Author: Benjamin

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Mike Day Niccolò Machiavelli famously stated, “Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times. “This quote underscores the necessity of adaptability in both our personal and professional lives. Change is inevitable, and those who resist it risk stagnation. In business, leaders who embrace transformation remain competitive and individuals who adjust their mindset thrive in evolving circumstances. Machiavelli recognised that success is not about rigidly holding onto old ways but about evolving with shifting landscapes. Whether in business or personal growth, those who recognise the power of change can harness it to their advantage,…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The South East is currently the most challenging region in the UK to sell a property, while Scotland ranks as the easiest, TwentyCi’s latest data has shown. Covering the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the research, which appears in TwentyCi’s latest Property & Homemover Report, highlights the UK postcodes where homes are both the hardest and easiest to sell. TwentyCi used five criteria to rank the difficulty or ease of selling a property. In order of importance these were: price achieved compared to original asking price, whether the property is likely…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Prime minister Harold Wilson’s quip that “a week is a long time in politics”, which he made during one of the UK’s seemingly never-ending crises in the 1960s, aptly describes what has happened in this country in recent days. Reform UK’s astonishing set of results in Thursday’s local elections and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election has caused a political earthquake. Leader Nigel Farage now hopes to position the anti-immigration party as significant political force in UK. Last year, he put forward a ‘contract’ (manifesto) that proposed some radical changes, including…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Gifts and loans from the Bank of Mum & Dad (BOMAD) totalled £9.6bn in 2024, according to the latest analysis from Savills. According to the estate agency, 173,500 first-time buyers received assistance last year, receiving on average £55,572. This equates to just over half (52%) of all first-time buyers, which, although lower than the proportion that received assistance in 2023 (57%), is still higher than every other year since 2012 (53%). Overall, Bank of Mum & Dad has provided £38.5bn of assistance over the past four years. This is 71%…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Steph Walker TAUK (The Agency UK) has today announced a further acquisition to deepen its national footprint. Hot on the heels of the acquisition of The Estate Agency last month, TAUK has acquired Cardiff-based Isla Alexander business for an undisclosed sum, with sales director Sarah Walters remaining with the combined business. This transaction takes the TAUK partner agent count to more than 200, which the company says propels them to the number two self-employed platform in the UK, second only to eXp UK. Andy Vass, CEO of TAUK, said: “This…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Nigel Farage Reform UK last week built on its success at last year’s general election by gaining its first regional mayor in Andrea Jenkyns, 677 council seats, several English councils, and winning the Runcorn byelection. The party’s unprecedented success at the polls last week poses a real threat the the Labour government and could see Reform UK replace the Conservatives as the main opposition party by the next election. Reform took most seats from the Tories, who lost 674, while Labour lost 187. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said Nigel…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Tariff turbulence has not dampened demand among companies looking to relocate staff to the UK, according to Knight Frank. Business confidence has dropped and companies have suspended financial guidance in recent weeks due to global economic uncertainty, which has also hampered decision-making. However, the number of enquiries from companies looking to relocate staff to the UK in April was 8% higher than the same month last year, new data shows. “London is benefitting from its position as a safe and stable place to grow a business and invest,” said John…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Protestors joined forces to stage a protest outside Hackney Town Hall this week to demand tougher action on unscrupulous landlords. ACORN Hackney organised the protest, calling on the local authority to do more to tackle rogue landlords. The council’s cabinet recently backed a proposal to launch a consultation on introducing new licensing rules in the borough’s private rented sector, which would require around three-quarters of landlords in Hackney to meet set standards to qualify for a licence for their properties. Only four wards in the borough – Haggerston, Hoxton East…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Interest rates are set to fall at their fastest rate since the 2008 financial crisis, economists have predicted, offering mortgage holders relief from high borrowing costs. The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25% next week in what would be the second rate reduction this year, having already dropped from 4.75% to 4.5% in February of this year. Economists are pricing in further rate cuts this year, which could result in them falling by up to 1% over the next six…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: UK mortgage approvals fell to the lowest level in eight months in March despite home buyers rushing to complete property transactions ahead of the stamp duty hike, the latest figures have revealed. Mortgage approvals dropped 800 to 64,309 in March, which is the lowest level since July 2024, Bank of England said. The Bank of England data also showed that net borrowing of mortgage debt surged by £9.7bn to reach £13bn in March. Overall lending at £39.9bn was the highest since June 2021 – which coincided with the end of…