Osborne Said To Be Considering Tax For Foreign Property-Buyers

This article by Amanda Banks of Tax-News Global Tax News on November 5th, 2013 reveals George Osborne has declined to reports confirming that the govt. is considering moves to foreign investors.

UK Chancellor George Osborne has declined to confirm reports that the Government is considering moves to make foreign investors pay Capital Gains Tax on property sales in Britain, as a measure to calm property prices in London.

Asked by the BBC, Osborne said that he would not comment ahead of next month's Autumn Statement, but that the reports were "not a leak that's come from anyone near me."

Currently, foreign investors are exempt from paying the tax, which is imposed on UK residents who sell a property that is not their main residence. The exemption has been described as an "extraordinary anomaly" by Vince Cable, who is the Government's Business Secretary and a member of the Coalition Government's junior partner, the Liberal Democrats.

Lucian Cook, who is Director of Residential Research at estate agency Savills, judged that move would be a "much more targeted and much less controversial solution" to property prices than a proposed Mansion Tax on the most valuable properties. However, the British Property Federation (BPF) reacted by warning that reports about the tax would cause uncertainty, and it has instead called for more homes to be built.

Estate Agency Frank Knight was quoted as saying that around 70 percent of the most expensive new London properties have gone to foreign investors, and that 65 percent of these buyers were buying properties for renting out rather than to live in. Property prices in London rose by 9 percent in August, against a national average of 2 percent.

Overseas purchasers are also thought to be responsible for house prices rises in Hong Kong, Sydney, and Vancouver. Last year, Hong Kong introduced a 15 percent stamp duty surcharge on purchases by buyers who are not permanent residents, while a senior banker in Australia recently made news by suggesting a 5 percent stamp duty surcharge for foreign buyers.

Article Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/Osborne_Said_To_Be_Considering_Tax_For_Foreign_PropertyBuyers____62574.html 

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Cranes point to upturn in city's property market

According to this article by Manchester Evening News on October 16th, 2013 Manchester now leads the property market and is soaring ahead of its regional rivals

Research by Deloitte Real Estate shows that 19 major new developments are underway in the city centre – compared to 13 in Birmingham and eight in Leeds.

Eight new residential developments, three new hotel developments, two student housing schemes and one new office development have contributed to Manchester’s growth, according to the Deloitte Crane Survey.

The new residential developments are around Salford, Ancoats and the Northern Quarter and between them add up to 963 new homes, the highest number under development in the central Manchester area since 2009.

The two new student housing schemes will add 1,246 new bedrooms.
Hotel development is already gathering speed – and expected to be one of the fastest growth areas in 2014, say the authors of the Crane Survey.


They report that 633 new hotel bedrooms are under construction. Four further hotel developments could add another 830 beds, with two of the projects likely to start on site imminently.

The office market is also improving, says Deloitte. The company says that 324,500 sq ft of new office space is under construction, half of which is already let to occupiers. Deloitte warns that the supply of new office space will soon run short.

The total under construction is well below the 480,000 sq ft averaged over the last ten years and so far no new developments are planned to complete construction work in 2015 or 2016.

Meanwhile, demand for office space is rising, with total take-up of all grades of city centre office space up 49 per cent in the first half of 2013.

Last year, they recorded just five developments for Manchester across all sectors.
The Deloitte report comes as other economic data points to an upswing in the fortunes of the city’s economy.

Earlier this week, the latest Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking North West PMI index revealed that levels of new business across the north west expanded for the eighth consecutive month in September.

Article Source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/research-deloitte-real-estate-shows-6192874

UK House Rrices Recorded Their Fastest Rise

This recent news article by Reuters on September 10th, 2013 reveals the fastest rise of house prices ever recorded in almost seven years and sales volumes also jumped to a multi-year high.

(Reuters) - British house prices recorded their fastest rise in almost seven years last month and a measure of sales volumes also jumped to a multi-year high, a survey showed on Tuesday.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' seasonally adjusted house price balance climbed to +40 from a slightly upwardly revised +37 in July, staying at its highest since November 2006.

