PROPERTY NEWS
HOUSE PRICES FALL AGAIN
Knight Frank/Markit’s January House Price Sentiment Index (HPSI) shows the rate of decline in house prices was similar to December. Around five per cent of households said the value of their home had risen since December, while around 19 per cent reported a fall. The resulting HPSI figure of 43.2 is down from 43.3 in December.
2011 PROPERTY MARKET FINISHES STRONGLY
Investment in UK commercial property hit £32.5bn in 2011, in part due to a boost in the final quarter of 2011 as transactions were pushed through before the close of the year, according to new research from CBRE. The UK investment market finished the year nearly £3bn below 2010 levels.
RENTS SEE SECOND SUCCESSIVE MONTHLY FALL
Rents fell for a second successive month in December, according to the latest buy-to-let index from LSL Property Services, which owns the UK’s largest lettings agent network, including national chains Your Move and Reeds Rains. In December, the average rent in England and Wales fell by 0.8 per cent to £711 per month.