension funds are rushing to improve [...]
Watkin Jones’ investment chief announced as new executive director October 10, 2022 Property developers Watkin Jones announced a raft of board appointments, including a new executive director. Alex Pease has been promoted from chief investment officer to the top job after joining the company in 2010. He was responsible for helping to Watkins Jones floating on the London Stock Exchange in 2016, before taking on its its [...]
Marshalls’ shares plummet as firm warns of slowdown in sales October 7, 2022 Shares in building materials manufacturer Marshalls fell almost 20 per cent today after the firm warned of a slowdown in sales due to faltering demand. The West Yorkshire firm said its outturn will be “slightly below the bottom end of the current range of market expectations” as its sales start to slow. The warning comes [...]
Kwarteng’s ‘mini budget’ sends mortgage bills soaring £1,500 October 4, 2022 The government’s mini budget has sent the average mortgage borrower’s bill soaring by £1,500 a year, new figures have shown, in a hike that has been dubbed a ‘Kwarteng premium’ by some brokers.
Labour accused of ‘demonising landlords’ and saying ‘rent is optional’ with new charter September 26, 2022 Labour has been accused of “demonising all landlords” with proposals set to be unveiled today for the private rented sector. Keir Starmer’s party is due to announce a series of pledges today according to the Mirror, with shadow communities, levelling up and housing secretary Lisa Nandy making a speech at its annual conference this afternoon. [...]
Stamp duty cut set to boost property market as analyst ‘highly sceptical’ of demand-side push September 26, 2022 Cuts to stamp duty are set to give the UK property market a boost of more than 25 per cent as thousands of Brits look to cash in. Research from Barrows and Forrester suggests – based on previous stamp duty holidays – that up to a million homes could be sold due to the cut. [...]
Ka-Ching! Brits pay instantly £1.65bn more in interest after today’s Bank of England rate hike September 22, 2022 With the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee confirming its base rate will rise by 0.5 per cent to 2.25 per cent, UK households face an immediate increase in interest payments of £1.65bn. Analysis of Bank of England data shows UK households are currently paying £20.25bn annually in interest payments on floating rate debt that are [...]