Ed Balls unveils mansion tax and promises to hit the rich hardest June 23, 2014 Labour’s shadow chancellor Ed Balls has announced plans for a mansion tax similar to those already proposed by the Liberal Democrats, promising to hit the wealthy hardest. Labour’s proposal would see those in homes worth above £2m hit with a property tax linked to house prices, not inflation. The scheme would be organised into bands; [...]
UK house price rises: should we copy Germany’s rental model? June 23, 2014 As fears continue to circulate that the UK housing market may be overheating, is it time to take some tips from our European friends when it comes to renting property? First let's take a look at how high property prices really are in the UK when compared to other countries in Europe. The best way [...]
London house prices: City closing in on West End’s values June 23, 2014 Residential property prices in the City are rapidly rising to match some of London’s most expensive areas, and could catch up with the costliest parts of the West End in just five years’ time. Typical house and flat prices in the City were 60 per cent lower than their equivalents in the ultra-prime areas of [...]
In graphs: Stamp duty rises by over £900m in 12 months June 20, 2014 A Londoner making his or her way up the housing ladder can expect to have paid £38,000 in stamp duty between 1998 and 2014, according to new research by Lloyds Banking Group. The data also shows, as this paper reported, that stamp duty was up over £900m in the last 12 months. These are big [...]
Interactive: London house prices compared to 2007 June 17, 2014 Everyone is talking about the ONS stats out today showing that London house prices rose 18.7 per cent in the year to April, against the backdrop of a 9.9 per cent rise nationally. Housing market analyst Neal Hudson made this great scatter graph showing how prices in individual London boroughs are increasing currently and how much [...]
In graphs: London house prices up 18.7pc in just a year June 17, 2014 House prices in London rose 18.7 per cent in the 12 months to April according to new figures released today by the Office of National statistics (ONS). Across the country prices were up 9.9 per cent, with growth outside London and the south east at 6.3 per cent. Despite figures from Rightmove yesterday showing the market [...]
London house price danger flagged by IMF review June 6, 2014 The UK's government has this morning received a far more glowing appraisal from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) than it has become used to. The supranational organisation has delivered its Article IV mission findings, noting that the UK's economy "has rebounded strongly and growth is becoming more balanced". Among its other points, the IMF lists [...]
House prices rise five times faster than expected June 5, 2014 House prices rose by 3.9 per cent in May, according to data from Halifax. Analysts had been expecting prices to rise by just 0.7 per cent this month. IHS Global Insight's Howard Archer says the increase "is a real bolt from the blue and at face value unsettling for policymakers." Values in the three months [...]
Average UK house price hits record high as Help to Buy fails to take off in London June 3, 2014 UK house prices rose by 11.1 per cent annually last month, according to the latest figures from Nationwide. That takes the cost of an average UK home to £186,512 – overtaking the previous peak reached in pre-crisis October 2007 for the first time. In April, the average cost was £183,577. The building society’s house prices [...]
Global house prices slow as the UK jumps up world rankings June 2, 2014 Global house prices have increased for the eighth quarter in a row but the rate of price growth is now slowing, according to figures out today from Knight Frank. Prices rose by 7.1 per cent in the year to March, according to the property agency’s Global House Price Index. However the last quarter [...]