Tag Archives: investment
Many first time buyers in UK expect to be paying for mortgage into retirement
A third of young people in the UK expect to still be paying a mortgage beyond age 60 with over half worried that they would not be able to afford the payments when retired, new research shows. Rising house prices are an increasing concern to people trying to get on the housing ladder but many are still determined to own their home, according to the latest annual Generation Rent Report from lender the Halifax. Overall some 34% expect to work beyond retirement age to pay off their mortgage, 44% are worried that they won’t be able to afford their mortgage payments in retirement and 51% are worried that paying their mortgage will hamper their ability to save for retirement. Despite this, the report reveals that home ownership aspirations remain as strong as ever and that those late to the ladder are taking a range of measures to ease the financial burden. Indeed, the numbers of first-time buyers have recovered strongly in recent years, with 300,000 taking the first steps onto the property ladder in 2015. The average age of a first time buyer is now 30.4 years, nine months older than in 2010. Some 49% of aspiring first time buyers believe that buying with a partner is the most likely measure to consider to make owning a home more affordable while 34% say it is extending a mortgage beyond 25 years. In 2007 the proportion of first time buyers taking up a 35 year mortgage stood at 16%. By 2015 this figure had grown to 26% and over the same period, the share of mortgages with a 20 to 25 year term dropped from 48% to 30%. As well as 34% expecting to still be paying a mortgage aged 60, some 6% still expect to be paying their mortgage over the age of 70, while 8% expect to be paying their mortgage throughout their life. Only 46% believe they will be mortgage free before they retire, falling to 30% of non-home owners. The research also shows that 34% expect to work beyond retirement age to clear their mortgage and while for current owners this is 28%, for those not yet on the housing ladder 39% believe they will be working later in life. Some 44% are worried that they won’t be able to afford their mortgage payments in retirement and 45% are worried that the cost of their mortgage will mean they have to work longer while 51% are worried that paying their mortgage will hamper their ability to save for retirement. ‘Despite the barriers and the understandable concerns, it’s very positive to see that younger generations are still striving to get onto the housing ladder, with more than 300,000 taking that first step in 2015,’ said Craig McKinlay, mortgages director at the Halifax. ‘This recovery has been fuelled by a number of factors, including an abundance of successful Government initiatives and the affordability of monthly mortgage repayments due to the continuing low interest rate environment… Continue reading
Global business putting investment in UK commercial property on hold due to Brexit concerns
International businesses are postponing investment in the UK in the wake of uncertainty about the country’s membership of the European Union ahead of a referendum in June. The latest UK Commercial Market Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) indicates that demand for UK commercial property among international investors has stalled. It says that short term uncertainty has contributed particularly to falling international investment demand in central London and rental and capital value projections have been scaled back since the announcement last year that a referendum would be held. On top of this only 6% of the RICS survey respondents believe that Brexit, the term given to a UK decision to leave, will have positive impact on the country’s commercial property sector The demand indicator among international investors for UK commercial property is now at its lowest level since RICS records began in 2014 with just 5% of members surveyed reporting increased interest from overseas companies over the last three months. This is a considerable drop from 36% in the second quarter of 2015 Uncertainty caused by the EU referendum has been cited by 38% of RICS members working within the sector as the reason why major international retailers and other businesses have been nervous of investing in Britain. Should Britain leave the EU, some 43% of respondents feel that it would have a negative impact on the commercial property sector and only 6% said a Brexit scenario would have a positive impact on the commercial property sector. RICS says that some international firms are drawing up contingency plans to shift their headquarters in the event of Brexit. Overseas firms based in the UK occupy large swathes of real estate, and their departure could harm office occupancy rates, and the local economy. Likely beneficiaries of a Brexit are Paris, Frankfurt and Dublin, although the report said London was likely to remain a magnet for investment. The report points out that while investment rates have eased, they are not frozen. ‘There is no doubt that since the EU referendum became a certainty following the general election last May we have seen a decline in interest from overseas investors in UK commercial property,’ said RICS chief economist Simon Rubinsohn. ‘At least in the short term, we know that international retailer and service providers are finding the UK market less attractive,’ he added. The report also suggested that British farmers, many of which rely on payments from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy to pay their rents, would take a big hit if the UK leaves the EU. The RICS EU Referendum Paper shows that a range of key industries from residential housing to construction and rural have been hit by short term uncertainty. However, across the board, in the longer term steady growth is still predicted across rural, land and built environment sectors. It suggests that in the event of Brexit, farmers will most likely lose access to the EU single market and CAP. The question… Continue reading
Official figures show fewer residential properties are lying empty in the UK
The number of empty homes in the UK is now at its lowest level since records began with a drop of over a third from 318,642 in 2004 to 203,596 in 2015. Figures also show an increase in the number of owner occupied homes in the past year, after seven years of decline, starting in 2007. The downward trend in ownership is continuing to level out after a fall from a peak of 69.5% in 2002 to 62.5% in 2015 and 62.8% in 2014. Data from the government also shows that the number of new homes up by a quarter in the last year alone, the highest annual percentage increase in net additional homes for 28 years. ‘We are turning around the housing market and making sure the best use is made of all housing including empty homes. We are very clear that a house should be a home which is why we have taken action to stop homes being bought up and left as an empty investment,’ said Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis. ‘And we’ve taking forward the boldest ambition for housing in a generation, doubling the budget so we can help a million more people into home ownership, while delivering a bigger, and better private rental sector,’ he added. He pointed out that the government has introduced a number of measures to get homes back into use that have stood empty for years including rewarding councils for bringing empty homes back in to use through the New Homes Bonus and since April 2011, councils have been allocated over £4.846 billion for providing new homes. Other measures are providing over 704,000 additional homes, bringing over 106,000 empty homes will be back into use and providing 271,000 affordable homes and giving councils the power to increase Council Tax on empty properties. Alongside this charges have been introduce on certain ownership to prevent residential property being held through companies left empty and move to ensure that Capital Gains Tax is due on gains made by foreign owners who sell residential property in the UK, much of which is left empty. This means the same rules apply to residents and non-residents. Lewis added that the government is determined to provide more homes and has committed more than £20 billion over the next five years to help meet its ambition to provide a million new homes. He also pointed out that Right to Buy is being extended to 1.3 million people, shared ownership properties are being made available to a much larger number of people and 200,000 Starter Homes are being provided at a minimum 20% discount for first time buyers. Continue reading
