Zoopla: Labour win in General Election would be bad for housing April 15, 2015 Zoopla, the online property portal, says that a Labour victory in next month’s General Election would be bad for the housing market. The firm believes that the party’s policies could have a particularly negative impact on first-time buyers. Zoopla say Labour’s proposal to restrict banks and building societies that accept deposits under the new Help [...]
General Election nerves and a lack of supply causing property sales to flatline April 15, 2015 An uncertain General Election, combined with supply constraints, has led to flatlining property sales and enquiries. The latest survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) shows that London saw a decline in both enquiries and sales for the 11th month in a row. Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist, said: “Anecdotal evidence does suggest [...]
City Moves for 16 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 15, 2015 Ashurst The law firm has appointed Sarah Morton-Ramwell as global pro bono partner. She joins from Reed Smith, where she was responsible for its pro bono and corporate responsibility projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Old Mutual Global Investors The asset management firm has appointed David Cameron-Mowat as UK equity analyst. He joins [...]
Accor executive checks himself in to Easyhotel April 14, 2015 EASYHOTEL has booked itself a new chief financial officer after hiring Marc Vieilledent from Europe’s largest hotel group, Accor. Vieilledent, who was executive vice president of asset management at the French hotelier until 2013, will join easyHotel on 5 May. He replaces Darren Mee, who left on 29 January just six months after the budget [...]
Conservative manifesto: Extending right-to-buy will transform the prospects of low income families April 14, 2015 The centrepiece of the Conservative Party manifesto, unveiled yesterday, was a significant expansion of the right-to-buy scheme. Giving families the ability to own their own home is a wonderful thing, and extending the scheme to housing associations, as the Conservatives propose, will certainly do that. The broad economic benefits of home ownership are well established, [...]
General Election 2015: Uncertainty hangs over UK mortgage lending data April 14, 2015 The uncertainty surrounding the General Election hit mortgages in February, as lending dropped, with the total number of loans falling one per cent on January’s figure and 16 per cent compared to last year. The figures According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML),a total of 40,600 loans valued at £6.8bn were granted in February, meaning the [...]
National Housing Federation chief: “Extending right-to-buy is the daftest idea I’ve heard” April 14, 2015 Will the Tories' flagship manifesto policy encounter more of a backlash than they had expected? The housing sector is less than supportive, if a blog by National Housing Federation chief David Orr is anything to go by, in which he calls rumours the Conservatives will attempt to extend right-to-buy "a genuinely stupid idea". The blog, [...]
Sports marketing company TLA Worldwide records profit and revenue growth in 2014 April 14, 2015 The figures Athlete representation and sports marketing business TLA Worldwide recorded a grand slam set of results for 2014, with growth scored in revenue, profit and earnings per share. The Aim-listed company, which manages leading athletes, events and leagues in sports including baseball, golf, rugby, American football, cricket and football, reported a 12 per [...]
London house prices: Top-end property sales crushed by stamp duty increase April 13, 2015 Higher taxes have stomped on the prime London property market, forcing the number of sales to dive by one-third, commercial real estate firm DTZ said yesterday. Changes to stamp duty in December’s Autumn Statement mean that homes worth below £1m received a tax cut, but those at the very top end of the price scale have [...]
Utopia Village: Market Tech’s £44m Camden project to lure entrepreneurs April 13, 2015 The gentrification of the iconic Camden Market precinct shows no sign of slowing as Market Tech pumped £44m into acquiring the Utopia Village office scheme yesterday. The firm hopes to use the area’s rough-around-the-edges appeal to attract entrepreneurs. Located in Chalcot Road, the property sits close to the market entrance, and the new owner hopes [...]