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Average house prices static in England and Wales
Average house prices in England and Wales remained static in May but were 4.6% higher than a year ago, according to the latest Land Registry figures. This takes the average property value to £179,696, just under what it was at the peak of the housing market in November 2007. The data also shows that London and the South East experienced the greatest increase in their average property value over the last 12 months, both with a rise of 9.1% while the East and North East experienced the greatest monthly rise at 1.6%. Wales saw the only annual price fall with a decrease of 0.6% and also saw the largest monthly price decrease with a fall of 1.7%. The number of completed house sales in England and Wales decreased by 12% to 59,311 compared with 67,321 in March 2014. The number of properties sold in England and Wales for over £1 million decreased by 6% to 842 from 893 a year earlier. Peter Rollings, chief executive officer of Marsh & Parsons, said that while the monthly house price change was static, it is positive that annual improvements across the UK means prices are almost back to the November 2007 peak. ‘The post-election feel good factor will soon serve up higher prices or transaction levels, and the market is set for future growth given the improved buyer confidence and increased supply of properties we’ve seen throughout June. High end buyers continue to court prestigious London properties and, as a result, prices will continue to rise sustainably in central areas,’ he pointed out. According to John Goodall, chief executive of lender Landbay, it is good news that repossessions are retreating, household earnings are gathering pace, house price growth is positive yet sustainable and behind the scenes, mortgage lending is responding to all these factors with a growing sense of confidence. 'To keep this progress rolling, confidence must be backed by caution. Mortgage underwriting matters in the good times as much as the bad and risks need to be properly controlled. Strong fundamentals combined with high quality underwriting will bring new investment into the mortgage market from traditional sources of funding to retail investment through new peer to peer models,' he said. 'With time, a steady expansion of mortgage lending will be good for everyone. Rather than an unsustainable charge, the supply of new homes will feed on this solidity of demand from first time buyers and landlords. In short, there are no easy answers but the tide is turning for the better,' he added. However, Steve Bolton, chairman of Platinum Property Partners (PPP), said there should be concern that prices for many people are racing ahead of wages for most people. ‘This has stretched affordability, pushing a home purchase further out of reach for many,’ he added. He pointed out that the rental sector is likely to come under increased pressure as growing numbers of people look to it for longer term solutions… Continue reading
Four new housing zones for London to add 12,000 new homes
The Mayor of London has announced a further four Housing Zones across London, accelerating efforts to deliver the new housing that the rapidly expanding city needs. The new zones in the boroughs of Havering, Enfield, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets will together deliver over 12,000 new homes, nearly 3,500 of which will be affordable housing. This will bring the number of Housing Zones announced to 15 with a total of 45,109 homes created, 14,055 of them affordable. A total of £162 million in funding will be contributed by the Mayor to the new Housing Zones as are a collaborative effort between the Greater London Authority, the government and local boroughs to streamline approval processes and fast track development in areas where it may not otherwise happen. Included in the new Housing Zones will be two brand new rail stations, a large new park, new primary schools, and new retail and entertainment precincts. They will revitalise currently disused brownfield sites and turn them into neighbourhoods where Londoners will work, live and visit. ‘Housing Zones will provide the swift delivery of new homes for Londoners that is so desperately needed and create entirely new, highly connected urban districts for generations to come,’ said the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. ‘By freeing up empty brownfield sites from lengthy approval processes and providing a funding boost, we can ensure new housing capacity is created in areas where it might never otherwise have happened,’ he explained, adding that the four new zones brings the project within touching distance of the 50,000 new homes target. Rainham and Beam Park Housing Zone in the borough of Havering is one of the biggest development sites at 12 square kilometres, and will include the new Beam Park rail station with 20 minute access into the heart of London. The Housing Zone will include the Beam Park site recently released by the Mayor for development, the largest slab of land that had been in the Mayor's portfolio. The council plans on creating a new garden suburb from former industrial land with 3,457 new homes, 941 of them affordable. ‘This is incredibly exciting news for the residents in Rainham, and the Borough as a whole. The changes this funding will allow us to implement will have a lasting positive impact on their lives,’ said Havering council leader Roger Ramsey. Meridian Water Housing Zone in the borough of Enfield will build 3,650 new homes in a development designed to complement the riverside canal district it is situated on, of which 1,460 be affordable. The Housing Zone will contribute to the development of Meridian Water station, currently Angel Road station, which will have four trains an hour running into central London by March 2018 under the Stratford to Angel Road rail scheme. In early June a procurement process was launched to secure a master developer for the project. The Ilford Town Centre Housing Zone in the borough of Redbridge will capitalise on the arrival of Crossrail to the area by… Continue reading
UK mortgage approvals rising but still down on a year ago
Mortgage approvals in the UK have been steadily improving over the past five months but are still below where they were a year ago, according to the latest figures to be published. Gross mortgage borrowing in May was £10.4 billion, similar to April but 5% lower than in the same month last year, the data from the British Banking Association shows. Much of this could be to tougher new approval rules that were introduced in April 2014. For house purchase approvals, the annual comparison, adjusted for the effect of the new rules, suggests a year on year fall of 3%. Indeed, Charles Haresnape, chairman of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA), pointed out that there has now been a fourth successive monthly rise in mortgage approvals which suggests the high street banks have got to grips with recent changes to mortgage regulations. ‘All the same, there were 5,000 fewer approvals in May than was the norm in the six months before the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) took effect. Clearly there is still some way to go before lending activity on the high street is fully restored,’ he said. ‘Looking ahead, our chief concern is that UK mortgage borrowers face another wave of changes headed their way in the shape of the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD). The short term threat is that another transitional period will slow the applications process and reduce the industry’s capacity to lend,’ he explained. ‘In the long term, extra layers of regulation threaten to squeeze more consumers out at the margins. When the rules change so often, it is very hard to judge the right time to say enough is enough before we are left with a far more subdued market than anyone intended. Balancing consumer choice and financial safety is a constant challenge, and the Bank of England should stand ready to act if the pendulum swings too far in either direction,’ he added. According to Steve Bolton, chairman of Platinum Property Partners, figures from the BBA show that there is life in the mortgage market, indicating that there has been a 2% jump in general mortgage approvals over the last 12 months. ‘However, the figures also show that lending to homebuyers is down on last year by 3%, meaning that access to the property ladder is becoming more and more difficult for many people. This means that the rental sector is likely to come under increased pressure as growing numbers of people look to it for longer term solutions to their housing needs,’ he said. ‘It is therefore of the upmost importance that the market is able to meet the needs of a growing population of renters, and provide them with high quality and affordable housing. While renting is now a lifestyle choice for many young people, the majority still aspire to own their own home and certain types of rental properties can give would be buyers an advantage in times… Continue reading
