Category Archives: Uncategorized

Major plans to redevelop the site of a former Essex Marks and Spencer building have been given the green light. The store in Colchester High Street has been shut since 2022 when the huge retailer decided to depart the city centre and move to Stane Retail Park on the outskirts. The store has entrances onContinue reading “Former Marks and Spencer shop on Colchester High Street to be transformed into new venues”

Around a fifth of estate agents have seen a drop in buyer activity and almost a third claim sellers have gone quiet since the General Election was called, but it is business as usual for most. A a survey of 846 estate agents, commissioned by GetAgent, found that since the election date was announced, 58%Continue reading “Is the Election slowing the market?”

A healthy, vibrant housing market is an essential part to the UK’s economic, social and environmental well-being. It is unsurprising then that political parties have chosen to invest significant political resources and messaging into housing, and this is exactly what is being seen in the run-up to the 2024 General Election. As parties release theirContinue reading “The General Election 2024”

In September Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that landlords will no longer be required to meet the minimum EPC minimum energy rating of C by 2025 (for all new tenancies) and 2028 (for existing tenancies) Despite a consultation starting back in 2020, the proposed legislation hadn’t progressed through Parliament But it is important to realiseContinue reading “Tougher EPCs have only gone for now – expect their return soon”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised more time for households to make the transition to heat pumps under plans to decarbonise the country’s homes. The target was for no gas boilers to be installed in new homes by 2025, and for the phasing out of boilers altogether to begin in 2033. But speaking this afternoonContinue reading “Prime Minister confirms U-turns on boiler replacement and EPC rules”

The Bank of England has increased interest rates by 0.5% to 5% as it continues to battle high inflation. It was the 13th consecutive meeting at which the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has hiked the official cost of borrowing, with the Bank Rate now standing at a new 15-year high. The latest increase adds aContinue reading “Interest Rates Go Up..”

Troubled online estate agent Purplebricks has agreed a deal to sell its business and assets to rival Strike, for the token sum of £1. Purplebricks’ aim was to create a lower-cost, more flexible estate agent by charging house sellers a flat rate. But the UK firm, which was once valued at more than $1bn (£800m),Continue reading “Cheap isn’t always best – Just Ask Purple Bricks”

First-time buyers are helping to drive the housing market recovery as it struggles to bounce back, new figures from Zoopla show. Rocketing rental costs are forcing many tenants to look seriously at buying a property, the portal says. The worst of the recent house price falls are over, as demand continues to recover and supplyContinue reading “First-time buyers ‘driving housing market recovery’ – Zoopla”

Research by Knight Frank estimates it will cost landlords in England nearly £18 billion to ensure their properties reach a C rating. Landlords are facing an enormous bill to meet the Government’s deadline to achieve its EPC target. The total cost for landlords in England will be £17.9 billion, according to researchers at Knight Frank. TheContinue reading “Landlords ‘face huge bill’ to meet EPC target claim agency”

Punch-drunk from the mini-Budget, economists fear the property market is staggering into another crash Across Britain, homes are getting listed at prices far below what they would have sold for during the pandemic as homeowners, buy-to-let investors and first-time buyers alike creak under the strain of high mortgage rates and the cost of living crisis.Continue reading “Britain’s property market faces a reckoning – the house price plunge is only beginning”