Finance
Mortgage market ‘knocks it out of the park’ with biggest February since 2008
Gross mortgage lending reached £17.6bn in February, according to the latest from the Council of Mortgage Lenders; that's a 5% drop on January's £18.5bn but a chunky 30% above last February's £13.
Osborne extends SDLT surcharge and cracks down on offshore developers #Budget 2016
"We can choose to be a force for stability", said Chancellor George at the start of today's Budget speech, but four overhauls of the nation's finances within 12 months - two full Budgets, an extra Summer…
Clarity, Certainty & Predictability: A call for forward guidance on property taxes
The Treasury should take a leaf out of the Bank of England's playbook, says RICS' Jeremy Blackburn, and issue forward guidance on property tax policies.
Required Reading: The Mortgage Credit Directive
The Mortgage Credit Directive comes into force on March 21st. A brainchild of Brussels, the new legislation is designed to bring mortgage lending in line across the EU member states.
Number of single-family offices ‘has doubled’ since 2008
The number of single-family offices in the UK has more than doubled since the financial crash, according to new research.
Century ups loan ceiling to £3m
Short-term lender Century Capital has upped the amount that it will dish out to £3m per transaction on the back of "heightened demand and flexible funding".
Luxury investments shine as passion assets rule
The ultra-wealthy can now please both their heads and hearts: investments of passion are on the up, as the value of the Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index (KFLII) rose by 7% during 2015, according…
Osborne trumpets a ‘fair, workable, lasting’ SDLT reform
George Osborne says that over 780,000 homebuyers saved an estimated £657m on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) in the year since the tax was reformed, while receipts from £1m+ sales increased by 15%.
Prime Central London: An investors’ market review
There's no denying that things in prime central London have become more tricky, with some punitive tax changes and a deceleration of price growth, but the Golden Postcodes and their environs have "demonstrated remarkable…
Ballymore to sell off ‘landmark’ ground rent portfolio
Ballymore is gearing up to sell off a portfolio of ground rent receipts from 3,654 units across eight of its sites, including phase one of Embassy Gardens in Vauxhall.
#Budget2016: A property industry wishlist from Belgravia
With just three weeks to go until Budget Day (doesn't it come around fast...
Number of mortgage products reaches post-recession high
The number of mortgage products available to consumers has increased by over a third in the last year to reach a near-eight-year high, according to Mortgage Advice Bureau.