Independent shops are bringing some much-needed cool to London’s housing schemes June 11, 2015 There was a time when retailers were an afterthought to housing developers. But increasingly sophisticated homeowners, used to an urban village life among coffee shops and boutiques, are demanding more. “Ideally, you want to bring the commercial side in as soon as you can,” says John Anderson, chairman of developer Berkeley Homes, East Thames. [...]
These are the 20 London streets where estate agents are making the most money June 9, 2015 It turns out London’s streets really are paved with gold – for estate agents, anyway, who have earn £10m in fees for sales in London’s 20 most expensive roads over the past 18 months. According to research from website HouseSimple, 80 properties sold in the top 20 prime locations sold for an average of £5.3m, [...]
Londoners can now rent out their spare rooms using AirBnB, thanks to a change in rules May 26, 2015 It is now completely legal for Londoners to let out spare rooms using sites such as AirBnB, thanks to a change in rules. Until now, you could be slapped with a £20,000 fine for renting part of your home out for fewer than 90 nights without getting planning permission first, but everyone is now [...]
London house prices soaring above the rest of the UK with average cost now £498,000 May 19, 2015 House prices in the capital continue to outpace prices in the rest of the UK, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). London house prices were up 11.2 per cent in the year to March 2015, compared to a nationwide average of 9.6 per cent, according to the ONS house price [...]
Four charts that sum up the week: Sterling rallies, UK growth forecast cut, London house prices rise and Europe beats Britain May 15, 2015 London house prices ended seven months of decline, the Bank of England said it was feeling less optimistic about the UK economy and the French economy sped ahead of Britain and Germany in the first quarter, this week. Here are four charts that sum up what happened. 1. London house prices are on the up again, [...]
UK house prices: Number of risky mortgages grows 64 per cent in five years May 6, 2015 In the aftermath of the subprime mortgage crisis, you'd have thought lenders had learned their lessons – but perhaps not, after a new study suggested the number of risky mortgages sold in the UK has risen 64 per cent since 2010. Using last year’s data from the Bank of England, Moore Stevens, an accountancy firm, [...]
Architects of the future: How young designers are taking on space constraints, the cost of living and technology April 30, 2015 As property prices continue to rise and land available for development dwindles, architects and designers are tasked with devising ways to recommission and re-purpose spaces to make them suitable for modern life. Five architects and designers under 40 explain how they are taking inspiration from these challenges, and how they see their industry changing in [...]
Conservative areas top house price growth April 29, 2015 HOMEOWNERS living in Conservative constituencies have been the biggest beneficiaries of the UK’s house price boom. Figures released today by online estate agents housesimple.com show that house prices in Tory strongholds have gained 17.1 per cent in the last five years. The rate of price growth is almost three times that of constituencies with the [...]
City Moves for 30 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 29, 2015 ADS Securities London The brokerage has appointed Marco Baggioli as chief operating officer. He was previously global head of FX prime brokerage at BNP Paribas. Baggioli has over 23 years’ experience in the sector, and has also held roles at Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, and MonteTitoli. Michelmores The law firm has appointed Patrick [...]
London barometer: Home buyers and sellers shrug off General Election uncertainty April 23, 2015 It appears that buyers and sellers are getting bored of political uncertainty and this is reflected in the consistent flow of properties coming to the market. Perhaps this will come as a surprise to many people, but the number of offers being agreed is what we’d usually expect at this time of the year. [...]