Latest letters
Don’t get caught out – always check who signed the lease
Emanuele Midolo’s feature on the new US embassy in Nine Elms contains an interesting comment from a US state department official, which indicates that the embassy was funded by property sales including that of the former US Navy HQ at 7 North Audley Street/20 Grosvenor Square.
BTR still has lessons to learn from other sectors
CBRE’s latest UK Residential Investment Report notes that “international developers [are] circling the market” with £32.7bn of institutional equity targeting the UK private rented sector over the next five years. This is yet more evidence that investment in the sector is booming.
Is the government’s housing target unachievable?
There are a few things that Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jeremy Corbyn agree on. One is that our planning system is not working, so it is disappointing that the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) kicks the ‘too difficult’ can of meaningful reform further down the street.
Ancient council plans preventing new affordable homes
The balance between protecting green belt land and delivering government housing targets is one that has always divided opinion. Yet, the misunderstanding and simplification of the term ‘protected green belt land’ is arguably the source of this contention.
Turnover lease model is vital for outlet retail success
At a time when shoppers demand anything at any given time, subsectors such as outlet retail can be resilient but cannot risk being complacent. At Realm, a clear focus on the shopper experience, as well as being collaborative and agile in our retailer relations, is the foundation of the innovative ...
Landlords face another kicking in government plans
I refer to the recent comment piece by Alastair Stewart and in particular to the government proposal to introduce three-year minimum leases. Once again the government is bowing to the voices of those who shout loudest while ignoring the silent majority who have bailed them out of the housing crisis ...
Millennials and proptech
Digesting Property Week’s Power of Proptech survey out last month it appears that the property industry as a whole is starting to embrace prop tech with 61% of respondents commenting that tech will have a positive effect on revenue in 2018 up 13% from 2017.
The new NPPF provides the right foundations, but we must build on it
A lot has changed in the six years since the publication of the first NPPF. London’s housing crisis of availability, affordability and quality has become more acute and is increasingly being experienced in other major UK cities.
London investment from Asia still strong
Figures indicating that UK buyers overtook Asian investors in the West End in the first half of 2018 were surprising if not totally unexpected.
House price freeze wouldn’t help first-time buyers
The recent IPPR paper ‘On Borrowed Time’ suggests that property is one part of our financial system that is so out of control that it requires a reset to prevent a future crash.
Longer tenancies: more security for renters or a vote grabbing political move?
An estimated 46% of 25-34 year olds live in private rented accommodation. This has risen from 27% in 2006-2007 and, as such, the build-to-rent sector has seen massive growth.
Town centres need a vibrant mix of uses to survive
Town centres are clearly under the spotlight. One of the key recommendations in the recent Grimsey Review was “to accept that there is already too much retail space in the UK, and that bricks-and-mortar retailing can no longer be the anchor for thriving high streets and town centres”.
