Docklands News

The number of homemovers hit a record high in the first half of 2021, with the number of people moving more than doubling in the six months to 30 June to 265,070. The increase in the number of homemovers soared in all regions, led by London at 165% and the wider south east region, where there was an increase of 169%, according to data from Halifax. Across the UK the number of homemovers more than doubled (132%), as did the number of transactions in all regions bar Scotland. In the 12 months to June 2021, 461,010 transactions took place, up by 50%, and the average price paid by homeowners across the UK rose 11% to £387,485. Halifax also found that there were more first-time buyers than in the first half of any of the past 10 years. 

City AM (16/11/2021)   Evening Standard (16/11/2021)   The Daily Telegraph (16/11/2021)  

Homeowners could see higher rates and find home loans tougher to come by as banks roll out changes to mortgages ahead of tax increases and probable interest rate rises. With Chancellor Rishi Sunak freezing many tax-free allowances and introducing around £85bn in tax increases – including 1.25% increases in national insurance and dividend tax from 2022 – homeowners are likely to have less money to cover repayments. Paul Haywood-Schiefer from Blick Rothenberg says that while Mr Sunak implemented a stamp duty holiday during the pandemic “which pushed property transactions through the roof”, the tax increases will leave many of those who snapped up homes with less spare cash. Ali Hussain in the Sunday Times notes that between April and June, a record 57% of new mortgages were classed as large, up from 50% a year ago.

The Sunday Times (14/11/2021)  

Millions of homeowners are at risk of their properties being sold without their knowledge as property title frauds rise. Official figures show only around a quarter of a million of Britain’s 29m homes are registered with the Land Registry’s anti-fraud “property alert service”. The Land Registry was forced to pay out £3.5m in compensation to homeowners last year after approving fraudulent transactions, up two thirds on the prior year. It thwarted close to 200 other attempted frauds worth £115m since 2016. The service was launched in 2014 and normally gets 4,000 sign-ups a month, but that has jumped to nearly 30,000 in the past week. 

The Daily Telegraph (15/11/2021)   The Times (15/11/2021)  

Property developer Mount Anvil has partnered with housing association One Housing to develop 159 sustainable apartments at Royal Eden Docks in east London. “The building as a whole is estimated to be saving over 430 tonnes of carbon each year and each apartment is estimated to emit 54% less carbon than an equivalent home built to the minimum national standards,” said One Housing. Energy-efficient lighting is fitted throughout the apartments, while meters have been installed to track electricity and water consumption so that residents can monitor their own usage. The homes will be made available to local families in housing need and working Londoners looking for the first step into home ownership. 

Property Week (11/11/2021)  

Independent Conservative Tower Hamlets councillor Andrew Wood says he has been speaking to local residents about the possibility of giving the Isle of Dogs its own council. "If you’re going to have an area like Manhattan on the Isle of Dogs you need something from local government to respond to the development of a Manhattan-type area", he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "Outside of London it’s very common to have three layers of local government. It’s not in London, this is different and unusual for London, but outside of London this is very common".

My London (08/11/2021)  

Sadiq Khan has heralded a housing "sea of change" as his approach to getting more affordable homes built appears to be paying off. New figures have revealed a steady rise in the number being delivered on London developments. New analysis published by the mayor’s office showed that the average proportion of affordable housing being delivered per City Hall-approved scheme had nearly doubled since 2016 – to 40%. The figure was 22% in 2016. Between 2011 and 2016, which partly covers Boris Johnson’s time as mayor, this figure never reached above 27%, according to the new City Hall analysis. The number of affordable homes being delivered on developments approved by the mayor’s office has been steadily rising since 2016, the figures showed. 

Inside Housing (06/11/2011)