Sadiq Khan: London home-building ‘at risk of stalling’ amid hiked construction costs January 28, 2022 Skyrocketing construction materials are slowing house-building progress in London, Sadiq Khan has warned. The Mayor of London warned new-build developments and extension projects were being hit by a cocktail of rising costs thanks to Brexit and the pandemic. Prices for materials, including steel, timber, and concrete, shot up 23 per cent last year, according to [...]
Office market booms as Tfl passenger numbers climb again January 28, 2022 Take up of Central London office space soared at the end of last year, in a major boost for the City’s revival this winter. Tenants took up 3.2m sq ft of London office space in the final quarter, exclusive data from real estate firm CBRE revealed. This was the strongest take-up since the end of [...]
FCA requested to review buildings insurers as Gove says leaseholders hit with ‘rapidly escalating’ costs January 28, 2022 The financial services regulator has been requested to review the buildings insurance market for blocks of flats. In a letter to the regulator, housing minister Micheal Gove said he was “extremely concerned” to hear from leaseholders about their experience of “rapidly escalating” insurance premiums on high and medium-rise blocks. There have been cases where insurance [...]
Fervour for flats thanks to return to city working and ‘relatively modest’ price rises January 27, 2022 Demand for flats in London has hit its highest level for 19 months, as buyers looked to move closer to city offices. Estate agents have said an influx of overseas buyers from Hong Kong thanks to new visa rules has driven interest. The trend was revealed in Zoopla’s House Price Index, which found the average [...]
M&G snaps up majority stake in sustainable housebuilder Greencore January 27, 2022 Global investment firm M&G has snapped up a majority stake in sustainable housebuilder Greencore Construction, the firm announced today.
London residents’ council tax bill hits almost £5bn a year January 25, 2022 London homeowners and renters have had to pay almost £5bn in council tax bills a year, according to new research. According to one of the capital’s estate agents, Benham and Reeves, said Londoners had paid £1.2bn more per year compared to five years ago. The average resident in the city pays £1,374 in council tax [...]
Cladding suppliers shares tumble after Gove threat on remediation costs January 24, 2022 Building material manufacturers and property developers’ shares plummet on Monday morning as the government toughens up on firms unwilling to pay to fix unsafe homes. Housing secretary Michael Gove threatened a UK trading ban on manufacturers of combustible cladding and insulation in a letter to the Construction Products Association. In the letter, Gove said more [...]
Timber titans: Canada bosses mull wooden skyscrapers in sustainability push January 23, 2022 Canada planning bosses are reportedly mulling wooden skyscrapers, as developers look to shrink their carbon footprint by moving away from steel and concrete. The so-called ‘plyscrapers’ are popular in Norway, Sweden, Singapore and Japan, and can reach several hundred feet high. The move could invite a host of new architecture to the Square [...]
Exclusive: More than 9m Britons hope to acquire their first home or buy a new property this year January 22, 2022 One in five UK adults plan to buy a property in 2022, according to a new study that was exclusively shared with Morning Wire this morning. new research from Market Financial Solutions (MFS) has revealed. The bridging lender commissioned an independent survey among more than 2,000 UK adults. It found that 18% intend to purchase property this [...]
December home transactions show ‘strong end to frenzied year’ as markets expected to slow January 21, 2022 According to HMRC data, the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK residential transactions in December 2021 was 100,110. This marks a 20 per cent dip on December 2020 but a 7.6 per cent spike on the prior month. Last year also saw a record level of home transactions of almost 1.5m, the highest since 2007, [...]