The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has called for a holistic review of all taxes that impact housing transactions. Stamp duty has been the government’s weapon of choice in the housing market and has seen a number of tweaks in the past decade as the government tries to benefit some buyers over others.
With the UK leaving the EU and trying to attract foreign investors, the recently mooted 3% surcharge for foreign buyers would hamper these efforts. Some are calling for the burden to be spread more fairly by updating valuations for council tax which has not been done since 1991.
Posted by: Kelvin Tayfield, Sun, Mar 8th 2020
US based Blackrock recently acquired UK student accommodation specialist firm IQ for £4.7bn signaling their positive outlook for rentals in this sector. The UK has approximately 650,000 beds for 1.8m students across the country allowing landlords with investment properties near universities to continue benefiting from this undersupply. Rental growth for en-suite accommodation has been at 16% above inflation since 2014 and should continue this trend for some time.
Posted by: Kelvin Tayfield, Sat, Feb 29th 2020
Data compiled by the Land Registry Department show that while prices in the North and East reversed the downward trend last summer, this is the first time that all regions rose since January 2018. Clearly confidence is back in the market across the board since the Brexit uncertainty has been removed.
In London, house prices rose 2.3% in December while Oakmont Private Office has seen a significant increase in enquiries, from both new clients seeking an update on the market conditions and past clients who have been waiting on the fence for things to show signs of improvement before buying.
Posted by: Kelvin Tayfield, Sat, Feb 22nd 2020
The directors of St William and Downtown International held an exclusive launch of Clarendon, London at St Regis, Mumbai last 15th-16th of February 2020.
This exclusive real estate exhibition is designed to help Indian Investors secure new homes in London, by bringing together a panel of experts to provide information on the various factors to consider when buying property in the UK. These include; Property Selection, Lettings & Management, Mortgages, Property Law, Foreign Exchange Management (LRS) and Education.
Clarendon will deliver over 1700 new homes together with fantastic resident's facilities, creation of beautifully landscaped gardens, as well as extensive business, retail and community spaces. The cultural quarter will include a central boulevard to help improve connectivity between the surrounding neighbourhoods of Hornsey, Wood Green and Alexandra Park, benefitting from the ease of access to a variety of transport connections.
- Delivering 1,714 apartments with private landscaped courtyards
- Hornsey Park Place is the very first phase
- Q1 2021 completion for Hornsey Park Place
- Help to Buy Coming Soon - Register your interest today
- In close proximity to four key Zone 3 stations
- A vibrant business hub and cultural quarter, creating jobs
Prices from £350,000
To find our more about Clarendon, please contact us on +971 52 322 2279
Posted by: Downtown International, Thu, Feb 20th 2020
The number of mortgages approved by UK’s banks increased to their highest level since 2015 in December further underlining the recent signs of a housing market revival. Furthermore, borrowers are benefiting from intense competition amongst banks with the average quoted rate for five-year fixed rate mortgages falling by some 35bps to their lowest level on record.
The increased credit appetite, favorable interest rates and positive outlook for Sterling make this an ideal time to invest in UK property.
Posted by: Kelvin Tayfield, Sun, Feb 16th 2020