Breaking News

August house purchase lending….

 

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders August house purchase lending was down 9% on July, but up 2% on last year. First-time buyers, home movers, home-owner remortgage and buy-to-let all saw a monthly decline in lending in August but an uptick (significant for buy-to-let) compared to August 2014. This is a normal seasonal trend,…

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Allen Walkey

(ONS) House Price Index for August 2015

 

Office for National Statistics (ONS) House Price Index  August 2015, released 13th October 2015. UK house prices increased by 5.2% in the year to August 2015, unchanged from 5.2% in the year to July 2015. House price annual inflation was 5.6% in England, 0.8% in Wales, 2.9% in Northern Ireland and -0.9% in Scotland. Annual…

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Allen Walkey

More finger pointing…

 

It was only recently that SNP business spokewoman Michelle Thomson was suspended from the party after it emerged that police were investigating allegations that her property dealings potentially involved mortgage fraud, she reportedly said that she was looking forward to being cleared of any wrong doing and pledged to co-operate with the Police Scotland probe….

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Allen Walkey

Property Ombudsman guidance notes……

 

13th OCTOBER 2015 | Press Release   The Property Ombudsman issues guidance note to agents on compliance with competition law   The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme has issued a supplementary membership guidance note to help agents understand their obligations under the revised Codes of Practice and ensure compliance with the Competition Act. The revised codes,…

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Allen Walkey

Government ambition of one million homes by 2020

 

According to Department for  Communities and Local Government press release of 12th October. Councils must produce local plans for new homes in their area by 2017 – or the government will ensure, in consultation with local people, those plans are produced for them. Landmark Housing and Planning Bill will help deliver government ambition of one…

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Allen Walkey

Renters move out of town to buy.

 

According to research by Countrywide plc, the UK’s largest property services group, renters who bought a home in the last year, did so in locations where the average house price was £35,000 lower than where they were renting,  this was £93,000 lower for London renters. As house prices rise faster than rents, an increasing number…

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Allen Walkey

A passport check at the “doorstep”.

 

It may appear a bit OTT to have to show a passport  to obtain accommodation but that is what may happen if the immigration bill becomes law after it is debated tomorrow 13th October,  it would make letting to illegal immigrants a criminal offence. The aim of the bill is to put better controls in…

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Allen Walkey

Effect of buy-to-let on UK financial stability

 

According to the Bank of England in a recent report by their financial policy committee, the UK’s buy-to-let market is posing a threat to the country’s financial stability. Any wobbles in the housing market could be exagerated due to the nature of that market, the effects of a housing crash could be made much worse….

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Allen Walkey

LSL House Price Index September 2015

 

House Price Index for England and Wales for September 2015 released by LSL Property Services/Acadata Strongest September for home sales since 2007, driven by activity in the north as supply squeeze stalls sales in the south. There is a southern resurgence in price growth, with the South East seeing strongest year-on-year riseof any region. London…

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Allen Walkey

Can’t pay? we’ll take it away

 

I expect some of our readers will have watched the TV program “Can’t pay, we’ll take it away”, it is on Channel 5 on a wednesday evening, it follows people on the sharp end of bad debt – and those whose job it is to get the money back. In the program this last wednesday…

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Allen Walkey

Green Light for RTB extension to housing associations.

 

So the Governement has achieved what it set out to do in it’s pre election manifesto,  with the Right-To-Buy (RTB) now to be extended to Housing Association tenants without the need to change or pass new laws, there will now be no battle in the House of Commons or for that matter the House of…

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Allen Walkey

Housing policies and promises in PM conference speech.

 

Yesterday at the final day of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester,  David Cameron the Prime Minister was welcomed onto the stage with rapturous applause from his party faithfulls and  his team of Ministers including London Mayor Boris Johnson. The PM opened up by saying that the Conservatives are the “Party for working people, today,…

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Allen Walkey

The Jewel in the Crown?

 

Will Canary Wharf become the Jewel in the Crown over the next few years when it comes to property investment in London? We have seen big rises in London over the last few years well above that of other parts of the UK, that however does not dampen the expectations of MyLondonHome CEO Christian Thomas….

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Allen Walkey

Twitter launches Moments feature

 

Twitter launches Moments feature, for now it is only being rolled out in America but will be heading to Europe soon, Moments tab will be divided into sections including news, sports and entertainment. It works by grouping together interesting and important tweets on single subjects – which you can then read, even if you don’t…

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Allen Walkey

Halifax HPI September

 

According to the Halifax House Price Index for September annual house price growth eases to 8.6%. Prices in the three months to September were 8.6% higher than in the same three months a year earlier. House prices in the latest three months (July-September) were 2.0% higher than in the preceding three months. Commenting, Martin Ellis,…

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Allen Walkey