“House blocking” and the property standstill: We need a housing market that addresses the whole population’s needs, not just first-time buyers February 22, 2016 There is a ‘house-blocking’ issue in the UK that must be addressed if we are to free up vital space, ease resources and stop the property market grinding to a complete standstill. The latest English housing survey revealed that, during the past 10 years, the number of owner-occupiers aged over 65 who own their home [...]
UK house prices: Mortgage lending has strongest start to the year since 2008 February 18, 2016 Mortgage lending had its strongest start to the year for eight years, according to figures released this morning. Gross mortgage lending hit £17.9bn in January, 21 per cent higher than the same month last year, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said. It is the largest amount of mortgage lending conducted in January since 2008 when £25.2bn [...]
Rental app Movebubble wins £1.1m funding from investors including former Spotify boss February 17, 2016 A start-up that has designed an app dedicated to renters searching for a new pad in London has won £1.1m backing from a group of investors including the former boss of Spotfify. Movebubble, which launched in November last year, lists thousands of properties available in the capital whilst also helping renters to book and manage viewings. The app allows people to [...]
Zoopla injects £1m into four property technology start-ups February 16, 2016 Zoopla is throwing its weight behind the next generation of property technology firms after investing £1m in four start-ups. The FTSE 250 firm, which owns uSwitch, Prime Location as well its eponymous property search firm, said it has agreed exclusive partnerships with four "promising and innovative property technology start-up companies" to help ramp up their expansion and improve [...]
Buy-to-let mortgage boom runs out of steam as lending falls in December February 16, 2016 The buy-to-let mortgage boom receded toward the end of last year, new figures show today. The amount of cash loaned to buy-to-let investors dropped by three per cent in December compared with November, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said. It was also down one per cent in the three months from the three months to September. Over [...]
Challenger banks: Hampshire Trust Bank says customer deposits are up more than 800 per cent as it posts first profit since 2014 management buyout February 14, 2016 Hampshire Trust Bank has posted its first profit since a management buyout in 2014, reporting strong growth in total assets, customer deposits and customer numbers for 2015. Hampshire Trust Bank, a specialist challenger bank focusing on small and medium-sized businesses, reported that its total assets had multiplied by more than four times during the year [...]
Lowest arrears rate for more than a decade as homeowners reap rewards of low interest rates and record employment February 11, 2016 The number of homeowners behind on their mortgage payments has fallen to its lowest for over 10 years. Fewer than one in 1,000 mortgages ended in repossession last year, according to figures released this morning by the Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML). The annual arrears rate for 2015 was 0.92 per cent, meaning fewer than one [...]
Peer-to-peer lenders hit back after City grandee Lord Adair Turner says they could lead to “big losses” February 10, 2016 Peer-to-peer lenders have rejected criticisms from former City regulator Lord Adair Turner, who warned earlier today that the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry could be a source of "big losses" in the years ahead. "The losses which will emerge from peer-to-peer lending over the next five to 10 years will make the bankers look like lending geniuses," Turner told BBC [...]
Londoners won’t be free of credit card and mortgage debt until they are 77, survey finds February 2, 2016 Londoners may have to wait until they reach 77 to live debt-free, according to new research. The average Brit will not pay off unsecured debt, like credit cards and certain loans, until they are 64, a survey by the Centre for Economics & Business Research (Cebr) for peer-to-peer lender Zopa found. That rises to 69 once mortgages [...]
UK house prices: The UK needs a million more rental homes in the next five years February 2, 2016 The UK needs more than a million new rental homes by 2021, a new report has suggested. The government has a target to build 400,000 new affordable homes for sale over the course of this parliament – but that's ignoring the needs of renters, the research, by Savills, suggests. Sluggish economic recovery, low interest rates – [...]