UK takes top-spot in European property investment market December 7, 2020 A recent global survey by international law firm DLA Piper, showed that the UK is considered prime real estate by investors, following Brexit. The survey of 500 investors, developers, and asset managers from across Europe, China and the US, ranked the UK highest for future residential property investment. The study showed that overall, the European [...]
Tit for tat: Ann Summers launches CVA following rent dispute during pandemic December 4, 2020 Ann Summers has launched a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) following a dispute over the lingerie brand’s rents during the pandemic. The CVA follows extensive discussions with the company’s landlords over plans to switch to turnover-based rents due to changing consumer behaviour during the coronavirus crisis. Ann Summers said it wants to ensure “the company’s property [...]
Berkeley Group’s belief in London is ‘resolute’ despite pandemic hit December 4, 2020 Berkeley Group has reaffirmed its commitment to London even as its profits took a hit from pandemic uncertainty. Chief executive Rob Perrins said the company’s “belief in London and our developmetn approach is resolute” as it reported its interim results. The company has acquired three sites in London this year – Borough Triangle in Southwark, [...]
Exclusive: Government offshoring customs jobs to prep UK firms for Brexit December 3, 2020 A government grant programme is paying for overseas workers to help British logistics firms prepare for Brexit. A loophole in the HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) £50m grant programme means taxpayer funds can be given to train overseas workers as long as their company has a UK base. The Customs Grants Scheme, which is being [...]
France pushes EU to go for no-deal Brexit if UK does not make late concessions December 2, 2020 France is reportedly pushing the EU to go for a no-deal Brexit, before restarting trade talks next year, if the UK does not make significant concessions in the coming days. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is in London today for in-person negotiations with UK Brexit negotiator Lord David Frost and his team. Barnier also held [...]
Exclusive: Capital gains tax on French properties to soar for UK residents post-Brexit December 2, 2020 UK residents with a second home in France will have to pay substantially more capital gains tax on property sales starting from next year when Britain leaves the Brexit transition period. French tax authorities confirmed today that UK residents will no longer benefit from the EU exemption from a social levies tax and will need [...]
Canary Wharf redevelopment gets green light as landlords seek Covid-friendly offices December 1, 2020 Redevelopment plans for a Canary Wharf office block have been given the green light, as property owners seek to capitalise on demand for Covid-19 secure office space. Real estate asset management firm Quadrant and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management have secured planning permission to redesign 30 South Colonnade in the east London financial district. [...]
Debenhams closure: What next for struggling retail landlords? December 1, 2020 Retail landlords are set to take a multimillion pound hit following the collapse of Debenhams and Arcadia’s fall into administration, and could struggle to fill the space left by closed flagship stores. Many property owners, which have already been impacted during the pandemic due to a spike in retail restructurings and renegotiated rents, will lose [...]
UK house prices grew at fastest rate since 2015 in November December 1, 2020 UK house prices grew at an annual rate of 6.5 per cent in November, the fastest rate since January 2015, as the sector batted off the second national lockdown. According to Nationwide’s house price index, prices also increased on a month-on-month basis to be up 0.9 per cent compared to last November. As a result, [...]
Mortgage approvals jump to 13-year high as pandemic prompts house moves November 30, 2020 Mortgage approvals jumped last month as the coronavirus pandemic, and support measures such as the stamp duty holiday, prompted more people to move home. The number of mortgage approvals for house purchase reached 97,500 in October, compared to 92,100 the previous month, reaching the highest level since September 2007. Approvals were 33 per cent higher [...]