Focus on Balham: The family-friendly outpost is now pricier than Wimbledon and Putney August 30, 2019 In the post-war era, Balham was mocked as the ‘Gateway to the South’ in that infamous Peter Sellers sketch sending up radio adverts for far-flung holiday destinations. The joke was that nothing much exciting happened there – it was an archetypal dreary suburb. How times have changed. It is now a fiercely sought after location [...]
Shifting stamp duty burden would hurt first-time buyers August 23, 2019 It was an interesting idea – and sounded great for first-time buyers. On Saturday, Sajid Javid appeared to be considering switching the cost of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) from the buyer to the seller in England and Northern Ireland. On Sunday, in a tweet, he made it clear that he did not support the [...]
That’s the ticket: Fans deserve a market built on transparency August 22, 2019 Imagine you’ve long wanted to see your favourite band live. Then one day, they announce a tour, with a date in your hometown in eight months’ time. This band hasn’t toured in a long time, and you know that they always draw in the masses. What do you do? Buy the ticket, of course – [...]
Summer house deals dip amid Brexit uncertainty August 21, 2019 Britain’s property market suffered a sharp fall in the number of transactions made between June and July, as the traditional summer slowdown and growing uncertainty over Brexit dented activity. Figures released by HMRC this morning show a marked reduction in the number of property transactions over the summer months, with a drop of 8.5 per [...]
Sajid Javid quashes stamp duty speculation August 19, 2019 Chancellor Sajid Javid has moved to quash speculation he may be about to shift stamp duty from buyers to sellers. During an interview with The Times, Javid had appeared to float the idea ahead of his first Budget. When asked about changing who pays stamp duty to save first-time buyers paying any tax, he said: [...]
Sales tick up as pre-Brexit buying spree gives summer boost to housing market August 19, 2019 Househunters hoping to lock in a deal ahead of the government’s Brexit deadline have driven a surprise buying spree this summer, giving life to the property market’s quietest season of the year. Agreed house sales in August rose 6.1 per cent from the same month in 2018, rising to the highest level at this time [...]
New builds: Homes on the market this week including apartments in White City and Walthamstow August 9, 2019 White City Living, White City This Saturday, Berkeley’s St James division will launch the first show apartment at White City Living in West London. The apartment has been designed around the principles of Feng Shui by Jigsaw Interior Architecture. There are 1,800 new homes being built at the development, which sits next to the BBC [...]
FCA: Ballooning exchange-traded fund sector no threat to financial stability August 8, 2019 Britain’s financial watchdog has said the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) market is not a threat to financial stability and can cope with the sort of liquidity issues that damaged Neil Woodford’s flagship fund. Read more: New business down at Hargreaves Lansdown as Woodford scandal bites The wider world of funds has come under scrutiny after Woodford’s [...]
Battersea Power Station opens Coaling Jetty to the public amid mammoth revamp project August 6, 2019 Battersea Power Station has unveiled its redeveloped Coaling Jetty, which is open to the public for the first time ever. The Grade II*-listed jetty will host live music, food and drink, wellness sessions and family activities for visitors during a string of riverside events this month. Read more: Battersea Power Station home buyers claim refunds [...]
Spudulike closes all branches after sale collapses August 5, 2019 Fast food chain Spudulike has collapsed and shuttered all its branches, making 298 employees redundant, administrators confirmed today The casual dining group, which specialised in baked potatoes, closed all 37 of its stores on Friday after a prospective buyer pulled out of a deal to purchase the company at the last minute. Read more: Landlords [...]