The balance reflects the percentage of property professionals saying that prices rose minus those reporting falls.

Britain's housing market has shown signs of a revival this year, spurred by a healing economy and help from the government and the Bank of England to ease access to finance. But the scale of the recovery has raised concerns about a new property bubble.

The RICS survey found that a net balance of +45 of surveyors expect further price growth over the next three months. Over the coming year, house prices are forecast to rise by 2.2 percent.

"Momentum is increasingly broad-based across the country; this isn't just a London story," RICS said.

The average number of sold properties per surveyor rose to 17.9 over the last three months, the highest since January 2010.

The number of properties going on sale also increased markedly in August, with the relevant balance jumping to +26 from 16 in July.

"With positivity starting to return to areas right across the UK, it seems those who may have been waiting for the right time to sell are choosing now to do so," RICS said.

(Reporting by Olesya Dmitracova; editing by Ron Askew)

Article Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/09/uk-house-prices-rise-further-sales-jump-idUKBRE98817R20130909

New Loan Scheme Aims to Bring Empty Homes Back Into Use

This engaging article by The Independent on September 2nd, 2013 reveals a new loan scheme that intends to assist the country's housing shortage by giving affordable loans to owners of empty properties.

A new scheme hopes to help solve the country’s housing shortage by handing cheap loans to owners of Britain’s 710,000 empty properties.

The cash – up to £15,000 per property – will be offered to help with renovations through a new Government-backed £3m National Homes Empty Loan Fund, which has been set up following last year’s Great British Property Scandal campaign by architect George Clarke.

It will be administered by green lender the Ecology building society in conjunction with the Empty Homes charity and 39 local authorities.

David Ireland, chief executive of Empty Homes, said: “Many homes are empty because it is difficult for owners to raise the money needed to bring them back up to a habitable standard. The scheme will kick-start efforts to tackle this.”

The loans will be charged at a fixed 5 per cent and are available to those who own a property that has been empty for six months or more.

Ecology chief Paul Ellis said: “At a time when there is increasing demand for homes but an acute lack of supply, it makes sense to bring new life to existing but neglected properties.”

Article Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/property/new-loan-scheme-aims-to-bring-empty-homes-back-into-use-8794322.html

Best Places to Live Around the UK: Manchester

This very interesting article of WhatHouse? on August 21, 2013 simply tours you around Manchester and why it is one of the ideal places to live around UK.

Famed for its vibrant individual culture, Manchester brings together a love of football, an eclectic clubbing scene and a rich arts and culture scene established from the city's industrial heritage. One of the most popular places to live and work outside London, Manchester is a melting pot of ethnicities and cultures.

With several universities, an accepted gay scene, a compact and easily accessible city centre, unbeatable shopping and leafy close by suburbs, the diverse mix of attractions and activities on offer is undeniable.

Making life easier for its inhabitants, public transport is available in abundance. An impressive bus, tram and railway network connects the city centre with the extensive Greater Manchester area. Conveniently accessible to London, Scotland and the network of nearby northern cities, Manchester is ideally placed to touch base beyond the city limits.
Becoming increasingly popular as a location for business investment, the BBC is among the big names attracted by the benefits of Greater Manchester.

Something Manchester can't shake off are its associations with some very wet weather. Living in Manchester may require an investment in a heavy duty umbrella!

Arts and culture

What the city may be lacking in identifiable landmarks, Manchester more than compensates for with the large number of cultural attractions to choose from. The Museum of Science, Imperial War Museum, The Manchester Art Gallery all provide something different. If visiting neighbouring city Salford, The Lowry Theatre overlooking the canal is worth visiting.

Entertainment

Manchester has long been known for its bustling music scene which continues to be a strong influence. From arenas to quirky pubs filled with character in the interesting Northern Quarter, there is always something of interest for all tastes of music. The Northern Quarter is also the place to be for those looking for a more alternative shopping, eating and drinking experience.

