Archive

The new Labour government has committed to building 370,000 homes per year, but is it realistic? The housing crisis in the UK...

The Housing Scotland Bill must be changed to reflect reality. Following a recent report by the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) which...

EVER since Rishi Sunak stood in the rain and effectively announced he’d soon be moving house, Labour have been saying the...

One key point of difference in the parties’ housing policies during the recent general election campaign was that the Conservative Party...

Throughout the general election campaign, the Green Belt was central to the debate about the housing crisis. The new Labour government...

There is no doubt that the residential market in the UK slumped last year. Transactions were at around 1 million, whereas...

“The housing crisis will be solved using technology.” Or so I read somewhere this week. This notion that technology is the panacea...

A recent appeal decision which allowed housing development on the Hertfordshire Green Belt highlights the need for greater flexibility on locational...

NOBODY does pomp and ceremony like us Brits and, wow, it was on full display in Westminster last week. Despite the prestige...

It’s so good to see housing at the top of the government’s agenda for change. Finally! The housing crisis has been met...

The new Government’s plan to ‘Get Britain Building’ is ambitious, to say the least.    And it is central to their mission, not...

The Chancellor’s plans to ‘get Britain building again’ are very significant for the property sector and property investment, specifically.  The plans...

Housebuilding, leasehold and rental reform are set to be key roles of the new Labour Government’s legislative agenda but agency regulation...

It's more than a week since we saw the removal vans enter Downing St and Labour’s promise to hit the ground...

While housing is a devolved matter, ESPC hopes that the promises made by Labour in the recent general election might help...

Under the strain of a housing crisis, the UK faces a severe shortage of affordable homes. This is further emphasised by...

Property professionals have called for cross-party support and stability when it comes to housing policy under the new Labour Government after...

Commercial property has historically been viewed as the more profitable asset class but more recently, residential property values have taken over....

Institutional investors and "for-profit" registered providers are set to play an increasingly vital role in tackling the UK's affordable housing crisis,...

The recent dip in inflation to 2% for the first time in three years brings a glimmer of optimism in the...

Women in London who are looking to get on the property ladder face significant challenges that prevent them from buying a...

New research reveals nearly half a million homes could be built across London on land that currently lies derelict amid a...

After much anticipation, the Labour Manifesto for ‘Change’ was launched this week. Held in Manchester the launch event included personal reflections...

Building and development plans Recently, Carter Jonas has marketed development sites which have attracted multiple bids, higher offers than had been anticipated...

There’s been a broadly warm response from much of the property industry to Labour’s manifesto, but a call for more detail...

In a week when the election campaign descended into claim and counterclaim of lies over tax plans and Nigel Farage was...

In the second of their Election Wishlist series, Leaders Romans Group turn the spotlight on the Private Rented Sector (PRS). Here, National...

If, like me, you watched the two party leaders battle it out in the first head-to-head debate you’ll have noticed that...

Online agent turned property PR guru Russell Quirk has set out his solution to solving the housing crisis. Speaking on the latest...

There’s a very important first step that needs to be taken in resolving the housing crisis: we need a greater understanding...

Propertymark, the leading membership body for property agents has written to London Mayor candidates highlighting proposals to tackle the unique housing...

There’s been broad support from within the agency and wider property sectors for Labour’s proposal to build on selected parts of...

Southwark, Barnet, Camden, Croydon and Newham are the top five London boroughs with the highest number of vacant properties amid a...

Interesting report this week in Estate Agent Today on an analysis by the Resolution Foundation thinktank which suggests that the UK’s...

Last week the Government published new housing data which has largely gone unreported.  The vacuum was probably linked to the Budget, and...

As the Budget approaches and the housing crisis intensifies, it is important to consider what the Chancellor could – and should...

Last weekend, Levelling Up and Housing Secretary, Michael Gove wrote in the Sunday Times that the nation’s housing crisis was so...

Britain is in the midst of a senior living housing crisis – according to CBRE, an undersupply of 614,000 mid-market senior...

Building on brownfield sites may not be the silver bullet it is made out to be, the government has been warned. Housing...

Housing policy should focus on making better use of existing stock as well building more homes, a new report claims. A report...

Builders are calling for Stamp Duty exemptions on more energy efficient properties to help tackle the housing crisis. A new 10-point plan...

Propertymark is extending its political engagement and reach by exhibiting at the party conferences this week. The agency trade body will be...

The majority of the British public believe the Government is responsible for fixing the country’s housing shortage but few believe that...

I recently wrote that the long-gestating Renters Reform Bill, finally introduced in Parliament back in May, could be poorly timed, both...

Keir Starmer’s announcement about building on the Green Belt attracted some contentious headlines. It immediately thrust housing and planning into the...

Uncertainty over interest rates continues to dominate the thoughts of many working in the property sector.  Here in his latest column property...

It has been another busy week in the property sector.  In his latest column, property commentator Jonathan Rolande, provides his take on...

An award-winning charity will cut the cost of homeownership in Wigan by up to £10,000, by offering buyers the chance to...

