As UK house prices soar, first-time buyers struggle much more than mum and dad did June 12, 2018 A third of UK residents preparing to buy their first house are struggling to save enough money for a deposit – six times the proportion of people who bought their first house 20-30 years ago. That’s according to a 2,000-person survey carried out by self-storage company, Space Station, which asked 1,000 Brits who are currently [...]
De Beers just launched a Game of Stones June 12, 2018 Diamond pioneer De Beers has always insisted it would never market man-made, or “fake”, diamonds. It recently made a surprise U-turn, revealing it will soon sell laboratory-grown stones, despite its current “real is rare” marketing campaign. So what has sparked this change of heart? De Beers, owned by Anglo American and the Government of Botswana, [...]
Alton Towers owner and multi-millionaire Nick Leslau on the “constipated” property market and that rollercoaster tragedy June 12, 2018 Nick Leslau, one of Britain’s wealthiest property entrepreneurs, loves buildings other people would find ugly. “I have a thing for unfashionable buildings that people generally hate,” says the multi-millionaire who turned two sixties office blocks in London into the St Martins Lane and Sanderson hotels. “I like them because of the opportunity they represent and [...]
Ranked: London boroughs where the most homes were sold last year June 11, 2018 The proportion of homes sold in London was lower than any other part of England and Wales last year, according to analysis of Land Registry data by property group Knight Frank. In total, 3.2 per cent of all private London residential properties were sold in 2017, well below the average of 4.1 per cent for [...]
Tesco boss blames business rates for retail chaos June 8, 2018 Tesco boss Dave Lewis has joined the outcry against business rates, blaming the system for the carnage on the high street. He said that the tax was partly responsible for the collapse of some retailers, and that it had created an "uneven playing field". "Are we allowing it to stay competitive, or are we by [...]
What is a CVA? Insolvency process used by House of Fraser, Carluccio’s, Mothercare and more June 7, 2018 What is a CVA? A company voluntary arrangement (CVA) is a type of insolvency process used to pay creditors over a fixed period. It means a company may not have to pay back all of its debts. Unlike going into administration, the company does not fall into the hands of a third party. Instead, an [...]
Revealed: The UK cities where £1m properties sell fastest June 7, 2018 Homes worth £1m or more have sold most quickly in Cambridge this year, taking only 45 days on average to secure a buyer – twice as fast as the national average According to property website Rightmove, the top five fastest selling million pound locations are all outside of London: Edinburgh and Harpenden are in [...]
Workspace report solid annual figures June 6, 2018 Workspace revealed a solid set of full-year figures. Profit before tax jumped by 91.9% to £170.4 million, which comfortably exceeded the Reuters consensus estimate of £80.65 million. Net rental income rose by 21% and underlying property valuation ticked up by 5%. The strong performance helped the property company increase its return to shareholders as the [...]
Ranked: London boroughs with the biggest increase in new property listings June 6, 2018 New property listings were up 7.4 per cent in May, with London seeing a 5.9 per cent increase in the number of new properties on the market. May therefore saw the the highest number of new sellers list their properties in any single month since before 2017, according to online estate agents HouseSimple. The figures [...]
London house prices expected to fall by one per cent this year as Brexit uncertainty hampers demand, finds Reuters poll June 6, 2018 London house prices are expected to fall this year as Brexit hampers demand, according to a Reuters poll of housing market specialists. Property prices in the capital are forecast to fall by an average of one per cent this year, which would mark the first annual dip in nearly 10 years, according to the poll [...]