Newly agreed rents across Britain hit two-year high October 19, 2026 Newly agreed rental prices for fresh tenancies have risen at the fastest pace in almost two years, new research has found. According to estate agent Hamptons, the annual pace of rental price growth on newly let properties climbed for the 10th month in a row in September, while average rent for properties across Britain increased [...]
Omaze in court over tax dispute on luxury house prize draws October 16, 2026 Luxury house prize draw platform Omaze has appealed against HMRC over whether paid entries in its prize draws are subject to standard-rate VAT. An Omaze spokesperson told City AM the platform “has been paying VAT in the UK since 2021.” Omaze lists itself on its website as “not a charity raffle, house or cash raffle [...]
Healey’s £1bn London office raid would be ‘attack on growth’ October 15, 2026 John Healey’s potential £1bn raid on London offices would be an “attack on growth” and deal a huge blow to the City, property firms have warned. The Chancellor is weighing up an increase to business rates for expensive office blocks and skyscrapers which would raise £1bn for the Treasury but disproportionately hit the capital’s business [...]
Storage firm Big Yellow weighing ‘all options’ after sale pressure from investor October 15, 2026 Big Yellow has told shareholders it is keeping “all options” under review after the self-storage firm’s biggest investor told it to put itself up for sale. The FTSE 250 group said it “recently” met with a shareholder who “is encouraging Big Yellow to explore a sale”. Earlier this week, Ancora Alternatives, an Ohio-based activist investor, [...]
Activist investor urges storage firm Big Yellow to put itself up for sale October 14, 2026 Shares in storage firm Big Yellow bounced on Wednesday after an activist investor urged the company to put itself up for sale. The FTSE 250 self-storage provider jumped more than five per cent to 844p after Ancora Alternatives, which owns four per cent of the group, told it to consider a take-private deal. The Ohio-based [...]
Bellway warns revived Help to Buy scheme could slow housing market October 13, 2026 Bellway has warned the government’s revival of the Help to Buy scheme could further slow the housing market in the near term by encouraging housebuyers to delay decisions. The FTSE 250 housebuilder said Labour’s new equity loan scheme, Your First Home, is a “welcome development” but cautioned it will not immediately solve the UK’s housing [...]
Healey rules out expanding mansion tax to £1.5m homes October 11, 2026 John Healey has ruled out widening Labour’s so-called mansion tax to cover homes worth £1.5m, following warnings that the tax change would hammer middle-class homeowners in the capital. The Chancellor had been considering widening its council tax surcharge to cover homes valued at £1.5m or more, as the Treasury seeks extra revenue to fund cost [...]
MFS founder accuses administrators of ‘internecine warfare’ October 8, 2026 The founder of collapsed shadow bank MFS has accused administrators of “internecine warfare” and harassment as the firm’s creditors fight to unlock billions of pounds in frozen funds, City AM can reveal. Paresh Raja, the chief executive of Market Financial Solutions who has denied claims he siphoned “vast sums” from the mortgage firm, has asked [...]
Housebuilders pull out of London over Labour planning ‘nightmare’ October 8, 2026 Top housebuilders have begun to pull out of London citing a “nightmare” of planning objections that have made developments unviable. Listed housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley Group both said that the costs of navigating the huge complexities of red tape and planning processes in the capital are making them less willing to continue investing. This [...]
House prices fall faster in London as property market stays ‘subdued’ October 7, 2026 House prices in London fell at a faster rate last month, as homeowners in the capital continue to bear the brunt of the property market slowdown caused by the Iran war. The average house price in London fell by 2.2 per cent to £531,548 in the year to September, according to the Lloyds house price [...]