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A series of proposals that could significantly impact on London's rental market have been suggested in a report by the Resolution Foundation aimed at reducing intergenerational unfairness.
The publication, titled A New Generational Contract, offers a range of steps to tackle the wealth gap between generations and much of this focuses on the issue of housing, both in terms of the difficulty faced by young people trying to get on the housing ladder and the challenges they face in the rental sector.
A key proposal that could boost the supply of rental housing is for build-to-rent developments to be made exempt from stamp duty. This measure would have a major impact on areas where build-to-rent is well established, such as London and the north west, as well as aiding its growth on other parts of Britain.
Other measures are designed to make life easier for renters, not least when it comes to the security of tenure - with all tenancies being made of indefinite length as they now are in Scotland, plus a 'light touch' regulation limiting three-year rises in rent to the Consumer Prices Index level of inflation.
However, other measures are more specifically designed to help young people and others who rent to move into home ownership more easily.
These include a plan to allow city and city region mayors to impose embargoes on the purchases of homes in property hotspots by non-UK residents. This would have obvious implications in London, where many new properties are snapped up as investments by overseas buyers, and may also have an impact, if imposed, in areas such as central Manchester and Salford.
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For decades, people have talked about a north-south divide, with London and the south-east being established as the engine room of the UK economy and the Midlands and north suffering a decline as old industries slipped away. Inevitably, such trends have impacted in the property sector.
This may appear to be particularly true after the publication of the latest Hamptons International Monthly Lettings Index, which has shown that although rents have risen by 1.9 per cent on average across the UK, there is significant regional variation; in the north they were down by 0.3 per cent and in Scotland they plunged by 5.3 per cent.
By contrast, London, the south-east and south-west, the Midlands and Wales all saw increases, while the East of England witnessed the largest rise at 3.6 per cent. London's 2.7 per cent increase represented a recovery from last year's two per cent fall.
All this might suggest that the south remains the main place for rental investors to go and most of the north - bar, perhaps, local hotspots such as central Manchester - is best avoided.
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London will remain a strong long-term property investment prospect, despite its current wobbles amid uncertainty over Brexit, the chairman of global estate agency Knight Frank has said.
Many have questioned whether the capital will end up with a diminished role as a global business and financial centre once Britain leaves the EU, with the underlying assumption being that if this is the case any property investments there will consequently be less valuable.
However, Alistair Elliott told the South China Morning Post that rumours of London's death as a property hotspot have been greatly exaggerated.
He remarked: “The markets have stood up (to Brexit fear) incredibly well. If you roll back the clock two years, people were giving gloomy forecasts; it hasn’t happened.
"We have the details of Brexit to come [and] I do not believe it will be as aggressive an experience for London real estate markets as people originally thought.â€
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You've found the perfect flat to rent in central London… but three months in and your rental home is looking more like a car boot sale than the cool, contemporary space you had in mind. We’ve all got loads of stuff, but the trick is to know how to disguise it. Here are some ideas to help you stow those possessions out of sight and return to the clean, minimalist lines you’ve been pining for.
1. Don't dash to declutter
You know you won't do it all in one go, so don't even try. Set aside a specific time each day, or each week, to sort through your possessions. When everything’s finally in place, try to continue with your regular de-cluttering time slot, otherwise the mess will simply build up again.
2. Decisions, decisions
Decide which room you'll start on, and work from one end to the other, clearing as you go. Use three black bin bags - one for things that you want to keep, one for things that you want to throw away, and another for items you might pass on to friends or donate to a charity shop. Easy, eh?
3. Put a lid on it
Containers and baskets with well-arranged contents can transform your clutter into a design feature. A set of clear storage jars, each one filled with items of a single colour, looks more like an arty focal point than the act of a desperate hoarder. Baskets with lids, arranged along a shelf, will look neater than a mass of random objects, no matter how carefully you’ve tried to arrange them.
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The district was highlighted by the Daily Telegraph as an attractive proposition as a place to live, in addition to its long-term price growth. According to Knight Frank's data, between January 1995 and September 2017 prices there rose by 1,150 per cent, outstripping the fast-emerging east London hotspots like Hackney.
Such long-term success might not be immediately apparent for a few reasons, only one of which is the high profile of east London emanating from the 2012 Olympics and associated efforts at urban renewal.
Another factor may be the fact that in recent months, Dulwich has suffered like the rest; Knight Frank's Spring 2017 Residential Review has revealed the district endured a 0.5 per cent dip in prices over the last three months and a 1.5 per cent drop on an annual basis.
