Planning reforms have had ‘profound and hugely positive impact’, Berkeley says December 6, 2024 FTSE 100 house builder Berkeley said it was on track to meet its profit targets in 2025 as it announced a new investment strategy to help capitalise on the government’s planning reforms. The government has committed to building 1.5m new homes over the course of the parliament. To meet its target, ministers are consulting on [...]
House prices rise at fastest rate in two years – Nationwide December 2, 2024 New figures from Nationwide show that house prices rose by 3.7 per cent year-on-year last month, up from 2.4 per cent the month before.
London house prices gloom revealed but owners set for £84,000 boost November 6, 2024 The average home in Britain will be £84,000 more valuable in five years’ time, according to a new forecast, but London house prices will grow slower than anywhere else in the UK. Real estate giant Savills has said it expects the typical property value to reach £442,000 by the end of the period to 2029, [...]
House prices rising slowly but 2024 still a ‘bumper year’ October 28, 2024 2024 is set to be a “bumper year” for house sales thanks to rising real incomes and lower mortgage rates, according to Zoopla’s latest house price index. The level of new sales has increased to its highest level since late 2020, the survey showed. There are 306,000 homes currently working through the buying process, 26 [...]
The Notebook: New draft of renters’ rights bill risks inflating prices (even more) October 8, 2024 Two key changes in Labour's bill could impact the rental market
REA raises Rightmove bid to £6.1bn as it slams ‘lack of engagement’ September 23, 2024 Australian property group REA has upped its takeover bid for Rightmove to £6.1bn, saying it is “genuinely disappointed” with the lack of engagement from the company so far. Earlier this month, Rightmove snubbed a £5.6bn offer from Rupert Murdoch-owned REA, saying it was “wholly opportunistic” and undervalued the British property portal. On Friday, the Rupert [...]
Building on the green belt won’t fix the housing crisis September 5, 2024 Labour’s plans to relax protection for the green belt will incentivise developers to build expensive houses for commuters while leaving city centre brownfield sites to rot, says Sam Fowles Labour has put solving the housing crisis front and centre, promising to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliament. But its key [...]
How Rightmove became London’s (and the FTSE 100’s) most profitable company September 3, 2024 From an unknown tech start-up to the undisputed king of the UK’s online property sector, Rightmove is a shining example of how to turn a simple idea into a whole lot of profit. In its most recent full-year results, the London-listed property portal astounded investors by revealing it had achieved a record 71 per cent operating profit margin – [...]
Michelmersh: Profit sags at brick maker but order book hits multi-year high ahead of building boom September 3, 2024 Brick maker Michelmersh reported a decline in operating profit during the first half of 2024 as economic uncertainty and high interest rates hit housebuilding. Michelmersh’s operating profit fell to just £4.1m in the first half of the year, down 32.8 per cent from the first six months of 2023, the group disclosed in its half-year [...]
Build, Baby, Build: The Apprenticeship Levy is a tax by another name August 23, 2024 SME house builders need to attract young talent more than ever, but the inflexible Apprenticeship Levy is standing in the way, says Rowland Thomas The new Labour Government’s pro-development approach and commitment to getting Britain back building has been largely welcomed by the housebuilding industry. However, even if the Government delivers on its promise to [...]