London Rental Property News for April 2008
Landlords warned against straying from cities
Buy-to-let investors would be ill-advised to purchase property outside of major urban areas such as London, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 30th April, 2008
CIH calls for more professional lets
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has called on the government to increase the number of professional lets on the market.
Read Article ... Published on 30th April, 2008
Annual house price growth turns red
The average price of a UK home is now lower than it was 12 months ago, Nationwide has said.
Read Article ... Published on 30th April, 2008
'Good year ahead' for buy-to-let market
The buy-to-let market will perform well during 2008 due to burgeoning demand for rental property, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 29th April, 2008
Mortgage brokers optimistic for landlords
Mortgage brokers are optimistic about the immediate prospects facing professional buy-to-let investors, new research has suggested.
Read Article ... Published on 29th April, 2008
Brits 'afraid' to enter property market
Brits are so spooked by the property downturn that they are too afraid to get on the housing ladder, it has been suggested.
Read Article ... Published on 29th April, 2008
Lets need 'wow factor'
Buy-to-let landlords have been urged to inject some 'wow-factor' into their properties to make them stand out in the rental market.
Read Article ... Published on 28th April, 2008
Landlords expected to increase portfolios
The majority of buy-to-let investors are expected to increase the size of their portfolios despite the property downturn.
Read Article ... Published on 28th April, 2008
House sales 'depressingly low'
The property downturn has resulted in the number of homes changing hands halving over the past 12 months, new figures have shown.
Read Article ... Published on 28th April, 2008
Negative equity fears have 'dented' buyer confidence
Predictions that many homeowners are to find themselves being pushed into negative equity has put people off purchasing property, according to a mortgage advisor.
Read Article ... Published on 25th April, 2008
Struggling buyers turning to family for deposit money
The withdrawal of 100 per cent mortgages has meant many first-time buyers are having to turn to family members for deposits - if they are so fortunate.
Read Article ... Published on 25th April, 2008
Buying not be all and end all, says CIH
The Charted Institute of Housing (CIH) has urged people to "move away from the mind-set that it is right to buy and wrong to rent" and focus on "affordability".
Read Article ... Published on 25th April, 2008
Croydon regeneration moves a step closer
Efforts to regenerate the south London borough of Croydon have moved a step closer with the appointment of a new advisory group.
Read Article ... Published on 24th April, 2008
House prices to fall 20%
UK house prices are set to fall dramatically over the course of this year and 2009, a new property forecast has predicted.
Read Article ... Published on 24th April, 2008
Young professionals flood rental market
Demand for rented property is steady and set to increase, according to a survey of UK-based landlords.
Read Article ... Published on 24th April, 2008
'Real threat' of negative equity
Certain areas of the UK face the prospect of negative equity, a leading industry website has asserted.
Read Article ... Published on 23rd April, 2008
Property investors should 'do their research'
Buy-to-let landlords who are looking for investment opportunities in the capital have been advised to research the market prior to expanding their portfolio.
Read Article ... Published on 23rd April, 2008
Buy-to-let demand remains strong
Britain's biggest provider of buy-to-let mortgages has said the market remains strong in spite of the property downturn.
Read Article ... Published on 23rd April, 2008
Guy Ritchie slams London property
Guy Ritchie has slammed the state of the London property market, accusing the world's super-rich of pricing ordinary buyers out of the market.
Read Article ... Published on 23rd April, 2008
'Ideal time' to expand property portfolios
Now could be an ideal time to expand property portfolios, buy-to-let investors have been told.
Read Article ... Published on 22nd April, 2008
Landlords warned not to cut corners
Buy-to-let landlords in the capital have been warned not to cut corners in an effort to meet rocket-high demand in the sector.
Read Article ... Published on 22nd April, 2008
Rental market 'can solve affordability issues'
The rental sector could hold the key to the housing affordability problem, it has been suggested.
Read Article ... Published on 21st April, 2008
Landlords 'unscathed' by falling house prices
While prospective homeowners are growing increasingly nervous about the property downturn, buy-to-let investors remain relatively cocooned from the difficulties.
Read Article ... Published on 21st April, 2008
Borough Market wins award
Borough Market in London has been awarded the 'best speciality market' award by the National Association of British Market Authorities (Nabma).
Read Article ... Published on 21st April, 2008
New cycle lanes to accompany 2012 Games
In the run up to the London 2012 Olympics a swathe of new cycle paths will be rolled out across the capital, it has emerged.
Read Article ... Published on 18th April, 2008
London FTBs face near impossible struggle
House prices have risen so fast that London-based first time buyers (FTBs) face an immensely difficult struggle to get on the property ladder.
Read Article ... Published on 17th April, 2008
Mortgage costs to rise despite rate cut
The Bank of England may have reduced interest rates to five per cent last week, but prospective homeowners will take little solace in the fact that mortgage rates are continuing to rise.
Read Article ... Published on 16th April, 2008
Landlords reminded about buildings insurance
Some landlords could have insufficient buildings insurance cover for their needs, buy-to-let mortgage provider Paragon has warned.
Read Article ... Published on 16th April, 2008
Most landlords 'not overstretched'
The vast majority of buy-to-let landlords have not over-borrowed and should be able to ride the global credit crunch without sustaining crippling losses.
Read Article ... Published on 16th April, 2008
Property 'reaches 30-year low'
Confidence in the housing market has fallen to a level not seen in three decades, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).
