Tag Archives: autumn
House prices up 0.1% in the UK in November, latest growth index shows
House prices across the UK increased by 0.1% in November but softened slightly year on year with annual growth of 3.7%, down from 3.9% in October. The latest data from lender the Nationwide shows it was the weakest performance in monthly price growth since June 2015. The latest increase takes the average house price to £196,807. But Nationwide chief economist Robert Gardner pointed out that growth rates have fluctuated throughout the year. Annual growth has been in a fairly narrow range between 3% and 4% over the past six months, which he said is broadly consistent with earnings growth over the longer term. ‘While this bodes well for a sustainable increase in housing market activity in the period ahead, much will depend on whether building activity can keep pace with increasing demand. Surveyors have continued to report a dearth of properties on the market in recent months, with the number of available homes reportedly at the lowest level since the late 1970s,’ said Gardner. ‘Therefore it is positive that policymakers are focusing on the need to increase home building, with the Chancellor announcing a range of measures aimed at boosting housing supply in his Autumn Statement,’ he explained. ‘The current rate of construction activity is well below the projected rate of household formation. Only 135,000 new homes were built in England in the 12 months to September 2015, well below the 220,000 new households that are projected to form each year over the next decade,’ he added. Neal Hudson, associate director at Savills research, described the figures as showing a relatively strong end to the year. ‘Previous trends suggest that prices tend to weaken in December and so the 4.1% total growth seen in the year to date may be closer to 4% by the end of the year. These price rises are in a large part due to increased competition in the mortgage market which have led to record low mortgage rates and record high lending multiples,’ he added. According to Alex Gosling, chief executive officer of online estate agents HouseSimple, the main issue in today’s market is that demand continues to massively outstripping supply. ‘We have an immediate supply crisis in the UK and it's hard to see how home builders can build houses fast enough to free up the demand supply bottleneck,’ he said. ‘We need measures to stimulate the housing market and it can't be just about building more homes to meet demand in the future. Sellers need to be encouraged back to the market. But home owners are finding it harder to climb up the property ladder, which means people are renovating and extending rather than moving,’ he pointed out. ‘High prices remain a barrier for first time buyers but also second and third steppers and price growth is unlikely to cool in the coming months, especially with more investors expected to come to the market to buy before the new buy to let stamp duty rates come into… Continue reading
Rents in England and Wales fall 1.2% month on month
Rents across England and Wales fell in October, taking the average to £806 per month, down 1.2% from the all-time high recorded the previous month, according to the latest buy to let index. Despite this, rents are considerably higher than a year ago and in the 12 months since October 2014, average rents have risen by 4.7%. After negative CPI inflation of 0.1%, this represents real terms annual rent rises of 4.8%. The index from Your Move and Reeds Rains also shows that four out of 10 regions in England and Wales have seen local rents defy the more general monthly slowdown. In the lead, the East of England has seen rents rise by 0.7% between September and October. Following this, rents are up 0.4% on a monthly basis in the North East, up 0.3% in the neighbouring Yorkshire and Humber region, and rents in the East Midlands have seen 0.1% month on month growth. On the back of these rises, rents in the East Midlands are now at the highest level on record, at £604 per month, while Yorkshire and Humber has also witnessed a new all-time record, with rents reaching £552. By contrast, rents in the South East lead the generally downwards monthly trend, dropping by 2.5% between September and October. This is followed by the South West with a 2.1% monthly dip and by London where rents are 1.1% lower than in September. On an annual basis, London still leads the field with rents now 10.7% higher than in October last year, followed by annual rises of 8.9% in the East of England and 5.7% in the East Midlands. At the other end of the spectrum, recent falls take Welsh rents to levels 6.7% lower than a year ago. According to Adrian Gill, director of estate agents Reeds Rains and Your Move, the very peak of the lettings season has now passed which means better deals are possible for tenants looking to rent later in the autumn. ‘However, there has been no huge change in the fundamentals pushing rents higher than in previous years. Whether or not the sharpest mismatch between supply and demand lasts into October, the fact remains that the private rented sector is growing rapidly, driven by demand and new properties coming onto the rental market are letting quickly,’ he said. ‘Many tenants are earning more, and while buying a home is still an unrealistic stretch for millions, renting a home is luckily still within reach. The private rented sector is much more closely connected to what people earn than the property purchase market, which has the financial insulation of mortgage payments and interest rates. By contrast, rents are more fundamentally limited by monthly budgets and now that ceiling is being lifted, average rents are likely to continue to rise rapidly on an annual basis,’ he explained. … Continue reading
Gross mortgage lending in UK jumps 8% month on month
Gross mortgage lending in the UK reached £21.8 billion in October, some 8% higher than the previous month, according to the latest estimates from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. In addition to the month on month rise, lending rose 19% year on year, from £18.4 billion in October 2014, the highest monthly figure since gross lending reached £23.6 billion in July 2008. ‘As lending in the regulated mortgage space picked up over the summer months, the pace of recovery has improved. This looks set to continue over the closing months of the year with the factors helping support this recovery continuing to be low inflation, strong wage growth, an improving labour market and competitive mortgage deals,’ said Bob Pannell, CML chief economist. ‘As a result lending this year is likely to exceed our forecast of £209 billion, though affordability pressures will limit business volumes for first-time buyers and movers meaning that we think the market has only modest further upside potential over the short term,’ he added. According to Peter Rollings, chief executive officer of Marsh & Parsons, lending levels are at an impressive seven year high. ‘We’re yet to clear the pre-crisis July 2008 benchmark but over the summer the mortgage market has really taken it up a notch, and month on month improvements are getting more cheerful as we approach the festive season,’ he said. He pointed out that London has seen a significant boost in mortgage buyers and first time buyers since June, as domestic activity intensifies in the housing market. Mortgage buyers accounted for 65% of London property purchases in the third quarter of 2015, a significant leap from 52% the previous quarter. In addition to this 26% of all third quarter sales were to first time buyers. ‘Overall competitive mortgage rates and low inflation have paved a smoother road for buyers, and this has shifted the dynamic in the capital towards British buyers, as key tax changes still act as a speed bump to some overseas buyers and investors,’ added Rollings. John Eastgate, sales and marketing director of OneSavings Bank, pointed out that a scarcity of supply of property remains an issue in a lending market that is still driven very much be refinancing activity. ‘Wages are still growing, while deflation is bolstering incomes in real terms, supporting borrower’s finances. Negative inflation is also kicking a rate rise into the long grass, which is enabling lenders to offer historically attractive rates,’ he added. Demand is being driven by continued interest from prospective house buyers and a surge in the remortgage market, and this is being matched by the availability of finance, according to Henry Woodcock, principal mortgage consultant at IRESS. ‘Eyes are now turning towards end of year targets, fuelling interest rate competition between lenders, further stimulating borrower demand. With interest rate hikes now unlikely until the first half of 2016 at the earliest, the cost of servicing a mortgage… Continue reading
