City veteran John Allan prepares to step down as Barratt chair June 4, 2022 Titan housebuilder Barratt is planning to begin a search for a new chairman, with City grandee John Allan to step down. According to reports by Sky News, Allan, who also chairs the country’s largest supermarket, Tesco, is readying to hand over the reins of the construction giant. Barratt has reportedly asked headhunters at Russell Reynolds [...]
Playtech’s billionaire founder to sell Camden Market estate for £1.5bn June 3, 2022 Popular tourist destination Camden Market is reportedly undergoing a quiet sale process, which could fetch its billionaire owner around £1.3bn. While Israeli magnate and Playtech founder Teddy Sagi is hoping to bag £1.5bn for the 16-acre estate – which includes three markets – he has not put a firm price tag on the deal, the [...]
TR Property makes ‘sizeable gains’ from private equity real estate takeovers June 1, 2022 TR Property Investment Trust has been given a leg up thanks to the stream of private equity investment being funnelled into the European real estate market over the past year. Chairman of the London-listed firm David Watson said today that private equity investment into real estate “continues to be elevated” and that the Trust has [...]
House prices grow for tenth month in a row, but market continues to cool June 1, 2022 House prices have growth for the tenth month in a row, according to the latest figures, though costs are continuing to slow in their steamroll. The average price of a home in the UK grew 11.2 per cent to £269,914 in May, slowing slightly from the more than 12 per cent growth reported in April, [...]
UK cost of living crisis to tame runaway house prices, says Savills May 31, 2022 The UK’s cost of living crisis is expected to stunt house price growth for the rest of the year, according to estate agents Savills, taming property costs which continue to hit record levels. Affordability pressures will leave house prices no choice but to slow in their ascent, as property deals and mortgage approvals fall in [...]
Mortgage approvals fall following interest rate rises May 31, 2022 Mortgage approvals have fallen to the lowest level seen since the peak of the UK’s house-buying frenzy in June 2020, according to official data today. Brits were approved 66,000 mortgages in April, down from 69,500 in March, data from the Bank of England has revealed. This is slightly below the pre-pandemic average of 66,700, [...]
Exclusive: Staggering £130bn worth of homes left empty in London alone with record 87,731 vacant properties May 30, 2022 It has emerged that the value of vacant homes in London equates to over £130bn. London has a total of 87,731 vacant homes, making it the top city in the UK for the prevalence of empty houses. With house prices averaging £1.49m in the capital, the cost of vacant homes is approximately £130.8bn. A recent study [...]
Foxtons nabs Chestertons boss for CEO job as estate agent eyes larger London presence May 30, 2022 Foxtons has appointed Guy Gittins to head the London estate agent from this autumn. Gittins, who currently holds the title of chief executive at rival estate agent Chestertons, will take on the job of Group CEO at Foxtons on 5 September. He will be replacing Nic Budden, who has been CEO of the London-listed company [...]
No deal agreed by Capco and Shaftesbury yet as West End landlords ask for more time May 30, 2022 Shaftesbury has asked for an extension to a deadline for rival Capco to make an offer for the West End landlord. The two property titans have been in advanced discussions for an all-share merger, it was announced on 7 May. The £3.5bn merger would create a sprawling real estate empire across central London destinations including [...]
Homes sit on the market for longer as prices hit yet another record high, says Zoopla May 30, 2022 The time between listing a property and a sale is growing increasingly longer, according to property platform Zoopla, as house prices hit yet another record high. In London, the average time it takes for a three-bed house to be whisked off the market has jumped from 17 days in March to 21 days in April. [...]