Hotel demand ‘holds strong’ while staff costs eat into profit Property Demand for UK hotels rose in August, although higher staff costs means that hoteliers saw profit drop. Occupancy increased from 81.4 per cent to 82.1 per cent in August year-on-year, and rose slightly from 84.2 per cent to 84.5 per cent in London, according to RSM and Hotstats. But room rates remained flat as consumers [...]
Savills hit by slowdown in sales despite uptick in profits Business Real estate giant Savills recorded a slowdown in sales in the first half of the year as investors digested the implications of tariffs, but recorded strong results. The real estate giant delivered a 6 per cent increase in revenue to £1.1bn in the six months to end June. Underlying profit rose by 10 per cent [...]
Dearth of international super-prime buyers opens market up for young Brits Property The non-dom exodus and a dearth of super-prime buyers has pushed the price of London’s super-prime property down, shifting the buyer profile to younger domestic buyers. Prices are at a 10-year low, nominally below where they were even in 2014. ““Prices across the capital’s prime markets are offering significant value… Those taking advantage [of this] [...]
UK property bodies form build to rent alliance: ‘Planning reform is not enough’ July 15, 2025 The British Property Federation (BPF) and the Association for Rental Living (ARL) have formed an alliance to boost the struggling build-to-rent sector, arguing that planning reform alone won’t save construction. Trying to create a “single voice” for build to rent, the alliance aims to combat investor shyness by tackling current viability and delivery challenges as [...]
Will lower stress tests for mortgages fuel a first-time buyer boom? June 13, 2025 Easier access to mortgages might replace the stamp duty holiday as fuel for the starter homes market, with prices forecast to soar if affordability improves. The average price paid by a first-time buyer grew by 2.1 per cent in the first quarter and by 7.1 per cent year on year, according to government data. While [...]
Build-to-rent: UK boom in purpose-built properties June 2, 2025 The number of build-to-rent completions in the last year has shot up in another sign the sector is here to stay in the UK. Completions of built to rent properties – which refers to purpose built, institutionally owned and professionally managed residential blocks of flats – have risen by 16 per cent year on year, [...]
Mortgage lending plummets in April as estate agents cross fingers for rate cut June 2, 2025 Mortgage lending dropped in April after the market ‘reset’ following the end of the stamp duty holiday, according to new figures. Net borrowing of mortgage debt decreased sharply by £13.7bn to -£0.8bn in April, according to the Bank of England’s latest data. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases also fell for the third consecutive month, [...]
Relaxed mortgage rules could increase first-time buyer deals by a quarter June 2, 2025 Changes in the way lenders stress test borrowers for mortgages could lead to a huge jump in the amount of first-time buyers able to access the housing market, according to Savills. Savills’ analysis found first-time buyer transactions could increase by up to 24 per cent over the next five years if lending rules continue to [...]
London is world’s fourth-most dynamic city April 1, 2025 London is in the top five cities for companies to lay down roots, a fresh study has found, despite the UK suffering years of economic stagnation and reports of an exodus of its wealthiest and high-skilled residents. According to Savills’ inaugural corporate dynamic wealth index, London is the fourth-best location in the world for major [...]
Boutique Leicester Square hotel handed £42m price tag April 1, 2025 A recently-converted boutique hotel in London’s Leicester Square has been put on the market for £42m. The former office building on 2-5 Charing Cross Road has undergone a significant conversion project and is set to be fully operational by June. The announcement comes as former Natwest bank on London’s Piccadilly is also set to become [...]