London house prices could drop further over the next three months October 9, 2014 House price momentum has gone back 16 months. According to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) report, this is the third straight month that demand has slipped. Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at Rics, said expectations were that prices in London could drop over the next three months, as a greater balance between supply and [...]
UK house prices grow 9.6 per cent in a year, but growth is slowing. Here’s why October 8, 2014 More data showing the housing market is slowing has emerged today. Halifax, which bases its calculations on its own mortgage lending, calculates prices have risen 9.6 per cent over the year to September (down from 9.7 per cent for the year to August and 10.2 per cent for the 12 months to July) and 2.7 [...]
Forget a penal mansion tax: It’s archaic council tax that needs desperate reform October 7, 2014 WHILE the party conference headlines have focused on Ed Miliband forgetting to mention the deficit, both the Labour leader and David Cameron were also guilty of only referring to “investment” twice in their conference addresses. When that happens, you know political minds are on next May’s general election, rather than on what is best for [...]
London house prices could fall next year after booming 2014 October 6, 2014 The boom in London house prices will not only end next year, but could even fall, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). Their own forecast puts the decline at 2.6 per cent for 2015, which would be the first annual fall since 2009. House prices in the capital are expected to [...]
UK house prices could fall due to stricter mortgage lending rules October 5, 2014 House prices could fall next year due to stricter rules on mortgage approvals and potential buyers being put off by rate hikes, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). A combination of rising interest rates and tougher mortgage eligibility could depress demand significantly – enough to cause house price growth to hit [...]
The Queen would pay Labour’s mansion tax, as would 2,724 of her Westminster neighbours but which London borough would pay the most? October 5, 2014 The Queen would be subject to the Labour party’s proposed mansion tax shadow chancellor Ed Balls said today, along with other wealthy property owners. The Queen’s residence in London, Buckingham Palace, is said to be worth more than £1bn what with a sought after central location and let’s say, a comfortable amount of space. However, [...]
Most of London’s mansion tax properties are flats October 2, 2014 Three quarters of London properties which would fall into the so-called “mansion tax” bracket are flats or terraced houses, according to Knight Frank figures. The property consultants analysed sales data to see what type of “mansions” would fall into the £2m plus category Labour leader Ed Miliband would target if his party came to power. [...]
Mark Carney wants power to limit your mortgage if house price boom threatens banks October 2, 2014 The Bank of England wants major new powers to cap mortgage loans, yesterday arguing it may need to rein in the housing market if the price boom starts to endanger banks. Officials want the ability to cap the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of mortgages, as well as the debt to income ratios of some borrowers. The demands [...]
Sol Campbell may join Tories in battle against Labour’s mansion tax October 2, 2014 Sol Campbell may join the Tories to fight against Labour's mansion tax. The former England football player recently made his opposition to the tax known via Twitter but has gone into even further detail about the problems with the policy advocated by both the Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Speaking to the Telegraph, he slammed [...]
London house price growth slows: How do the other regions compare? September 30, 2014 UK house price growth slowed to 9.4 per cent in the year to September, figures published Tuesday showed, down 11 per cent from last month. Between August and September, monthly growth fell 0.2 per cent – the first drop in 17 months, the figures from Nationwide showed. As the building society's chief economist, Robert Gardner, [...]