House prices fall for the first time this year as stamp duty holiday winds down July 7, 2021 The price of the average UK property fell last month for the first time this year, as the end of the most generous stamp duty holiday loomed. House prices fell 0.5 per cent in June, down £1,284 to an average price of £260,358, according to figures from Halifax. The new figures mean annual house price [...]
FTSE 100 slides as miners drive fall July 6, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 slid this afternoon driven by sharp losses among mining stocks. The capital’s premier index dipped 0.94 per cent to 7,097 in the afternoon session. The fall was driven by mining stocks notching losses, triggered by concerns that historic high oil prices may drive up costs, eroding their underlying value. The losses come [...]
HSBC launches lowest ever fixed-rate mortgage at 0.94 per cent July 6, 2021 HSBC UK has launched a fixed-rate mortgage at 0.94 per cent, its lowest fixed-rate mortgage ever, but the product will only be available to those with a 40 per cent deposit. The lender will charge a £999 fee to access the mortgage, or alternatively, people can take out a ‘fee-saver’ version with no product fee [...]
Unique £4.7m ‘iceberg house’ up for sale in Hampstead July 6, 2021 A unique property dubbed an ‘iceberg house’ for its below-ground build has gone up for sale in Hampstead for £4.7m. The site, which is located just 50 metres from Hampstead Heath and boasts celebrity neighbours Boy George and Nick Mason from Pink Floyd, was previously occupied by garages. It has been built into the ground [...]
Drink up: Scotch whisky should be the crowning glory of a UK-India trade deal July 6, 2021 Even before a formal trade deal, the relationship between the UK and India was worth £25.5bn in 2019. What is known as an enhanced trade partnership – the precursor to a fully-fledged FTA – is expected to generate new jobs and unlock fresh opportunities for both countries. At the helm of closer ties between the [...]
Major investor LGIM calls for more detail on Morrisons property portfolio before voting on takeover July 5, 2021 Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of Morrisons’ biggest shareholders, has called for more detail on Morrisons’ property portfolio before it votes on a private equity takeover bid. Over the weekend Morrisons accepted a £6.3bn takeover offer by a consortium of funds led by private equity firm Fortress. But this morning rival Apollo said [...]
London property market enjoys strongest ever half-year, Chestertons says July 5, 2021 London’s property market has enjoyed its strongest ever half-year, according to Chestertons, who posted record sales in June. The estate agent’s latest market analysis found the highest monthly sales numbers in the company’s history were recorded last month, fuelled by buyers trying to beat the Stamp Duty deadline and wanting to move before price growth [...]
Watchdog with power to prosecute property developers for safety failures to be set up July 5, 2021 A new watchdog will be set up with the power to prosecute property developers who fail to meet safety standards. The decision to create a new regulator is designed to prevent a repeat of the Grenfell Tower disaster, which killed 72 people in 2017. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government [...]
John Lewis to build 10,000 rental homes July 5, 2021 Retailer John Lewis will build 10,000 rental homes over the next few years, in a move into the residential property market. Tenants will have a choice of renting fully furnished with John Lewis products or using their own, according to reports. The move will give the business a long-term, stable income, and provide new job [...]
Nissan’s £1bn gambit in Sunderland is worth every penny of subsidies for Boris Johnson July 5, 2021 The campaign for the Brexit referendum seems a long time ago. By the calendar, it was only five years ago, and yet we remember it like another world: David Cameron was prime minister, Barack Obama was in the White House, François Hollande was sneaking out of the Elysée palace on the pillion of a scooter [...]