Author: Benjamin

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Nationwide’s April House Price Index has just been published revealing that the annual  rate of house price growth slowed to 3.4% in April, from 3.9% in March. According to the data, the average price of a residential property dropped by 0.6% month-on-month. Headlines Apr-25 Mar-25 Monthly Index* 539.3 542.4 Monthly Change* -0.6% 0.0% Annual Change 3.4% 3.9% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £270,752 £271,316 *Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are revised when seasonal adjustment factors are re-estimated) Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said: “April saw a slowing…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The Equity Release Council’s latest quarterly market report for Q1 2025 showed that the market had a strong start to the year with £665m worth of housing equity accessed by customers.  This is a 32% increase in total lending when compared to Q1 2024 (£504m) and the fourth successive quarter of growth recorded by this market. Market growth has been driven by a significant increase in new customers (+14%) taking lump sums supported by improved product choice and positive annual house price growth1 (+2.8%). The number of plans taken out…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: L-R: Daniel Byrne, Peter Dack and Martin Growse Bernards, an independent estate and lettings agency group with six high street branches across Hampshire, has acquired Dack Property Management, a well-established block and property management firm based in Southsea. This strategic acquisition strengthens Bernards’ market share across the South Coast and brings together two complementary businesses, with further activity anticipated in the residential block and property management sectors. As part of the transaction, Peter Dack will remain with the company as director, alongside Managing Director Martin Growse, ensuring continuity for clients. Daniel…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Mark Ridley Savills has announced that Mark Ridley will retire as group chief executive at the end of 2025 after a 29 year career at Savills, seven of them as group chief executive, as well as 41 years in the industry. He will be succeeded by Simon Shaw, currently group chief financial officer of Savills, effective 1 January 2026. Ridley joined Savills in 1996 from Weatherall Green & Smith, where he had been a partner, to set up Savills Manchester office, before being appointed as head of Savills Commercial in…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Greg Tsuman Former president of ARLA Propertymark, Greg Tsuman, has warned that the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Bill is already causing problems in the private rental sector (PRS). According to Tsuman, there has been a notable hike in the number of early surrender agreements as tenants believe the new rules are already in place, meaning they can leave their tenancies just by giving two months’ notice. Tsuman said: “By getting rid of fixed term tenancies, tenants will be able to leave by simply serving two months’ notice, whilst landlords will…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The average advertised rent of new properties coming onto the market outside of London has risen by 0.6% this quarter to a new record of £1,349 per calendar month (pcm). Despite the rise in average rents, this is the smallest increase across Great Britain excluding London at this time of year since 2020. Average advertised in rents in London also rise by just £3, or 0.1%, to a 14th consecutive record of £2,698 per calendar month. The average advertised rent in London is now 2.5% higher than at this time…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Angela Rayner Angela Rayner has denied claims that she threatened to quit over Labour’s target to build 1.5 million new homes in five years. In an updated biography of Sir Keir Starmer, titled Red Flag, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, is said to have been on the brink of quitting over the “impossible” target set by the prime minister Sir Kier Starmer. The updated version of the book by Lord Ashcroft, the Tory peer and billionaire businessman, also claims that it was only an intervention by Sir Tony…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Spicerhaart has reported its most profitable month in its 36-year history but failed to provide any support data. EYE asked Spicerhaart to share its latest figures but the request was ignored. However, a surge in transactions ahead of changes to stamp duty regulations, would have almost certainly boosted profits. Spicerhaart reported a 27% increase in first-quarter revenue compared to the corresponding period last year – again, no supporting data,. Sales volumes were reportedly up by 67%, with financial services rising 24%. The company also confirmed a 10% uplift in its…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Whilst London is widely considered the nation’s most expensive area of the rental market, it’s Buckinghamshire that is home to the postcode with the highest average rent in the current market, where tenants are paying almost three times the going rate when compared to the wider average in the South East and 358% more than the British average. The research comes from Cohab, the property software solution for landlords, which analysed postcode districts across Britain to reveal the most expensive postcodes in each region when it comes to the average…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: House price growth has slowed to 1.6% annually, down from 1.9% at the end of last year, as buyer interest cools and the number of homes for sale continues to expand, the latest figures from Zoopla shows. According to the data provided by the property portal, estate agents have 34 sales listings per branch, on average, more than double 2022’s pandemic low. Meanwhile, sales agreed are 6% higher year-on-year. UK house price growth losing momentum as estate agency stock rises – Property Industry Eye Industry reactions: Tom Bill, head of…