Breaking News
Raids on overcrowded properties
Dagenham has again found its way into the news, this time it is all about “Rogue Landlords”. Raids were carried out last thursday on properties in the borough by council officers, they discovered that a total of 55 people were living in 3 houses. The Government has only just recently made it very clear that…
Allen Walkey
Housing becomes a complex challenge
The housing crisis in Britain is a massively complex challenge for the government who quite honestly appear to be finding it difficult to cope with, none of the proposals put forward so far offer any hope of improvement in the near future. Government plans to extend the right-to-buy to housing association tenants is hitting an…
Allen Walkey
Strong demand to live in Barking and Dagenham
It was not that long ago that we saw a report out from RightMove in a nationwide happiness survey naming Barking and Dagenham as the worst place to live in the UK , that report followed on from a previous report from a different source earlier in the year highlighting Dagenham as a burglary hotspot….
Allen Walkey
Not easy for FTB’s still
Recent research carried out by Aviva showed that the average first time buyer takes about four years of saving to be able to buy their own home, it is not only the deposit that has to be found but also all the added expenses that go with purchasing a property. Most first-time buyers are £6,481 under…
Allen Walkey
Figures for mortgage repo’s and arrears
Data released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders shows that repossessions are at their lowest rate since records began, there has been a continued fall in repossessions in the second quarter of 2015, mortgage arrears also continue to fall. Figures showed that 2,500 properties were taken into possession in the second quarter of 2015, that…
Allen Walkey
Students pay a higher price to attend top universities.
– Latest research from Accommodationforstudents.com reveals average weekly student rent for 2015 is £82.09, up just £1.43 from 2014. Rents have risen consistently by an average of £1.67 each year since 2010 – Six of the UKs top universities (according to The Complete University Guide for 2016) are in the top ten most expensive cities…
Christopher Walkey
Rise in house prices according to RICS
House prices rose at their fastest rate in a year in July, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported that their house price balance rose from +40 in June up to +44 last month. The shortage of property for sale is a real headache to those looking to buy at the moment, the shortage comes…
Allen Walkey
Zoopla Property Group trading update
ZOOPLA PROPERTY GROUP PLC release trading update. UK Agency membership returns to growth, with a net increase of 213 branches Listings inventory continues to grow, up 7% from 828,000 to 882,000 properties Comparison Services business (uSwitch) is trading well, following acquisition Management remains confident of delivering Group full year results in line with expectations Alex…
Allen Walkey
Tougher mortgage rules for BTL landlords
It is getting tougher for Landlords who need a mortgage to fund their buy-to-let, tighter checks combined with higher interest rates could see less landlords applying to borrow from now on, this comes at a time when landlords are being hit with new regulations across the board, government announcements over the past week made it…
Allen Walkey
Shortage of properties for sale across UK
A severe shortage of properties available to buy across the UK is one of the main reasons for House prices remaining strong and continuing to rise, last month we saw house prices hit a new record average high of £195,621, that was according to the Nationwide. Homeowners just do not appear to want to move,…
Allen Walkey
New national marketing campaign launched by Zoopla
It is just two weeks since Zoopla Property Group (ZPG) announced the launch of a new service Find a Pro which provides its users with access to thousands of professionals and local tradesmen for home-related projects and services. The new service was launched as an exclusive partnership with Plentific.com. Following on soon after from that…
Allen Walkey
First time buyers priority for starter homes
The Government will make available £36m to go towards the creation of thousands more starter homes for first time buyers, £26m of this will go towards indentifying and purchasing brownfield sites and the balance for local authorities to prepare more brownfield land for development. Housing minister Brandon Lewis reportedly said: “Helping young people achieve their…
Allen Walkey
Right-to-Rent pilot scheme
A report out yesterday from the Express and Star, publication covering towns throughout the “Black Country” highlights how the scheme to prosecute landlords for letting to illegal immigrants is working or maybe “not working that well”. The scheme was introduced in the towns of Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Birmingham by the government as a…
Allen Walkey
City Hall responds re 25% cap
Last friday Property Week Magazine claimed that the London Mayor, Boris Johnson is planning to set a new cap of 25% for affordable homes in key housing zones and opportunity areas, this if introduced would effectively block local authorities from negotiating up from that threshold. A response from City Hall has played down such reports…
Allen Walkey
Interest Rate held at 0.5%
UK interest rates have been held at 0.5% again by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Yesterday saw for the first time the release of inflation report, policy decision and minutes on the same day. In its latest inflation report, the Bank said the outlook for inflation was “muted”, leading some economists to…
Allen Walkey