Should commercial properties be converted into homes? I think so. I don’t mean the upscale barns becoming large houses, or the fashionable...

When Winter stabs its icy fingers at us Brits our thoughts tend to turn to sun-kissed beaches, the lapping Mediterranean and...

The removal of housing targets risks a deeper recession and high house prices for generations to come, a planning expert has...

The Government’s mini budget on September 23 was anything but ‘mini’ with several major announcements one of the most significant of...

Time is up for Boris Johnson's tenure as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, serving 3 years and 44...

A quarter of agents have indicated they may prefer Rishi Sunak as the next Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister –...

The Tory leadership debates have covered everything from taxes to trans rights but industry executives have lamented the lack of focus...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced that he is considering extending Margaret Thatcher’s Right-to-Buy scheme, that gives council tenants the chance to...

London mayor Sadiq Khan says he supports the seizure of property assets connected to the allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The...

The Budget has proven more generous than many expected - and with most property taxation left unchanged. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has made...

Boris Johnson's sudden and unexpectedly ruthless Cabinet reshuffle, which drew comparisons with Margaret Thatcher's 'purge of the wets' in 1981, ended...

Few political policies have such a ring of the past as rent controls - they were last seen in this country...

The chairman of the Commons housing, communities and local government committee has criticised the institutional bulk-buying of existing homes for denying...

A nationalist party has blasted a Labour government in one national region of the UK for its lack of intervention in...

Labour’s new housing spokesperson is the experienced MP Lucy Powell, who until the weekend was shadow business and consumer affairs minister.  She replaces...

An estate agency is being criticised for marketing properties as second homes in an area reportedly suffering a housing shortage. Local media...

Property is considered to be a safe investment. The buy-to-let market is booming, fuelled by a generation unable to get on...

I remember so clearly in my Foxtons days, working as a lettings manager in Putney, that lettings, though less sexy than...

Not for the first time, a government policy on housing ends up begging more questions than it provides answers - but...

After a year dogged by Brexit deadlock, political turmoil, and slow growth, estate agents’ confidence in the property market hit a...

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...

One of London’s leading estate and lettings agents has criticised the government over what he calls its “pitiful” record on affordable...

A high proportion of over-65s would consider moving to a bungalow and believe more properties should be designed exclusively for older...

A report by the influential Public Accounts committee of MPs has been highly sceptical of the effectiveness of Help To Buy. It...

A new digital platform has been set up in a bid to provide a one-stop-shop for self-build enthusiasts - and it...

With Easter now upon us (happy Easter, by the way, and hope you’re enjoying the long weekend, the Easter eggs and...

Campaigning groups like Generation Rent and Shelter like to think they are simultaneously edgy and radical; likewise some think tanks believe...

It’s no secret that the UK’s housing sector is in crisis. Headlines scream about the shortage of new-build homes. TV pundits...

Strutt & Parker says the housing crisis - in the shape of too few homes and their stubbornly high prices -...

Phil Spencer is on the warpath against “constant tinkering” by government in housing matters - and instead, he wants the problems...

It’s now almost a month since the government introduced new rules on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), as part of its...

It’s time to sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to overseas buyers of property. If you listen to Theresa...

Emoov’s founder Russell Quirk has outlined how he would help Britain get out of its current housing crisis to a Labour...

It may not be a good idea for a journalist to be personal about a politician, so I write about our...

By now we’ve all seen news about the long-term decline in property sales and competition from online alternatives leading to ‘more...

James Brokenshire - yesterday appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government - joins the rank of senior politicians...

Estate agency Jackson-Stops says it has discovered precisely how many existing home owners understand the difficulties facing first time buyers in...

Three councils are encouraging local residents to sign a new register which aims to bring more quality homes for sale to...

The government has launched a surprise consultation on the creation of a new redress system for customers of agents and others...

At the start of February, Nationwide suggested that the housing market was picking up. Last week, RICS reported on its continued...

One of the most influential select committees in parliament has told the government that it needs to do more - much...

The Department of Communities and Local Government has been rebadged as the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government in what...

What a year it’s been! Back in 2016 we had Brexit, a new prime minister, Donald Trump’s election, and so when...

Earlier this week, Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered the Autumn Budget with a strong focus on housing.  The decision to cut stamp duty...

The housing industry has set out a list of demands in advance of the government’s hotly anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday.  Despite...

Stamp duty on property sales is gumming up the housing market, stopping people from moving to the jobs they need, and...

There has been a wide range of views from trade bodies and individual agents on the government’s surprise ‘call for evidence’...

England faces a growing gulf between new build completions and new households being added to the population according to a new...

Simon Gerrard, a past president of the National Association of Estate Agents, has called on the government to switch the burden...

I’ve written before about the impact of headlines on the property industry. Interest rate speculation.   Market booms and busts. Demand...

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I was writing about the Google City, in Toronto, and now the...

In their election rhetoric all the political parties informed us that the UK is experiencing a ‘housing crisis’, with all promising...