UK house prices: Experts predict sharp recovery after coronavirus lockdown May 1, 2020 UK house prices could rebound after the coronavirus lockdown eases, after they grew at the fastest pace since 2017 before the crisis, Nationwide said today. The value of British homes grew at their fastest rate since February 2017 before the coronavirus lockdown brought the market crashing to a halt, Nationwide data released today showed. UK [...]
Calls for stamp duty holiday as UK house prices set to fall amid coronavirus crisis April 9, 2020 The government has been urged to take action to support the housing market, including a stamp duty holiday, as UK house prices are forecast to drop due to coronavirus. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has called for a stamp duty holiday as a “short term measure”. It said it could encourage potential buyers [...]
Coronavirus: UK house prices growth ‘grinding to a halt’ April 2, 2020 UK house prices rose three per cent last month just before the coronavirus outbreak hit, according to Nationwide figures released today. But the bank warned housing market activity is “grinding to a halt” as the coronavirus lockdown stops buyers and sellers from viewing properties. Banks have also withdrawn mortgages or made it tougher to secure [...]
UK house prices: Brexit clouds lift, but coronavirus threat looms March 6, 2020 UK house prices rose 2.8 per cent in February compared to the same month last year, Halifax data showed today. Homes’ values increased 0.3 per cent month on month and 2.9 per cent on a quarterly basis, Halifax’s House Price Index found. That left the average UK house price at £240,677 in February. But while [...]
UK house prices grow at fastest rate for 18 months in February February 28, 2020 UK house prices grew at their fastest rate since July 2018 in February, according to Nationwide figures released today. February’s annual rise of 2.3 per cent, up from 1.9 per cent in January, was UK house prices’ strongest rate of growth in 18 months. That left the average UK house price at £216,092, up from [...]
London house prices rebound with 2.3 per cent growth after election February 19, 2020 London house prices grew at their fastest rate in 15 months in December following Boris Johnson’s election win, official figures showed today, as UK house prices also rose. Homes in the capital enjoyed a 2.3 per cent rise to £484,000 after a 2019 full of falls, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The [...]
Why the housing minister merry-go-round is hurting the industry February 18, 2020 When Boris Johnson sacked housing minister Esther McVey last week, people working in the sector could have been forgiven for reacting somewhat wearily. Her replacement, Christopher Pincher, is the tenth person to hold the job in the last decade, and the nineteenth since 2000. It is, by some distance, the worst churn experienced by any [...]
Strong homes performance keep MJ Gleeson on track despite loss February 13, 2020 Urban housing regeneration firm MJ Gleeson has reported strong performance from its homes division for the half-year. The company registered an operating profit of £15.9m in this sector during the first half of the year 2019/20, up from £14m in the comparable six month period, a 13 per cent increase. However, overall profit after tax [...]
Want to encourage downsizing and free up the housing market? Reform stamp duty February 13, 2020 With the first post-Brexit Budget fast approaching, there are huge hopes, expectations, and indeed demands across industries and sectors — but perhaps few areas are more important than solving the housing crisis. As Boris Johnson’s team focuses on delivering their manifesto promises, including building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, it’s worth remembering that [...]
DEBATE: Should the Treasury consider a ‘mansion tax’ to help fund spending commitments? February 13, 2020 Should the Treasury consider a ‘mansion tax’ to help fund spending commitments? Robert Palmer, director of Tax Justice UK, says YES Do you know who pays more in council tax: me in my two-bedroom flat in Kentish Town, or the owner of the £160m penthouse at the top of 1 Hyde Park? Astonishingly, the answer [...]