Zoopla property news (December 2011)
Latest property news
Buy to let lending 'set to rise'
There is set to be a substantial rise in lending to buy to let landlords in the coming months, one analyst has predicted. David Whittaker, managing director at Mortgages for Business, said he expects to see buy to let making up a higher percentage of the UK residential mortgage market because it is a subset of that market, and is effectively the same stock that people might ...
7th Dec 2011
The Olympics 'will bring in new property investors'
The Olympics will expose central London to a new wave of property investors, according to one expert who is predicting that much will happen in the capital in the coming months. London property expert Steven Herd said the central London housing market is "certainly" having a good year, with sales volumes and sales values both higher than prior to the start of the ...
7th Dec 2011
Property news archive
House prices 'will fall spectacularly' in the coming months
There is set to be a dramatic fall in the nation's house prices in the coming months, and people need to be aware that this is likely to occur, one specialist has explained. Paul Holmes, an expert on UK property , said that people need to expect an average one per cent fall per month will take place over the next 36 months, with property set to reduce in value by ...
6th Dec 2011
Olympics build-up 'not affecting London rental market'
The build up to the 2012 Olympic Games has had little or no effect on London's property rental market so far, according to one expert on the subject. Daniel Burgess, a rental property specialist, said that the Olympics is the "last thing" on the minds of landlords and tenants at the moment, with the majority of them concentrating on getting through the next ...
6th Dec 2011
Energy efficiency 'will increase in importance'
There is likely to be an increase in the importance placed on having an energy-efficient home, UK property owners have been advised. According to Richard Addenbrook, managing director of Sense of Space Architects, energy-efficient homes are likely to be increasingly in demand in the coming years as people seek to purchase new homes that will have reasonable electric and gas ...
5th Dec 2011
Mortgage lenders 'are very selective'
Many mortgage lenders are very selective at the moment, meaning there is great deal of difficulty being faced by some landlords when trying to obtain a buy to let mortgage, one expert has claimed. "With funding in short supply, inevitably mortgage lenders are very selective on who they lend to and what they lend on, explained Lee Grandin, managing director of Landlord ...
5th Dec 2011
Pre-World War I homes see biggest price increase
UK property built before 1919 has seen the largest surge in prices over the past 25 years, according to a new report from Halifax. The data reveals that properties built before the end of the First World War have risen by an average of 461 per cent - which is equivalent to £516 per month - from £33,619 in 1986 to £188,473 in 2011. This is significantly ...
2nd Dec 2011
New homes scheme 'will have many benefits'
A new scheme intended to kick-start the private sector house-building market as well as the economy will have many benefits, including job creation, it has been claimed. Steve Turner, spokesman for the Home Builders Federation, noted that the £400 million Get Britain Building Fund will hopefully double the number of homes built every year and create tens of thousands ...
2nd Dec 2011
UK property owners 'should check their home regularly'
Property owners should ensure that they carry out regular checks on certain aspects of their home to ensure that nothing is awry and no problems are developing, according to one specialist. Anna-Marie DeSouza, editor of the advice magazine Build It, said it is true that a poorly kept home can contain numerous hazards – but she expressed her surprised at new figures ...
1st Dec 2011
Tenant demand 'will remain strong'
Demand for property to rent in the UK is likely to remain strong in the months ahead, despite something of a 'metropolitan split' emerging at the moment, according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). Alan Ward, chairman of the RLA, said, there is no indication of tenant demand slowing as long as the supply side is falling "well short". "It ...
1st Dec 2011