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Mortgage approvals decline slightly between January and February according to e.surv
The latest Mortgage Monitor from e.surv, one of the UK’s largest residential chartered surveyors, shows there were 66,364 mortgages approved (seasonally adjusted) during February 2018. Mortgage approvals decline slightly between January and February with growth in number of first-time buyers and small deposit mortgages. e.surv reveals that this month’s approvals are 1.25% lower than in…

Allen Walkey
Council welcomes Coulsdon homes decision
Croydon Council’s cabinet member for regeneration has welcomed the approval of a Coulsdon planning application that will mean more affordable homes for borough residents. Brick by Brick, the development company set up by the council, received planning permission last night (Thursday) for five buildings providing 157 homes at the former Lion Green Road car park….

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NFB: SMEs are key to delivering infrastructure and housing
The Government has announced that £300 million of the Housing Infrastructure Fund will be invested in the West of England, Oxfordshire and Greater Manchester to help unlock housing developments and strengthen infrastructure. The Government has shortlisted a further 44 areas for major infrastructure projects, which could deliver up to 400,000 new homes. The National Federation…

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Shelter response to MHCLGS’s homelessness stats
Shelter response to MHCLGS’s homelessness stats; · In the last 5 years, the number of homeless families living in temporary accommodation has increased by 48%. · Losing a private tenancy remains the single biggest cause of homelessness. 16,320 households became homeless after being evicted from a privately rented home in the last year, accounting for…

Allen Walkey
Bank of England holds interest rate at 0.5%
Bank of England announced yesterday 22rd March 2018 to hold interest rate at 0.5%. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment. At its meeting ending on 21 March 2018, the MPC voted by a…

Allen Walkey
Almost £300 million government investment to deliver more homes across England
Government Investment to unlock more homes across England announced yesterday 21st March 2018. Almost £300 million government investment in Greater Manchester, the West of England and Oxfordshire is set to help deliver thousands of much-needed new homes for local communities, Housing Secretary Sajid Javid announced 21 March 2018. Greater Manchester is set to receive £68…

Allen Walkey
Countrywide step up to support sport relief 2018
Countrywide press release published earlier this week headlined ‘Countrywide step up to support Sport Relief’, the release read as follows: On Friday 23rd March Countrywide’s Conveyancing Services Manchester office will be transformed into a call centre for Sport Relief 2018. Members of staff from the Manchester office and throughout the wider business across the UK…

Allen Walkey
NFB: You cannot diversify the housing market with demand-led initiatives
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) fully supports efforts to build more council homes because they contribute to diversifying the housing market. However, research by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) revealed that 95p in every £1 of Government housing spend ends up financing housing benefit payments, rather than the building of new homes. According…

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Bank of England’s buy to let changes make it harder to get a mortgage say landlords
Six months after the Bank of England’s (BoE) latest attempt to cool the buy to let market, almost two thirds of landlords (63 per cent) who are aware of the changes say it is now harder to get a mortgage. The changes, which come from BoE’s Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA), were introduced in two stages…

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CIELA admits failure to gain momentum and support – Closes March 31st
Having sat with Charlie when CIELA was an idea boiling away in his mind, We are sad to share the following: It is with great disappointment that I write to you to inform you that with effect from 31st March, CIELA will permanently cease to exist. CIELA’s plan was to raise industry standards, starting by…

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The largest annual house price growth was recorded in Scotland for year to January 2018
UK House Price Index – January 2018 from HM Land Registry published 20th March 2018. The latest Index reveals: Average house prices in the UK have increased by 4.9% in the year to January 2018 (down from 5% in the year to December 2017). The largest annual price growth was recorded in Scotland, where prices…

Allen Walkey
Brexit: NFB welcomes agreement on transition period
David Davis, secretary of state for exiting the EU, and Michel Barnier, EU chief negotiator for Brexit, said that the two sides have agreed on a “large part” of the transition agreement that will structure the “orderly withdrawal” of the UK from the EU. The transition period will last from 29 March 2019 – the…

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Mortgages now at their most affordable level in a decade according to Halifax
Mortgages in the UK have reached their most affordable level in a decade, according to new research from Halifax. The latest Halifax Affordability Review reveals that homeowners spend less than a third of disposable income on mortgage payments, the lowest affordability in 10 years since market peak of 48% in 2007. The significant improvement in…

Allen Walkey
The North West has the highest number of empty homes in the country according to NHF
A new report from the National Housing Federation published yesterday 19th March 2018 reveals that one fifth of empty homes in England, just under 40,000 homes, are in the North West. The North West has the highest number of empty homes in the country and has the same number of empty homes as the North…

Allen Walkey
Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) to sell renowned Development Site at Dantzic Street, Manchester.
LSH has been instructed by the joint administrators to hold an online auction for the site with offers being invited of over £5million. The site is a substantial city centre development opportunity, located in the popular Northern Gateway of Manchester City Centre. The freehold property comprises two prominent and irregular shaped level sites totalling about…

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