These figures are not unusual, of course. The review showed that only a handful of places, such as Wimbledon and Queen's Park, have seen price growth in the last 12 month, while many have witness larger declines than Dulwich.
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London Estate Agent Gordon & Co explore properties to rent or buy for investment in Paddington, Elephant & Castle and London Bridge.
Living near a tube station means more opportunity to enjoy your leisure time. According to a recent study, when it comes to job and lifestyle satisfaction a 20 minute increase in commuting time is as bad as a 19 per cent pay cut.
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A massive new property project is being planned for Canada Water in south-west London, adjacent to Surrey Quays.
The area, which has been heavily redeveloped in recent years, is now set for the development of a whole new town centre by British Land.
It has been working with Southwark Council to establish a Master Development Agreement and has now submitted a planning application for the area that will be adjudicated on by the end of the year.
If the scheme goes ahead, the first phase will see the construction of three buildings, featuring a million sq ft of workspace, 250,000 sq ft of retail space and 650 homes.
This will be just the start of a project that could include 3,000 new homes, with more retail facilities, work spaces and parks. The 53-acre redevelopment will encompass the existing Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, as well as SE16 Printworks, the Dock Offices and the former Rotherhithe Police Station.
The scheme is expected to create around 20,000 jobs, including in the construction sector from the expected commencement date next year.
Head of Canada Water Development for British Land, Roger Madelin, said: “Submission of our planning application for the Canada Water Masterplan marks an important milestone in the delivery of this project.
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First-time buyers seeking to get on the housing ladder in London have to pay twice as much as they would in the rest of the country, new data from Lloyds Bank has revealed.
The typical home bought by a first-time buyer in the capital now costs £420,132, compared with £210,515 in the rest of the country. The London price represents a two-thirds increase on the average price of five years ago.
Deposits have risen by almost as much, with the typical first-time buyer in London now needing to find £92,833 - 62 per cent more than in 2013.
It is not just first-time buyers who are suffering, as outer London boroughs have seen a 47 per cent rise in prices for all buyers over the past five years.
However, it is in the suburbs that getting on the ladder appears hardest. Across London as a whole the average first-time buyers age is 34 years old, compared with the national average of 31. One inner London borough - Tower Hamlets - actually beats the national average as the typical first-time buyer there is 30. By contrast, the figure rises to 39 years old in the outer boroughs of Barnet, Harrow and Sutton.
Lloyds Bank mortgage products director Andrew Mason said: "Despite the recent slowdown in London house prices, this latest data shows how expensive it has become to live in the capital, particularly for young people trying to get on the ladder for the first time.
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There are a number of positive factors suggesting strong performance for the UK housing market during the remainder of 2018, according to Halifax.
The bank's latest house price figures, covering the three months to June, showed 1.8 per cent growth compared with the same period a year earlier. This figure was slightly below the 1.9 per cent increase recorded in May.
During the April to June quarter, UK house prices were 0.7 per cent lower than in the January to March period, but this was attributed to 'monthly volatility' in the data.
On a monthly basis, property prices increased by 0.3 per cent in June, reaching an average of £225,654.
While recent trends in the housing market have been relatively flat, Halifax pointed out that there is cause for optimism where future performance is concerned.
Russell Galley, managing director of the bank, said: "At the halfway stage of the year the annual rate is within our forecast range of 0-3 per cent for 2018.
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Property investors looking to diversify their portfolios will find there is still plenty of value to be had in London, although some may consider the capital more of a long-term investment in the current climate.
While Brexit is fuelling much uncertainty about the future role of the city as a global economic and financial centre, most judges would anticipate that it will reassert itself before too long, not least as Britain adjusts to new realities and pursues new opportunities outside the European Union.
Even so, many property investors, not least in the residential sector, may observe that with the London market going through something of a correction due to its highly inflated housing prices, now could be a good time to diversify the portfolio and add something to it from outside the M25.
According to a new study by Compare the Market, a number of locations stand out as offering excellent value, both in terms of price and prospects for future increases in value.
It revealed the easiest place to acquire a property was Canterbury in Kent, where average prices stand at £311,154 and properties are typically snapped up 28 days after going on the market. While there are only 261.7 properties per 100,000 people, the tally of 219 estate agencies is unusually large for a town that size.
Bristol comes second on the list with prices almost identical to Canterbury's. As the second largest city in the south of England, it may offer a popular prospect for those who want to stay within the M4 corridor. Southampton was listed third and provides another south-eastern alternative.
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