Property

Thousands of people have signed a petition to stop a 'concrete cabuncle' being built on an island made famous by crime writer Agatha Christie. The owners of the luxury hotel on Burgh Island - where rooms cost from £500 a night - want to build a pool house on a rocky outcrop. It will be linked by a bridge spanning the water in between, known as Mermaid Pool. The controversial design - the result of an architectural competition - was...

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us!" - Winston Churchill The process of home ownership, whether you build a home or purchase an existing home, is very often the single biggest investment that you will ever make. Many potential buyers can end up spending hours of time and loads of energy looking for, or designing the perfect home. It is simplistic to think that all you have to pay for is the cost of the land and house. Furthermore,...

Ever imagined living in a home with self-cleaning toilets, a television which chooses programmes for you and a robot that delivers breakfast in bed? Well, the home of the future may not be too far off. New research has unveiled Britain's wish list for the "smart home", including windows which tint automatically in the sunshine and a wardrobe that irons clothes while they are hanging up. Other inclusions are shower heads with in-built Bluetooth to enable us to answer calls whilst...

As London’s housing market cools off, the ways in which the capital’s homeowners are choosing to sell their properties is also shifting. According to Rightmove, the average asking price of a home in the capital is now £649,864, an all-time high, despite general election and Brexit jitters. Not only that, but the amount of people wanting to sell is up four per cent in April. But as Miles Shipside, of Rightmove, commented: “Time will tell how close these sellers get...

Health and Safety is of vital importance in any business, Estate Agencies are no different in this regard. Whether it’s the safety of their own employees or the safety of any potential customers who they’re showing around properties. It’s up to the Estate Agencies to ensure the safety of any person stepping foot onto the properties they’re selling. Some may think it’s the fault of the owner of the building or even the customer visiting themselves but a recent court...

Land securities NAV slips as markets pause for breath during Brexit uncertainty According to research released by QuotedData, for the year ended 31 March 2017, Land Securities’ NAV slipped as it said that its markets are 'pausing for breath'. The chairman says that “In the London office market, we expected the occupational balance to shift from demand to supply during the course of 2017. The Brexit vote brought that inflexion point forward “Over the next 12 months, we’re unlikely to...

By Bea Patel, TLE Property Editor and Director of Shop for an Agent There are opportunities for buy-to-let investors to snap up property at a cheaper price. And there could be hope for first time buyers looking to save money when buying their first property. Some people are fortunate to get help from the bank of mum and dad. But Higher property prices and difficulties saving for a deposit have posed many problems for first time buyers who want to...

Student living once meant staying in a cramped bedroom in old halls of residence but now students are staying in top accommodation, some even complete with their own cinema rooms! We’ve put together some of the top student halls around the country, courtesy of the UK’s first and most comprehensive student halls search engine Mystudenthalls.com. Glasgow Glasgow West End is set to be the coolest student accommodation in Glasgow – with a giant 15ft slide, festival space, and bookable dining rooms...

The housing market has been rocked recently, after the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) announced that stagnant buyer demand is continuing to cause a pronounced slowdown. The snap general election is scarcely helping this state of affairs, creating a significant decline that is unlikely to be reversed any time soon. In fact, house prices fell by 1% in April, marking the second consecutive month of decline and a drop of nearly £3,000 from December 2016. This also creates significant...