Miscellanea
A history of estate agency regulation, 1979-2020
In advance of new ROPA legislation, the House of Commons has published a potted history of estate agency regulation since 1979's Estate Agents Act.
The Penthouse Premium: Buyers pay 35% more for marquee apartments
Penthouses around the world command 35% price premium per square foot in comparison to other homes in the same development, according to new research by Knight Frank.
Property sector donating a quarter of Tory party funds
Nearly £18m has been donated by 154 individuals and companies with property interests since Johnson became PM, according to the analysis of Electoral Commission data by the FT
UK real estate sector ‘continuing to struggle’ despite booming housing market
Nearly 80,ooo firms were classified as being in significant financial distress in Q2.
Candy brothers hit with huge Stamp Duty bill over Chelsea mansion transfer
The Upper Tax Tribunal's latest decision is "patently unfair", says property tycoon.
Vatican reveals scale of global property portfolio
Details on holdings published in unprecedented transparency drive as landmark case involving a PCL investment deal heads to trial; preparations for London property sell-off ‘underway’
Buyers move further for bigger homes
In the South West, buyer interest for larger 4+ bed homes comes from a radius that is five times that of interest for 1-3 bed homes.
The Modern House co-founder reveals golden rules of good design
The first trade book by Matt Gibberd, A Modern Way to Live: 5 Design Principles from The Modern House, is being published later this year.
Half of UK home-buyers who bought during pandemic regret how much they paid, claims survey
A survey by Aviva suggests that fewer than half of property buyers in last year saw their new home in person before making an offer - and that 92% of these buyers discovered problems with the property…
Fall in UK architect numbers as EU applications halve
Just 477 architects joined the ARB via the EU route last year - down from 961 in 2019 and 1,232 in 2015.
How we measure energy efficiency in homes isn’t working
As the latest English Housing Survey reveals that the majority of homes in England have sub-standard energy efficiency ratings, Freya Wise of The Open University warns that "EPCs aren’t working", arguing…
English Housing Survey: Happy homeowners & poor energy efficiency
A selection of key findings from the recently-published 2019-20 English Housing Survey.