The Market

The average private rental portfolio size has risen as the number of landlords has dropped, reports Hamptons International. The national average rent increased by 3.6% in the last year.

Proportion of £2m+ buyers from a City/finance background hit a six-year high in 2019

Property prices in Greater London escalated by 82% between 2009 and 2019, according to research house Acadata. That's nearly twice the average house price inflation rate across UK regions (42.6%).

Sajid Javid has surprised everyone by quitting as Chancellor of the Exchequer - with just four weeks until the Budget. Rishi Sunak has taken over the keys to the Treasury and No.11 Downing Street.

Surveyors "are optimistic regarding the outlook for activity over the next twelve months," says the RICS.

HNWIs and developers are changing their behaviour as the socially responsible revolution rolls on, writes Penny Mosgrove...

Echoing a lot of other market data and anecdotes, buying agency Garrington has just enjoyed "one of its busiest Januarys in ten years", with rising levels of both new searches and agreed sales.

The London market should grow in confidence as more buyers decide to hop off the fence, but don’t expect the up-tick in demand to be matched by an increase in supply, warns Saul Empson...

W1S remained the most expensive postcode area in the capital with an average achieved price of over £2,900 psf

Shortage of stock continuing to support values, reports LonRes

Knight Frank has noticed a tripling in the relative number of Middle Eastern buyers spending over £5m on English country houses...

The RICS is to review its ethical standards with a view to stamping out conflicts of interest over valuations.