Property Investor’s Factfile – August 2018 Commentary

August 21st, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

August 2018 Property Investor´s Factfile The Property Investor’s Factfile presents a range of relevant data for buy-to-let investors, traders and developers. Below are some noteworthy observations over the last month: Property Market Trends According to Halifax data, property prices accelerated at their fastest pace in the eight months to July. Values rose 1.4% month-on-month and 1.3% quarter-on-quarter. However, managing director Russell Galley called into question the sustainability of this growth, commenting that: “Despite the recent modest improvement in mortgage approvals, the latest survey data for new buyer inquiries and agreed sales suggest that approvals will remain broadly flat until the end of the year;”; Samuel Tombs, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics also pointed out that: “month-to-month changes in Halifax’s measure of house prices always should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Most other indicators of house price growth... [Read More]

Land Registry’s Digital Street

August 6th, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

2 Comments

In an age where technological capabilities are accelerating at an unprecedented pace, it’s often striking how conveyancing still remains in the dark ages. Much comes down to the fragmented and overly bureaucratic processes that govern buying and selling properties. We have one of the oldest land and property registers in the world, and simply expecting a seamless analogue to digital transition wouldn’t be realistic. Yet, in spite of the challenges, the HM Land Registry has been making notable inroads into developing a more cohesive digital platform. Over the last couple of years, the institution has been collaborating with Conveyancing Association and the Council of Licensed Conveyancers to explore how land registration can be executed more efficiently and cost-effectively. We were fortunate enough to speak with Lauren Tombs, Senior Product Manager to find out more… RS: Could you tell us a little bit about your... [Read More]

Property Investor’s Factfile – July 2018 Commentary

July 23rd, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

July 2018 Property Investor´s Factfile The Property Investor’s Factfile presents a range of relevant data for buy-to-let investors, traders and developers. Below are some noteworthy observations over the last month: Property Market Trends According to Halifax data, whilst property values rose for the second consecutive month in June, the market still remains flat in light of a relatively low level of activity. However, managing director Russell Galley commented: “We continue to see very positive factors of continuing low mortgage rates, great affordability levels and a robust labour market. The continuing shortage of properties for sale should also continue to support price growth”; Nationwide data also reported slower annual price growth – 2% in June, a drop of 0.4% relative to the previous month. Chief economist, Robert Gardner commented that over the past 12 months, there has been “little change in... [Read More]

The Future of the Private Rented Sector (PRS)

June 25th, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

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Click to the video below to listen to our conversation with David Bond, head of PRS and build to rent at PRSim. David delved into a range of topics of interest to both private and institutional landlords. It’s worth opening up the 2018 “Tenant Survey”, as David regularly refers to research of over 3,750 tenants across the UK. Some of the areas covered include: The work that PRSim does in the UK’s private rented sector; The key findings of the 2018 “Tenant Survey” (touching on the methodology, sample size and the latest data on the build to rent sector); The private rented sector’s evolution in recent years and how the 2018 survey contrasts with previous years’ research; An exploration of key life-stage groups identified in the survey – namely: ‘younger independents’, ‘flexible professionals’, ‘budgeting families’ and ‘reconciled with renting’; Some of the current stereotypes and... [Read More]

Property Investor’s Factfile – June 2018 Commentary

June 19th, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

Property Investor Facts and Figures - June 2018

June 2018 Property Investor´s Factfile The Property Investor’s Factfile presents a range of relevant data for buy-to-let investors, traders and developers. Below are some noteworthy observations over the last month: Property Market Trends After a 3.1% drop in April (the largest since September 2010), the Halifax reported 1.5% house price growth in May. On an annual basis, prices were 1.9% higher in three months leading up to May relative to the same period in 2017. Russell Galley, managing director, commented that continued labour market strength alongside falling inflation, rising wages and low interest rates were “underpinning prices”; According to the Nationwide house price index, UK houses prices fell by 0.2% in May, but grew by 2.4% year-on-year. Chief economist, Robert Gardner, commented to the FT: “Surveyors continue to report subdued levels of new buyer enquiries, while the supply of properties on the... [Read More]