For those who like to indulge in some retail therapy, Manchester is hard to beat. Designer department store Selfridges, often voted as the "World's Best Department Store", has a base in the city and in the extensive out of town shopping mall, The Trafford Centre. Traditional high street stores can be found at the Arndale with high-end boutiques surrounding the modern business hub of Spinningfields.

Sport and Manchester come hand in hand. The city's two hugely successful football teams host a wealth of world-class football games. Following the Commonwealth Games in 2002, Manchester received a huge boost in terms of its sporting facilities, world-class for their time.

Also worth a visit are the bars and restaurants of Deansgate. With its flowing overlooking canals the vibrant area is the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon.

Escaping city life

Living in Manchester doesn't always have to be about city life. Suburbs in Greater Manchester provide a good balance between city and rural living, well served by local amenities and established schools.

The beautiful and scenic areas of the Peak and Lake Districts can be accessed in under one and two hours respectively. Both offering National Parks, there is unrivalled natural beauty to enjoy by boot, boat or bike.

Looking for a getaway further afield? Manchester's International Airport is the largest outside of London offering access to attractive and exotic locations worldwide.
In spite of the city's increasing popularity, one of the key benefits of Manchester how cost-effective it is for its size and amenities on offer, especially when compared to life in the capital. From housing, to leisure activities and entertainment, Manchester is guaranteed to give you more for your money.

What is your favourite thing about life in Manchester?

Article Source: http://www.whathouse.co.uk/news/best-places-to-live-manchester-160?page=1#.Uhrp0z_tYh8

Record Numbers Plan to Fund Retirement by Selling Property

According to this article by Patrick Collinson on August 13th, 2013 of The Guardian nearly five million homeowners say they will sell or rent their main property, as annuity rates slump to new low.

Record numbers of people are planning to sell their main home to fund their retirement, according to research published on Tuesday, which comes amid claims that pensioners will have to live to 90 to make annuities "good value".

The research, by Baring Asset Management, found that 13% of people (nearly 5 million) say they are planning to rent or sell property to fund their retirement, up from 11% last year.

But there were big regional variations, with people in the south west four times more likely to have property to sell their primary residence in retirement compared to people in Scotland and the West Midlands.

Faith in property as an investment for retirement mirrors the decline in confidence about annuities. An annuity is the annual income that savers buy from their pension pot, but rates have collapsed over the past decade, and moved to new lows as quantitative easing and Funding for Lending has depressed interest rates.

Ros Altmann, a former pensions adviser to Tony Blair, told the Daily Mail that annuities are now "the biggest gamble" of pensioners' lives, and that they will have to live to 82 to get their money back, and 90 before they become "good value".

She said: "Buying an annuity is considered the 'safe' thing to do when reaching retirement. This is misguided. The 'safety' only refers to the fact that the amount of income will be set for the rest of your life.

"But the capital itself is at risk. Most people will receive a very poor return on their money – and many will not get their money returned to them at all."

Many people have turned to buy-to-let as an alternative to traditional pension plans, as the investment does not have to be turned into an annuity – and have enjoyed much better returns than equities or bonds.

The Office for National Statistics reported on Tuesday that house prices rose 0.4% month-on-month in June, as they had done in May, which pushed the annual rate of increase up to 3.1% from 2.9%. This is being inflated by strong price rises in London (up 8.1% year-on-year in June).

The figures come hard on the heels of a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, which indicated that Help to Buy and other schemes are fuelling a rapid recovery in prices.

Economist Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight said: "It is looking ever more likely that house prices will see marked increases over the rest of 2013 and during 2014, with the result that we have raised our house price forecasts. We now expect house prices to rise by at least 3% over the rest of 2013 and to then increase by 7% in 2014."

Article Source:  http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/aug/13/record-numbers-retirement-selling-property