BREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 04/02/2021

Estate Agent Networking Breaking News

BARRATT HOMEBUILDER REVENUE INCREASES BY 10% IN LAST SIX MONTHS

The head of the national housebuilders chief, David Thomas has reported growth in the past six months, and foresees that by June their year end completions will be at a comfortable level,

‘I would like to say a huge thank you to all of our employees and subcontractors who have continued to deliver great quality homes and excellent customer service throughout these challenging times. We have achieved a fantastic first half performance, with a strong rebound in completion volumes.’

REACH UK ANNOUNCE COMPANIES TAKING PART IN THEIR GROWTH PROGRAMME

The names of the seven successful companies who are partnering up with REACH UK (commercial arm of the National Association of Realtors and advisers to Propertymark) Amongst the throng are Steve Rad & James Taylor founders of InventoryBase, and Offr, founders Rob Hoban, Philip Farrell, and Niall Dawson. Knowing these founders and their services extremely well, I am sure that the collaboration will be good news for the Proptech/Real estate sectors.

SANTANDER SIGNALS A NOTE OF CAUTION AROUND MORTGAGE LENDING

As a trading entity Santander has just posted large losses recently 8.8BN Euros worth, its first loss ever, and perhaps this is filtering into its mortgage lending arm. It’s outlook on the property is not upbeat, though probably realistic, seeing that house price growth will be les than 3% in 2021, impeded by Lockdown 3.0

BANK OF ENGLAND AND NEGATIVE INTEREST RATES

Though the base rate remains at 0.1%; as reported here before the thorny topic of Negative interest rates is still very much in the thinking of the BoE. Though it now says that prior to triggering that move they would give the banking fraternity a six-month heads up. The very notion that this option is being discussed will not be great news for the fiscal or the real estate verticals of the UK should it be a reality in Q3 or Q4, as ever we will keep you posted.

RENTS FALL IN SOME PRIME LONDON AREAS FOR TENANTS ACCORDING TO KNIGHT FRANK

It has been reported by Knight Frank that rents are softening in some prime areas of London, typically by between 9 to 10%. This contrasts with reports from ARLA that rents nationally in December still rose, though only marginally.

Again the pandemic seems to be battering London from all sides, whilst some areas of the country are seeing rents still increasing despite, non-payment of rents, tenants of Furlough and an economy that is in Lockdown 3.0 Mode.

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Seaside Properties UK
Breaking News

Isle of Wight best sun-seeking hotspot for homebuyers

Isle of Wight ranks as most affordable sun-seeking hotspot for homebuyers The latest research from over-50s property specialists, Regency Living, reveals that in the UK’s sunniest county, homebuyers are paying an average of £835 for every minute of daily sunshine. For some homebuyers, living in a place that offers warm weather and sunshine is a…
Read More
Coastal and sea front property
Breaking News

Coast to city cuts property values by £4,300 per minute

Commuting from coast to city can save homebuyers as much as £4,300 per minute New research from Yopa, the full-service estate agents, has revealed where the nation’s homebuyers can secure a coastal lifestyle whilst also remaining within commutable distance of a major city, saving themselves hundreds of thousands of pounds in the process. Yopa analysed…
Read More
Breaking News

Time is running out’ for property industry to take web accessibility seriously

Leading expert ahead of June 2025 regulation overhaul says ‘Time is running out’ for the property industry to take web accessibility seriously. Leading digital accessibility expert urges property sector to ‘act now’ ahead of June 2025 regulation overhaul He warns that web accessibility and inclusivity should be part of a long-term strategy and shouldn’t be…
Read More
Breaking News

Renters’ Rights Bill parliamentary progress

The Renters’ Rights Bill has completed its Committee Stage in the House of Lords and will move on to the Report Stage imminently. Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director of LRG, comments on the progress of the Bill: “As the Renters’ Rights Bill completes its committee stage in the House of Lords, it is disappointing…
Read More
Kerb appeal
Breaking News

Housing Market Surges as Stamp Duty Changes Drive Buyer Activity

UK Finance today releases its latest Household Finance Review for Q1 2025, which explores trends in household spending, saving, and borrowing. Mortgage lending surged in the first quarter of 2025, driven by homebuyers seeking to complete purchases before changes to Stamp Duty took effect in April. Household savings continued to grow, particularly in notice accounts…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage Approvals Down in April

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for April sat at 60,463 down (-4.9%) from 63,603 in March. This signals four consecutive months of decline. Approvals are also lower (-2.1%) than the 61,740 seen in April 2024. Despite the decline, there is still optimism for growth in the coming months, especially…
Read More