Tag Archives: british
Rental values in prime central London down to lowest level for a year
Annual rental growth in prime central London fell to 2.4% in September, which was the lowest level it has been since September last year, the latest data shows. The report from international real estate firm Knight Frank also shows that the number of tenancies agreed in the three months to August fell 5.9% versus 2014 while prime gross rental yields remained at 2.96%. The slowdown came against the backdrop of jittery financial markets, with nerves over the state of the Chinese economy spreading to commodity and mining stocks, compounded by declines among carmakers, according to Tom Bill, head of London residential research at Knight Frank. ‘This current overriding mood of uncertainty means companies are more hesitant about recruiting and are more conservative with relocation budgets for senior executives, which has dampened demand in the prime central London lettings market,’ he said. ‘As a result, the number of tenancies agreed in the three months to August fell 5.9% compared to the previous year and the number of viewings declined 10.2%. Such declines suggest the trend for falling rental value growth will persist in the short term,’ he added. He pointed out that the trend is less marked in both lower and higher price brackets. ‘Demand among younger professionals remains strong while demand at the super prime level of £5,000 per week and above has been buoyed by the fact tenants have moved across from the sales market due to last December’s stamp duty increase,’ explained Bill. Continue reading
Number of tenants seriously behind with rent reaches two year high in UK
The number of tenants seriously behind on rent has risen to the highest level in the UK for two years in the second quarter of 2015, according to the latest tracker report. There are now 74,000 tenants owing more than two months’ rent which means 5,000 more households are in significant arrears than a year ago, or an annual increase of 7.2% since the second quarter of 2014, when this figure previously stood at 69,000 across the UK. On a quarterly basis, the number of cases of severe arrears has risen by 4.4% or 3,100 households, since standing at 70,900 in the first quarter of the year, the report from estate agency chains Your Move and Reeds Rains, part of LSL Property Services, also shows. However, the report points out that the recent worsening in the number of tenants in serious difficulties remains relatively mild by historical comparison. Compared to the worst peak of serious rent arrears, seen in the third quarter of 2012, when 116,600 households owed more than two months in late rent, this has moderated significantly. The report also points out that the chance of a given tenant falling seriously behind on rents is still extremely low. As a proportion of all tenancies, those in severe arrears represent just 1.4% of all tenants, stable compared to the previous quarter and the same as was seen a year before in the second quarter of 2015. This compares to 2.9% of tenants in the first quarter of 2008, twice the current proportion, even before the worst of the financial crisis and recession. ‘Across the UK most households are beginning to earn more, and it is this majority of tenants who are able to bid up the price of rented homes in the face of constricted supply. Rents are accelerating in response, rising by more than 5% over the last year according to our separate research,’ said Adrian Gill, director of estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains. But he warned that behind this headline buoyancy, there is a less positive story. ‘For a small minority there has been no transformational boost to household earnings, and it is this more marginal population of tenants who are feeling the squeeze of rising rents most sharply,’ he explained. ‘Severe arrears are still much lower than their previous peaks but a lack of further progress highlights the underlying and fundamental supply shortage. Tenants need more available properties on the market, and landlords should be encouraged to invest further in order to keep up with growing demand,’ he added. The data also shows that eviction rates have improved. In the second quarter of the year a total of 27,910 tenants faced a court order for eviction, on a seasonally adjusted basis. This represents a 3.9% improvement since the first quarter of 2015 and is 5.9% lower on an annual basis compared… Continue reading
Average property prices in Canada set to rise by 2% in 2015, says latest forecast
The national average property price in Canada is forecast to increase by 2% to $442,400 in 2016, according to the latest forecast from the Canadian Real Estate Association. But there is likely to be regional variation. For example, increases are forecast to be slightly larger but less than 3% in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, with gains in some provinces reflecting an expected rebound from levels in 2015. Price growth in 2016 is forecast to be strongest in Ontario with growth of 2.8% due to an ongoing supply shortage of listings for low rise homes in and around the Greater Toronto Area, the CREA forecast report says. ‘Alberta and Quebec are forecast to see average home price growth of about 1.7% and 0.8% respectively in 2016, while Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador are forecast to edge slightly lower. The report explains that the national average price has run higher than expected since CREA’s last forecast, in part reflecting a jump in the proportion of higher priced home sales this spring and early summer in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, in and around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Calgary. This trend now appears to be receding, causing the national average price to follow suit. However, recent trends in the Home Price Index, which is not affected by changes in the mix of sales activity the way that average price is, suggest that prices are still accelerating across much of B.C., in and around the GTA and Montreal. B.C. continues to see some of the strongest economic growth in the country, coupled with strong demographics. Home sales there have been drawing down inventories and boosting prices across the province. In Alberta, home sales have gone from setting records in 2014 to running at or below their 10 year average, as uncertainty surrounding the outlook for oil prices and employment continues to side line potential home buyers. In Ontario, the ongoing shortage of single family homes for sale in and around the GTA continues to drive very strong price gains. Record levels of activity in the province would likely be higher were it not for a shortage of low rise homes coming onto the market. In Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, and most of Eastern Canada, supply remains elevated. Home prices outside of B.C. and Ontario are forecast to keep pace with or lag inflation, as elevated supplies are drawn down by sales and return to better balance. The forecast for national sales in 2015 has been revised slightly higher, reflecting stronger than anticipated activity in B.C. and Ontario. National sales are now projected to rise by 3.3% to 495,800 units in 2015, marking the second strongest year on record for home sales in Canada. Across the country, British Columbia is projected to post the largest annual increase in activity in 2015 with growth of 18.1. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia are expected to post the largest annual sales declines 21.6%, 12% and 12.1%… Continue reading
