Settled aims to make the home buying process far smoother May 5, 2016 While most people will start a home search these days on Rightmove or Zoopla, less of us are ready to ditch the traditional estate agent and go online, when it comes to the selling process. And the reason why the online agents have failed to grab a larger market share so far is, according to [...]
Derwent London signs up credit card giant to White Collar Factory as first quarter lettings jump May 5, 2016 Derwent London said it has let two more floors at its White Collar Factory scheme in east London to credit card company Capital One. The announcement comes as the developer shrugs off uncertainty in the market to post a strong quarterly update. FTSE 250 constituent Derwent said Capital One has pre-let 29,500 square feet in the scheme's 16-storey tower [...]
City Moves for 5 May 2016 | Who’s switching jobs May 5, 2016 ISS Global provider of facility services for public agencies and private sector companies ISS has named Richard Sykes to the ISS executive group management as regional chief executive western Europe. Effective no later than 1 October, Richard will continue to be based out of the UK in his new role. Currently CEO ISS UK & [...]
Rising residential rents ease fears of a slowdown after buy-to-let buying frenzy May 5, 2016 Rental prices rose in all but one region of the UK over three months to April, new figures show, despite concerns about the impact of higher stamp duty charges. Insurer HomeLet's latest rental index reveals that rents outside of London were, on average, 5.1 per cent higher over the three months to April than in the same period of last year. That compares [...]
Shopping centre giant Intu on track to post rise in full-year rents as shoppers keep tills ringing May 4, 2016 Intu, the shopping centre giant, said it is on track to post a jump in rental income this year as consumers continued to flock through its doors. The FTSE 100 retail landlord, which owns more than 15 major shopping centres including Intu Lakeside, Merry Hill and Braehead, said footfall rose by 1.4 per cent in the year [...]
Investment in London offices hits £3.5bn in the first quarter despite Brexit jitters May 4, 2016 Investors appear to have put Brexit fears aside in the first quarter after splurging £3.5bn on London's office market, new research reveals. Real estate firm CBRE's quarterly figures show that total investment volumes were down 14 per cent on the previous quarter after a particularly strong end to 2015. However, this was on par with the first quarter [...]
Extended right to buy scheme could cost London councils just shy of £50m each May 4, 2016 Councils in London will need to fork out £49m a year on average to fund government’s planned extensions to the right to buy scheme, a report out today by Shelter has warned. Under the right to buy extension, local authorities will be forced to sell off a proportion of their vacant council house stock on the open [...]
Property wealth is worth more than pension savings for more than half of over-55s May 3, 2016 Over 55 year-olds have more wealth locked up in their property than their total pension savings combined, a new survey shows. The study, by high net worth adviser Bower Private Clients, found that 58 per cent of over 55 year-olds estimate that their mortgage-free home is worth more than the combined value of their and their partner’s pension [...]
Businesses rattled as latest survey points to an economic slowdown May 3, 2016 Business confidence has plummeted during the last few months due to severe volatility on the financial markets, the approaching EU referendum and the introduction of the national living wage, according to a new survey out today. The latest confidence monitor from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Grant Thornton, fell [...]
Insurance titan American International Group posts lower than expected profits for third consecutive quarter May 2, 2016 US insurance titan American International Group (AIG) reported a lower-than-expected quarterly operating profit in the third consecutive quarter to fall below analysts' estimates. AIG's profits suffered as income from underwriting and returns on investments declined. The company's operating profit fell 54 per cent to $773m (£529m) in the first quarter, which included $122m in restructuring costs. The [...]