Docklands News

HMRC data shows that the number of house sales fell by nearly a fifth year-on-year in March. Across the UK, 89,560 home sales took place in March, with this down 19% on the total sales recorded in March 2022. Month-on-month, sales increased by 1% compared to February. Danny Belton, head of lender relationships and Legal & General Mortgage Club, said: “It is positive to see an uptick in transactions from February to March kickstarting a strong spring selling season. This is supported by a growing number of mortgage products coming to market.”

Daily Mail (29/04/2023)   Evening Standard (28/04/2023)   The Independent (29/04/2023)  

The number of boroughs where house prices sit below the London average, and that are considered comparatively affordable, has dwindled, as values in the outer boroughs have continued to rise. In 2012 there were 12 boroughs of the 32 where the typical price tag was below the London-wide average. This has now fallen to eight as the wave of demand to move to the east and to the edges drove up prices in cheaper areas, according to new data from JLL. "Demand for more space and better value for money, combined with the regeneration of far-flung brownfield sites, has caused fast-paced property price inflation to spread to the periphery of the capital and beyond," says Marcus Dixon, director at JLL. Only Barking and Dagenham (31% below the London average), Bexley (8%), Newham (16%), Havering (12%), Croydon (12 per cent%), Sutton (7%), Hillingdon (2%) and Greenwich (2%) are below the threshold. 

Evening Standard (26/04/2023)  

The planning system in the UK is preventing tens of thousands of homes from being built each year, according to some of the country's biggest developers. Industry insiders have cited issues including red tape, quasi-bans on development of homes around national parks, and new rules on water and nutrient neutrality. The Home Builders Federation has claimed that up to 45,000 new homes are being rejected each year, equating to 15% of the Government's annual target of 300,000. The federation has also warned that the change to planning policy, which makes local authorities' housebuilding targets "advisory" rather than mandatory, will lead to a fall in building output of 77,000 homes a year. In 2021, 233,000 new homes were built in the UK, but the federation fears this could fall to half that number in future.

The Times (24/04/2023)  

First-time buyers and home movers are increasingly opting for marathon mortgages lasting up to 40 years, as a way to bridge the gap between rising living costs and high property prices, according to UK Finance. The number of first-time buyers taking out a mortgage of more than 35 years doubled in 2022 to 17%, while 38% chose terms of 30 to 35 years. Two-thirds of mortgages now have a maximum term of 40 years, up from around 50% four years ago. Housing experts suggested longer mortgages were making it possible for younger people to become homeowners, despite an expensive and limited private rental market. David Hollingworth, an associate director at the broker firm L&C Mortgages, cautioned: "It's not healthy for borrowers to have to take longer and longer mortgages to try to afford a home. Ideally, the shorter the term, the better but buyers are looking for practical solutions to best manage their budget, and this can help."

The Guardian (22/04/2023)  

Homeowners who fixed their mortgages for two years when interest rates hit their lowest point in history are seeking legal action over the advice given by their brokers. Many are now arguing that they should have been advised to take out longer deals. Unlike other types of financial advisers, brokers are allowed to earn commission paid for by lenders who sell the mortgages, which means they get double the money for recommending shorter fixes. Interest rates fell to historically low levels in 2021 as a handful of banks launched sub-1% deals and the average two-year fix dropped to roughly 2%. A spokesman for the Financial Ombudsman Service told The Telegraph that someone who took out a two-year deal in 2021 could now complain and allege that they received bad advice on the back of changing interest rates. The ombudsman said it would consider both on what the consumer’s needs and circumstances were at the time, and also on the actual advice given. 

The Daily Telegraph (24/04/2023)