Housing Minister Grant Shapps has launched a new national crackdown on tenancy cheats who unlawfully sublet their council or housing association properties and deny homes to people who really need them.
At least 50,000 social homes in England are being unlawfully occupied - providing the equivalent number of new social homes would cost more than £5 billion, and it is estimated that the number of unlawfully occupied properties ranges from one in 100 in some parts of the country to more than one in 20 social homes in some inner London boroughs.
Andrews and Robertson raised almost £11m at its December 13 auction passing the £120m mark for the year as revenues rose from £97m in 2009 to £124m in 2010.
Notable December sales include:
— A portfolio of LPA receiverships well located in North London areas of Hackney, Tottenham, Stamford Hill and Haringey raised £1,882m off total guide prices of £1.69m.
— 11 properties offered for Southwark Council producing just over £2.025m from a collective guide of £1.980m.
— Seven homes sold for just over £1.697m for Lambeth Council from a collective guide of £1.45m. They included a double
Demand from buyers increased in November, according to the latest figures from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).
The association’s monthly housing market report found that the average estate agent branch had 241 house hunters registered in November. In October the figure was 218.
The report also found that sales levels remained constant for the fourth month in a row, with the average branch selling seven properties. This was particularly positive as the market is entering its annual seasonal slowdown, when activity traditionally slows.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has kept UK interest rates on hold at 0.5%, and unveiled no new quantitative easing (QE) measures.
Following on from October's sale rate of 72%, raising £73m, Allsop's December commercial auction sale raised £57.85m from 103 lots offered, with six lots sold prior and 75 sold in the room.
It was reported today that Halifax has indicated that House prices fell by 0.1% in November but there are hopes the market may be stabilising.
Property prices in the three months to November were 0.7% lower than a year earlier, which was their first annual decline since November 2009. However, Halifax said there were signs home owners were becoming more reluctant to put properties on the market, which would help slow the recent quarterly falls in house prices.
The month-on-month decline in November took the average house price to £164,708 and followed a record 3.7% fall in September and
Just a quick note to remind everyone that the final auctions of the year take place next week. From 17th December until early January there will be no new properties in our database, however you can still check out the unsold lots from this month's auctions. Remember that you can still call us or fill in the property auction enquiry form, if you're thinking about selling your property at auction next year.
We love reading all the showbiz property gossip in London's ES, and obviously realising that you don't all live in London, we thought we'd share the latest report regarding Sienna Miller who has apparently found that her boho-chic taste, when applied to property, can be difficult to shift. About 18 months ago she put her exotic two-bedroom Georgian mews house in Maida Vale on the market at £1.295 million.
“The interior is totally wild, with a large Moroccan-themed spa in the basement, complete with plunge pool and sauna,” reports an astonished visitor. “Sienna obviously likes to party as
Village charm and the great outdoors give Mill Hill family appeal, while commuters love the nearby M1 and the 20-minute train journey to St. Pancras, says Anthea Masey.
This north-west London neighbourhood has two distinct faces: the charming old village of Mill Hill is scattered along a narrow ridge - not surprisingly the road is called The Ridgeway - which looks north-east over open countryside and south-west to Harrow and beyond. Then at the bottom of the hill, placed strategically between the A1 and the M1, there is the bustling Broadway, with its shops and cafés tucked among surrounding
The London Evening Standard New Homes Awards, now in their 19th year, celebrate the highest standard of skills, design and craftsmanship within the new homes industry.
The awards have been extended this year to comprise thirteen categories, each with two sections.
One section is for companies, or groups of companies, who build up to 100 units per annum.
The other section is for those completing more than 100 units per annum, ensuring an equal chance to all companies whatever their size.
So, whether you have built hundreds of units, or just a single house within the past year, we
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