Property
Draft Tenant Fees Bill introduced to ban letting agent fees for tenants
Today (1 November 2017), a new draft Tenant Fees Bill will be introduced to Parliament. It sets out the Governments approach to banning letting agents from charging tenant’s costly upfront fees in England. The Government claims the new bill will improve transparency in the rental market, as well as affordability and competition. Currently, letting agents charge tenants a fee to rent a property. Fees are sometimes not clearly explained to tenants, so they’re unaware of the actual costs involved in...
UK’s 10 scariest Halloween property price drops
It has been a spooky year for some UK homeowners. Brexit and a snap election brought about an uncertain market, with some seeing the price of their property fall in line with a lack of buyer demand. With Halloween upon us - and the ghastly things that come along with it, research from eMoov highlights the areas of the UK that have suffered the scariest property price drops over the past year. 1. Aberdeenshire: -5.69 per cent Topping the list...
Slough named best place to work and live
Job site Glassdoor has ranked Slough as the best town to work and live in. Results are based on the cost of living, job satisfaction and how easy it is to get a job. Slough has a high average salary and is close to major transport links, such as Heathrow Airport the M25 and M4. Average house prices are £390,000, and with an average salary of £35,000 and over 26,000 jobs available, Slough is considered a ‘prime spot’. The housing...
Five ways to give your house curb appeal
Research suggests that when viewing a house, prospective buyers often make up their mind before they even step through the door. The decision is often made by location, and how the house looks and what state it is in; what estate agents call 'curb appeal'. Some developers have made fortunes by purchasing 'ugly' houses and transforming the outside using a few relatively easy tricks. Even if you are not planning on selling a home, using some of these maintenance tips will give it curb appeal and...
Living in a market town will cost homebuyers an additional £30,000
Homebuyers looking to live in one of England's picturesque market towns will need to pay a premium of £30,788 compared to neighbouring areas. The latest research from Lloyds Bank shows an average house price growth of 21 per cent in the past five years, to £280,690 in English market towns. This is 7.9 times the average gross earnings of all full-time workers across England. Market town v’s county House prices in market towns across England are on average 12 per...
£450m ‘lost’ old £1 Coins could have helped nearly 20,000 home buyers onto the ladder
From the 16 October 2017, the old £1 coin will no longer be accepted as legal tender. As a result, it’s being reported that £450 million has been lost. But what does this equate to in property terms? Even in a market as expensive as the UK, home buyers could have clubbed together with their old £1 coins and put down a ten per cent mortgage on 19,895 properties, or bought 1,990 properties outright at the current UK average of...
Property developer spends 30 years turning house into Renaissance-style masterpiece
A property developer has spent the past 30 YEARS transforming a home into his own Venetian palace.A property developer has spent the past 30 YEARS transforming a home into his own Venetian palace. Trevor Wynne-Jones bought a featureless bungalow in 1966 for £13,500 and demolished it, building a new home in its place. A property developer has spent the past 30 YEARS transforming a home into his own Venetian palace. But in the 1980s he embarked on a staggering project...
The morbid truth of getting on the property ladder
There has been much talk about how first-time buyers can get on the property ladder. The Government has introduced home ownership schemes to help more first-time buyers buy a home. But with increasing house prices, expensive rents and low salaries, saving for a deposit is difficult and impossible for some. But new research by The House Shop, competed by YOUGOV reveals a morbid truth. Results showed that out of 2000 respondents, 21 per cent said their best chance of getting...
Council dismiss tycoon’s plans to create £180 million mega-penthouse
Council bosses have dismissed a British tycoon's plans to create a £180 MILLION mega-penthouse - because it reduces the number of homes in a borough. Ashley Tabor paid £90 million in May for a four bedroom pad in a Knightsbridge development regarded as one of London's "premier apartment buildings". It is next door to the Global Radio owner's other flat and he submitted plans to amalgamate the two apartments and create one of London's most valuable homes. The proposed apartment...