Read Article ... Published on 15th April, 2008
New £80m regeneration scheme for London
Catesby Property Group and Bank of Scotland have launched a new London-focusing regeneration arm, it has emerged.
Read Article ... Published on 15th April, 2008
Young homeowners 'fear negative equity'
A quarter of homeowners aged between 24 and 34 are concerned about the possibility of finding themselves in negative equity, a new survey has shown.
Read Article ... Published on 15th April, 2008
Govt 'failing' prospective homeowners
The government is falling short of its commitment to first-time buyers, it has been suggested.
Read Article ... Published on 14th April, 2008
'No problem' with HMOs for buy-to-let investors
The abundance of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in university towns should not serve as a deterrent for buy-to-let investors, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 14th April, 2008
Rental property 'preferred' in uncertain market
The majority of home movers prefer renting rather than buying property due to the fragile state of the market, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 11th April, 2008
FTBs 'will not benefit from rate cut'
Another industry expert has expressed his belief that the Bank of England's latest interest rate cut will do little to help first-time buyers (FTBs).
Read Article ... Published on 11th April, 2008
FTBs being driven out of market
With Abbey's departure from the 100 per cent loan-to-value (LTV) market, there is now just one mainstream bank offering minimum-deposit loans.
Read Article ... Published on 10th April, 2008
Prospective homeowners looking abroad
Echoing a similar report from the Fair Investment company, one leading industry website has said that prospective homeowners are looking abroad to get on the property ladder.
Read Article ... Published on 10th April, 2008
Interest rate cut 'no relief'
The degree to which today's interest rate cut will offer relief to mortgage holders has been called into question.
Read Article ... Published on 10th April, 2008
'Seismic shift' in mortgage market
The editor of Britain's best-selling personal finance magazine has warned that a fundamental change is occurring in the UK mortgage market.
Read Article ... Published on 9th April, 2008
Chelsea Barracks regeneration revealed
The home of a former British Army barracks in Chelsea is to become the most expensive property deal ever recorded in Britain.
Read Article ... Published on 9th April, 2008
Credit crunch to quash graduate aspirations
The credit crunch runs the risk of pricing many graduates out of the property market, it has been suggested.
Read Article ... Published on 9th April, 2008
Date set for Westfield grand opening
October 30th has been confirmed as the date of the grand opening of the Westfield shopping centre in west London.
Read Article ... Published on 8th April, 2008
London 'not immune' to property crash
With the latest Halifax report painting a gloomy picture of house prices, one leading estate agent has warned that the London property market is "not immune" from a crash.
Read Article ... Published on 8th April, 2008
Mortgage holders 'in for shock'
Three out of four homeowners can expect higher mortgage rates when their fixed-rate deals expire, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 8th April, 2008
House prices plunge as downturn gathers pace
House prices fell by a massive 2.5 per cent in March - a dramatic indication of how fast the market is deteriorating.
Read Article ... Published on 8th April, 2008
Tenant Deposit Protection scheme lauded
The Tenant Deposit Protection scheme introduced last year has dramatically reduced the number of tenants who lose their deposits, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 7th April, 2008
Surge in demand for rented accommodation
A significant proportion of home-movers are shying away from the property ladder due to the current economic climate, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 7th April, 2008
Local authorities to be given more power
The Department of Communities and Local Government has proposed new legislation which would give local authorities more say over regeneration projects.
Read Article ... Published on 7th April, 2008
Barnet regeneration scheme proposed
Plans have been submitted for a massive £4.5 billion regeneration project in the north London borough of Barnet.
Read Article ... Published on 7th April, 2008
UK facing 30% house price crash
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reiterated an earlier warning that house prices in the UK face a dramatic 30 per cent downward price correction.
Read Article ... Published on 4th April, 2008
Thamesmead development moves step closer
The Thamesmead regeneration scheme has moved a step closer to completion with an important milestone in its development.
Read Article ... Published on 4th April, 2008
Work starts on Hackney regeneration project
Barratt Homes has started work on one of the capital's most ambitious regeneration schemes - a £140 million transformation of Dalston in Hackney.
Read Article ... Published on 4th April, 2008
Rental boom set to continue
The boom in the UK's rental market is likely to continue throughout 2008 and beyond, one industry expert has stated.
Read Article ... Published on 3rd April, 2008
Rental returns on the up
Buy-to-let investors are enjoying rising rental returns on their properties, according to new statistics.
Read Article ... Published on 3rd April, 2008
Greenwich regeneration given go-ahead
The latest leg of a £5 billion regeneration project slated for Greenwich has been given the green light by local officials.
Read Article ... Published on 2nd April, 2008
Investors desert UK property market
Increasing numbers of investors are shunning UK property in order to focus on overseas markets, it has been claimed.
Read Article ... Published on 2nd April, 2008
U-turn in housing market sentiment
Owner occupiers have become increasingly scared of the UK property market and view now as being a bad time to buy a new home.
Read Article ... Published on 2nd April, 2008
Govt unveils £2.3bn low-carbon college scheme
London will be among the cities benefiting from a new £2.3 billion strategy to develop low-carbon colleges and skills training centres.
Read Article ... Published on 2nd April, 2008
Mortgage market set to decline in 2008
The vast majority of professional mortgage brokers feel the residential market will go downhill in 2008, it has emerged.
Read Article ... Published on 1st April, 2008
