Format: News

Britain's biggest estate agency Countrywide has reported an "encouraging" Q4, despite the general slowdown in transaction volumes and uncertainty around buy-to-let stamp duty and mortgage interest relief.

108,710 residential deals went down in December, according to seasonally-adjusted numbers from HMRC. That's a 1.9% increase on November's number, and a chunky 11.6% above last December's tally;

Architectural interior design studio MoreySmith has just promoted seven members of its 30-strong team to senior roles, with Lesley Kelly taking on the newly-created title of Director of Architecture.

Average values in prime central London ended 2015 up 1% after a flat December, according to Knight Frank's year-end tallies.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has ruled out an imminent interest rate rise.

Kevin McCloud's development firm HAB Housing has launched an interesting high-end project on a hillside site near Oxford.

The rate of house price growth across 20 of the UK's top cities has pepped up t0 +11.4%, from +10.2% the previous month and +8.9% twelve months ago, as property investors make a serious impact on the market.

The resi sales department of law firm Winckworth Sherwood has reported a significant boost in business, completing on over £1.3bn worth of transactions in the last 12 months alone.

A 12,642 square foot French Renaissance belter on Grosvenor Gardens has become the biggest instruction ever listed with a UK online estate agency.

Jeremy James has returned to the fold after a three-year absence

"Unless somebody is committed to London in the long term, there is a much more compelling case for renting", says PCL agency Tunstall Property of the post-SDLT reform landscape.

Housebuilder Weston Homes has brought in a new Commercial Director to cover the Southern Region.