Tag Archives: london
UK commercial property market set to see record breaking year as confidence rises
Strong investor confidence is set to propel the UK’s commercial property market into a record breaking years with deal volumes at the end of the third quarter already over £50 billion. If, as anticipated, volumes in the fourth quarter of 2015 follow the patterns observed in the final quarters of 2013 and 2014, investment in the UK commercial market this year will break the £70 billion barrier for the first time. According to international real estate advisor Savills it is the strong confidence in the market that is the driving force behind the growth in activity. Its latest report says that despite ongoing uncertainty over Greece’s position in the Eurozone and a slowdown in the Chinese economy, UK property as an asset class continues to outperform investor expectations. Average prime yields have remained at 4.65% for the second successive month, however resurgent retail activity and strong UK institutional interest in south east offices could exert downward pressure on yields in these sectors, the report warns. ‘Last year 59% of investment activity in UK property took place outside London, a trend that is set to continue as investors seek the value afforded by the rental growth prospects in supply constrained regional markets, alongside the opportunity to build scale by acquiring portfolios,’ said Kevin Mofid, research director at Savills . ‘However, regional markets can be more susceptible to Government policy changes than the capital. Investors should therefore consider the potential impact that the extension of commercial to residential permitted development rights could have on rental growth and vacancy rates in regional office and industrial markets,’ he explained. ‘Nonetheless, given that investors currently place UK property head and shoulders above other asset classes, we don’t envisage that these measures will materially affect investment activity going into 2016,’ he added. A separate report from Savills says that non-domestic real estate investment outside of London will reach a record high by the end of 2015 with some £10.5 billion invested in real estate outside the capital by international investors in the first eight months of 2015. Savills predicts that this will rise to £14 billion by the end of 2015, the highest volume since it started collecting data in 2000, and nearly half of all the non-domestic investment in the UK as a whole. In the 12 months to August 2015, portfolio purchases accounted for the majority, 64%, of investments, due to the preference of investors for larger lots which are less common outside of London. Scotland and the South East proved to be the most popular regions, each attracting a 7% share of investment, with the North West and West Midlands in joint second place attracting a 5% share each due to the strong rental growth projections for the Manchester and Birmingham office markets, as well as the comparatively high yields on offer. The most popular sector for investment is retail and leisure, accounting for 57% of investment, driven by several… Continue reading
Over half of UK home owners think EU vote will affect property prices
The UK referendum on the country’s future in the European Union is still years away but already home owners think it will have an impact on property prices. Some 55% believe that leaving the EU will have an impact on house prices in the UK. Of these 34% think leaving the EU would actually strengthen the value of their home, with 21% believing it will lead to a decrease in their property price, according to the poll by eMoov. It is thought the economic impact of leaving the EU will be felt hardest in London, however some 52% of those surveyed in London think it will push up the price of their property, with just 23% thinking the opposite. When Britain first joined Europe in 1973, the average house prices was just £9,045. Despite a post legislative referendum in 1975, UK house prices continued to increase for another 16 years to 1989. During Britain’s tenure as a member of the EU the average UK house price has increased by more than 2,000%. Based on these figures, it would seem the EU has been good for the UK property market, but Britain’s future in Europe still remains uncertain. ‘The consequences of exiting the European Union stretch far beyond its effect to UK property prices, however homeowners across the nation are understandably apprehensive as to the impact it could have on their property price, as our research shows,’ said the firm’s chief executive officer Russell Quirk. Pro EU campaigners have forecast central London will be worst hit if Britain does choose to leave the EU. ‘We saw how pre-election uncertainty froze property demand in the prime central London market. The uncertainty of Britain’s future in the EU could result in a similar effect on a much larger scale, but 52% of home owners in London seem confident a Brexit will only strengthen the value of their home,’ he explained. ‘This said, post-election stability failed to revive the high end London market, so who’s to say the same won’t happen if we do come out of the EU,’ he concluded. Continue reading
Central London commercial property availability rises for first time in two years
The availability of central London commercial property was still below trend at the end of the third quarter of 2015 despite seeing its first rise in two years, according to new research. Following two years of decline, the figure increased by 6% but was still 29% below the 10 year average of 14.7 million square feet, the data report from global real estate consultancy CBRE shows. It explains that the 6% increase in availability is partly due to a dip in take-up, which fell 11% while remaining above the 10 year average, but more down to the 42% rise in marketed availability as many un-let properties moved within 12 months of completion. Developments headed for completion in 2015 are expected to reach 3.6 million square feet t. and forecasters predict this figure will rise to 6.6 million in 2016, marking a return to pre-crisis levels. ‘Availability in central London crept upwards in the third quarter after a small dip in take-up, given the hefty rise in City developments nearing completion. I find it extremely promising that by next year, completions will be well over six million square feet, the highest levels we’ve seen since 2009,’ said Emma Crawford, head of central London leasing at CBRE. The report also shows that the availability of newly completed and second hand space fell over the third quarter, reflected in a drop in the vacancy rate from 2.8% to 2.7%. Meanwhile, developments under offer remained above the 10 year average, despite falling 4% in the quarter. For the first time in two years, the highest proportion of these properties, some 32%, were in the West End. ‘We’re seeing significant take-up in the West End, with a wave of global capital targeting the area and high profile occupants like Facebook taking up large office spaces. Looking at the central London area as a whole, despite a small dip in developments under offer, we’re sitting way above average for the decade and should take comfort in the overall growth we’ve seen this year,’ Crawford pointed out. Meanwhile, the UK regional office markets have continued to build upon 2014’s growth, with the volume of office space taken in the UK’s big six regional cities in the third quarter totalling 939,000 square feet, just 7% below the level recorded at the same time last year. Over a longer time frame, combined take-up over the first nine months of 2015 totalled 3.5 million square feet which is 5% higher than the same period one year ago. As a result, the grand total for 2015 is likely reach if not surpass last year’s total, and well on target to exceed the five year annual average level of four million square feet. In many of the core regional cities, pre-letting has returned in strength, with professional service firms in particular taking advantage of the new generation of office buildings that are about to emerge in cities such… Continue reading
