Latest Property News
UK
FCA finds some lenders could manage long term mortgage arrears better
Home owners in the UK who find themselves in arrears should contact their lender sooner rather than later but those providing mortgages could manage some situations better, according to the financial watchdog. The Finance Conduct Authority says... Read more
Homes to let in London’s prime property market at highest level since January 2017
The proportion of properties listed for rent in the prime London residential markets in October was at its highest level since January 2017, the latest lettings market report shows. But as supply has risen, the ratio of new prospective tenants to... Read more
Lack of supply and increasing demand could see rents rise in London in 2019
There was a noticeable increase in tenant demand in the London lettings market in 2018, outstripping supply for much of the year, setting the scene for rent rises next year, according to the latest annual overview. Supply was hit by a growing... Read more
Majority of first time buyers in England have benefitted from stamp duty cut
Three quarters of first time buyers in England have benefited from the changes to stamp duty thresholds for first home purchases introduced a year ago, according to new research. An analysis of first time buyers activity since the change was... Read more
Councils struggling to enforce government’s HMO legislation, FOI data reveals
Government plans to protect tenants from poor living conditions through the expansion of mandatory HMO licensing looks set be less successful than hoped as councils are struggling to enforce the rules. According to figures obtained by Simple... Read more
Streets with the cheapest homes in the UK are in Sunderland and Liverpool
Sunderland and Liverpool have the cheapest streets to buy a home while Westminster has the most expensive, according to new research. There are homes in the cheapest area priced at just £15,000 yet in London properties are selling for tens of... Read more
Rents of homes near London’s Elizabeth Line up substantially since construction began
Average rents along the Elizabeth Line in London have increased at more than double the rate of the London average over the last six year, a new study has found. Rents to the east of the line have seen the strongest growth while Southall to the... Read more
Sales and receipts from stamp duty fall considerably year on year
Property sales in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have fell by 4% in the third quarter of 2018 compared with the same quarter in 2017 and are down 8.7% compared with three years ago. A new analysis of quarterly stamp duty figures from HMRC by... Read more
Research reveals home ownership gap between those with property owning parents
Young people whose parents own a property in Britain are now almost three times as likely to be home owners by the age of 30, compared to those whose parents who are not owners, new research has found. From the middle of the 1990s to the early... Read more
Government announces reduction in security deposit cost in private rented sector
The deposit paid by tenants in the private rented sector as a security is to be reduced from six weeks to five weeks for tenancies rented out for under £50,000 a year, it has been announced. Secretary of State for Housing, James Brokenshire,... Read more