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UK property prices expected to rise 9% this year and 5% in 2015
Property prices across the UK are set to finish 2014 up by 9% and rise another 5% in 2015, according to the latest outlook report. Real estate firm Strutt & Parker expects good growth despite prices cooling and the looming general election next year in a report compiles with its retained economic advisors Volterra. But the outlook for the prime central London market is more subdued with Strutt & Parker predicting growth of 3% in 2014, and a further 2% in 2015. These forecasts are a stark contrast to 2010 and 2011 when prime central London prices surged by over 13% year on year. The firm believes that whilst improved economic foundations would certainly suggest that prices will continue to rise over the next few years, the biggest perceived uncertainty surrounding the property markets over the remainder of 2014 and 2015 will continue to be the looming election. ‘Agents are reporting a continued slowdown in some areas as buyers and sellers nervously await news on the upcoming general election and the potential for a mansion tax. This is beginning to feed through into transaction levels. As is often the case in uncertain times, it may also be that transaction levels will decrease in the run up to May 2015, but values could hold up better than expected,’ said Stephanie McMahon, head of research at Strutt & Parker. ‘Above and beyond the general election there are a number of other potential headwinds slowing the property market, including talk of interest rate changes and the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) and the slowdown it is causing,’ she explained. She pointed out that it is important to remember that the property market is all about supply and demand. ‘On the supply side, the government is continuing to boost house building across the country, and recent output figures from the construction sector reflect this. House prices tend to rise when stock is low and with more houses being built, particularly in the lower end of the housing market, this could also have an effect on UK house prices over the next few months,’ said McMahon. ‘The main driver for price market price growth in recent years has indeed been the consistent shortage of good quality housing stock in highly sought after prime locations. Any future increase of supply to the market in central London would therefore put downward pressure on prime central London house prices and we have taken this into consideration in our London predictions,’ she added. ‘In short, we expect that price growth during the remainder of 2014, and even more so in 2015, will be sensitive to prevailing political press and expectations,’ she concluded. Continue reading
Non home owners in the UK despair at lack of affordable housing to buy
British house hunters feel increasingly disenfranchised by the lack of affordable housing, new research has found. The latest official figures show that population growth in the UK has exceeded 400,000 and with only 134,460 new properties completed over the same one year period there aren’t enough new homes being built to meet that demand, let alone tackle the backlog of years of underdevelopment. Against this backdrop, research from Gocompare.com Mortgages has revealed the effect that the gap between housing supply and buyer demand is having on people’s attitudes to home ownership. It has found that the lack of affordable housing in the UK has resulted in people taking a dim-view of their prospects of getting onto the property ladder. Of those looking to buy a home some 26% feel that the UK is becoming a two tier society of property haves and have nots and 23% expect only be able to buy a home if they buy with someone else. Though 18% say that the government is responsible for the shortage of affordable homes, 14% think that buy to let landlords are to blame, and 17% don’t think that they will ever own their own home. Some 12% said that it angers them that they can’t afford to buy a house in the neighbourhood where they grew up and 10% think that the only way they’ll end up owning a property is if they’re left one in a will. It also appears that people could be forced to move around the country to put down roots. Over a quarter, 29%, of would be home buyers said that they’d have to stretch themselves financially or borrow money from friends or family to find properties in the areas where they want to live. As such 20% say that they have had to expand their search to towns and cities outside of their preferred area, while 14% have come to the realisation that if they want to live in their chosen region they’ll have to rent. And 6% are so fed up that they have completely given up looking for a home to buy. Those surveyed said they would consider moving, on average, up to 26 miles away from their preferred location to find an affordable home and 21% would expand their search to between 26 and 50 miles, while 5% would look for housing more than 101 miles away. ‘It’s easy to see why people feel so frustrated with the UK’s housing market. Not only are there not enough houses being built, but people face having to move away from their friends, families and home towns if they want to buy a home of their own,’ said Matt Sanders, spokesperson for Gocompare.com Mortgages. ‘It’s clear that the government needs to do more to help address the lack of affordable housing if people are to take part in that most British of pursuits, owning a home. Everyone has a right to buy, but not everyone has the ability to do so. Schemes like… Continue reading
Average rents in England and Wales hit all-time high
Average rents across England and Wales have reached a new all-time record high of £768 per month despite a slowdown in annual rises, the latest data shows. Rent rises increased by just 1.5% in the year to September, down from 2.4% in the year to August, according to the buy to let index from lettings agent networks Your Move and Reeds Rains. On a monthly basis September’s average rents are 0.8% higher than in August, representing a rise of £7 in absolute terms since the previous month. David Newnes, director of estate agents Reeds Rains and Your Move, said that historically rent rises have broadly tracked inflation and as the wider cost of living grows ever more slowly, so too has the cost of renting a home. ‘That said, autumn is always a busy period for the lettings industry, and this has been no exception. Looking ahead, it is likely that rents in most parts of the UK will have now reached their seasonal peak so as the market cools along with the autumn weather there may be opportunities for some tenants to pick up a favourable deal,’ he explained. ‘Landlords predict slower rent rises to continue for at least a year. The latest LSL Landlord Survey shows expected rent rises of just 1.8% over the next 12 months, below the target rate of inflation,’ he added. Newnes pointed out that another critical development in the rental market is the resurgence of demand in regions outside of London and the South East. ‘Regions with a new charge of economic growth, like the North West or East of England, have now led annual rental growth on an equal basis with the capital for most of this year. London’s rents were rising by 8% at the start of 2013 but are now climbing at around a quarter of that pace,’ he said. A breakdown of the figures show that rents in five out of 10 regions of England and Wales are higher than a year ago. The East of England has seen the fastest annual increase, of 3.1%, followed by the South West at 2.3% and London with a 2.2% rise in rents since September 2013. Meanwhile, rents in the West Midlands are now 2.4% lower than a year ago, followed by an annual fall of 2.3% in the North East and rents in Wales dropping 1.1% compared to September last year. However on a monthly basis none of the ten regions has seen rents fall. Between August and September the average rent in the South East rose by 1.8%, while the North West has seen a monthly increase of 1.4% and in the North East rents are now 1.2% higher than in August. By contrast, Yorkshire and the Humber has seen no change in rents since August, while the slowest monthly rent rises were seen in the East Midlands, up just… Continue reading