Property Investor’s Factfile – May 2018 Commentary

May 22nd, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

1 Comment

May 2018 Property Investor´s Factfile The Property Investor’s Factfile presents a range of relevant data for buy-to-let investors, traders and developers. Below are some noteworthy observations over the last month: Property Market Trends The latest Halifax house price index reported that prices dropped by 3.1% in April, the largest since September 2010. Arguing that a strong jobs market will support a certain level of market buoyancy, managing director Russell Galley commented that: “housing supply, as measured by the stock of homes for sale and new instructions, is still very low”; Other data from the Halifax indicated that UK flats had grown in value by an average of 48% over the last five years (from £157,061 in Q1 2013 to £232,135 in Q1 2018). This was followed by terraced houses (41%), semi-detached houses (39%), bungalows (38%) and detached houses (27%); Sam Tombs... [Read More]

Rental Deposits Made Easy

April 30th, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

1 Comment

Particularly in larger towns and cities, landlords and build-to-let management companies are increasingly dealing with a more transient tenant-customer base, many of whom are looking for ‘service-focused’ offerings and flexible tenancy agreements. With higher churn and concerns over cash flow, the demand for solutions that streamline the tenancy management process from start to finish is evidenced by the emergence of a number of PropTech companies operating in the space. Ripe for disruption is the tenancy deposit collection process. For many, paying what can be a substantial sum of money to secure rental accommodation is a major burden – particularly in London and the South East. At the same time, landlords simply want to ensure that they take on trustworthy tenants without having to spend a considerable amount of time and effort ensuring the correct boxes are ticked. In response, a number of insurance firms... [Read More]

Property Investor’s Factfile – April 2018 Commentary

April 18th, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

Property Investor - Buy-to-Let - Facts and Stats - April 2018

April 2018 Property Investor´s Factfile The Property Investor’s Factfile presents a range of relevant data from national / London house prices, the latest buy-to-let Limited Company (SPV) loan rates, LIBOR / SWAP rates and rentals to mortgage debt figures and information on the first-time buyer sector. Below are some noteworthy observations over the last month: Property Market Trends Data published by the Halifax reported strong annual price inflation in the East Midlands and East Anglia, at 7.3% and 7.2% respectively, followed by Scotland at 6.7% and Yorkshire and the Humber at 6.1%. However, with prices in London seeing their sharpest annual fall since 2011, Paul Smith, economics director at IHS Markit (that collated the data) commented: “The subdued performance of the UK housing market, especially in the south of England, seems to reflect a general lack of appetite amongst households at present... [Read More]

Section 24 “Landlord Tax” – Expert Insights on Phase 2

April 12th, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

10 Comments

With the second phase of Section 24 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2015 now in motion, the buy-to-let sector is bracing itself for yet another shock to the system. First in line for punishment are the heavily geared sole-trader landlords operating within higher or additional taxpaying thresholds. Then there are those unwittingly being pushed into the high tax bracket due to their inability to deduct a further 25% of mortgage interest costs. Although the 20% mortgage cost credit may attenuate some of the damage, these situations are likely to worsen in the coming years as the Section 24 screws are tightened. With the Chancellor’s priorities clearly elsewhere, most of the sector has now come to terms with the fact that any chances of top-down reform are slim – at least for the foreseeable future. As a result, over the... [Read More]

Property Investor’s Factfile – March 2018 Commentary

March 19th, 2018 by Ruban Selvanayagam

March 2018 Property Investor´s Factfile The Property Investor’s Factfile presents a range of relevant data from national / London house prices, the latest buy-to-let Limited Company (SPV) loan rates, LIBOR / SWAP rates and rentals to mortgage debt figures and information on the first-time buyer sector. Below are some noteworthy observations over the last month: Property Market Trends According to the Halifax, property prices are rising at their slowest rate since 2013 – growing by 1.8% in the three months to February. Managing director Russell Galley, nonetheless, responded with some relatively positive feedback on the data: “While we expect price growth to remain low, the low mortgage rate environment, combined with an ongoing shortage of properties for sale, should continue to support house prices over the coming months”; Nationwide data reported that house prices fell 0.3% between January and February (after rising... [Read More]