“I will fight for every vote” Last Wednesday, hot on the heels of fresh inflation data, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took to a rain-soaked Downing Street podium to announce the date of the General Election – which is due to be held on 4 July. The countdown is on. The statement signals the start of […]
Monthly archives: May 2024
Residential Property Review – May 2024
Housing market latest The property market continues to find its feet after a difficult 2023, with buyers remaining cautious due to the higher cost of borrowing. Mortgage rates may not be as high as they were last summer, but they are still elevated. While most experts agree that Bank Rate will be cut this year, […]
Commercial Property Review – May 2024
Central London office market – a Q1 update Data from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) shows that the central London office market had a slightly weaker start to the year. January to March saw the lowest quarterly leasing activity since Q1 2021, with 1.5m sq. ft transacted. This is nearly a third (31%) lower than the […]
News in Review
“The sheer scale of this near three-year inflation shock has reshaped the economy” New research from the Resolution Foundation has shone a light on the impact of inflation on the UK economy. The prolonged spike in inflation has ‘left British households spending less and saving more’ as elevated prices have affected spending behaviour, living standards […]
Buy-to-let landlords growing portfolios
New research1 indicates that more than half (52%) of buy-to-let (BTL) landlords have been actively expanding their property portfolios over the past year, with 25% acquiring one property and an additional 27% acquiring multiple properties. Looking at the next twelve months, 26% intend to acquire a single property, while another 26% plan to expand their […]
IHT receipts at record levels
Figures released by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) show that IHT receipts have hit record levels while new data shows the taxman is hunting down thousands of families that have not paid the correct liability on inherited estates. Record sums In the first ten months of the 2023/24 financial year, HMRC collected £6.3bn in death […]
News in Review
‘A change in Bank Rate in June is neither ruled out nor a fait accompli” Last week, during their third meeting of the year, the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to retain Bank Rate at 5.25% by a majority of seven to two. Two members of the committee preferred to reduce […]
Home Finance – In the news
Equity release trends According to the Equity Release Council1, total annual lending reached £2.6bn in 2023, compared to a record-breaking £6.2bn in 2022, returning the market to the level of activity last seen between 2016 to 2017 (£2.1bn to £3.1bn). The total number of plans agreed last year was 26,119, a drop of 47% from […]
Planning children’s financial futures
We all want a good start in life for the children in our family. After providing for the immediate needs of younger children, thoughts turn towards the future and consideration of longer-term goals. You may want to consider investing for your child’s future to potentially build something significant which they can call on in later […]
News in Review
“Businesses are feeling increasingly confident about the economy” The recently released Lloyds Bank’s Business Barometer has revealed that during April overall business confidence was consistent at 42%. The confidence recording remains considerably higher than the Barometer’s long-term average of 28%. In the last year, only the reading in January 2024 has seen businesses reporting higher […]
