Tag Archives: css
Office buildings in Scotland face new energy efficiencies
Proposed new rules aimed at improving the energy efficiency of commercial properties in the UK which could have significant financial implications for owners of older buildings, have been published by the Scottish Government. The draft regulations, the Assessment of Energy Performance of Non-Domestic Buildings (Scotland), are scheduled to come into force in September this year and mean that properties must achieve a minimum energy performance level, most likely an E rating based on current Energy Performance Certificate standards. It means that commercial properties with an EPC rating of F or G may require expensive energy improvement works to meet the new minimum standard. A similar minimum energy efficiency standard is already in operation in England but the Scottish proposals differ in a number of key respects and some fear these inconsistencies will have a negative impact on the commercial property market in Scotland. Generally speaking, the Scottish regulations will apply to all commercial property with a floor area greater than 1,000 square meters. While detailed guidance on proposed exceptions is awaited, only buildings already requiring an Energy Performance Certificate are intended to comply. With few exceptions, a sale or grant of a new lease on a qualifying property will trigger the need to meet the new regulations, so the owner must provide a prospective buyer/tenant with a formal action plan detailing how the energy performance of the building can be improved to meet the statutory minimum rating, according to Liz Stewart, a partner in the commercial property team at Stronachs LLP. She explained that action plans, which bring another additional cost, can be produced by a qualified member of an approved organisation, and will assess greenhouse gas emissions and energy performance. Works needed to improve the energy performance of the property to the minimum standard must be identified in the plan which, once agreed, will be added to a statutory maintained register. If improvement works are needed, the owner has two options; to complete the upgrades within 42 months, or defer the works. In the interim, the owner must keep an accurate record of the property’s energy consumption via a Display Energy Certificate, which must be registered annually, with a view to reducing the energy consumption of the property concerned. ‘Responsibility rests with the property owner. Failure to comply can result in a penalty charge and responsibility for enforcement will lie with each local authority in Scotland. In most cases, it is hoped improvement works will reduce energy bills in the long term with the cost of upgrades recouped within five to seven years,’ said Stewart. ‘The environmental impact of older commercial properties should also be mitigated. Having said this, some older properties may require considerable improvement works to meet the minimum energy efficiency standard without any guarantee of payback. At least 40% to 50% of existing building stock pre-dates the 1940s,’ she pointed out. Detailed government guidance is anticipated in the coming months, and a number of issues including… Continue reading
Stamp duty change led to super prime sales in London falling by a third in 2015
The number of super prime £10 million plus property sales in London fell by a third in 2015 as the impact of a stamp duty increase at the end of 2014 made buyers more price sensitive. However, the latest research report from international real estate firm Knight Frank says there are indications vendors have started to factor in higher transaction costs and the annual decline was accentuated by a series of deals before the new rates came into effect in December 2014. The number of Knight Frank super prime transactions fell 16% over the same period as the stamp duty increase meant the transaction tax on a £10 million property rose to £1.1 million from £700,000, or an additional 4% of the sale price. The report points out that the 2014 reform is likely to be followed in April 2016 by a further three percentage point increase for buy to let properties and second homes. However, according to the report the resulting slowdown in activity, there are signs the market has begun to absorb the 2014 changes and asking prices that increasingly reflect the more subdued state of demand have ended the stand-off between buyers and sellers. The report suggests that to some extent buyers and sellers have become tired of the inaction and as asking prices become more realistic, buyers have seen the market is flat rather than falling off a cliff and are therefore encouraged to act. But the overriding mood is one of caution and annual price growth in the super prime market remains subdued, standing at 0.5% in December after a marked slowdown in recent years. However, it is suggested that the safe haven appeal of prime central London property continued to support demand in a year marked by economic volatility centred on events in China and geopolitical concerns around the world. There were mixed fortunes for London’s different prime central London markets in 2015. Kensington and Mayfair continued their upwards trajectory in 2015 and both areas grew their super prime market share and Kensington was the largest super prime market in 2015. The report also points out that the high quality of London’s super prime pipeline is evident in the growing share of new build deals done above £10 million, which has gone from a fifth in 2012 to over a third in 2015. Continue reading
Average UK rents up 1.2% in January compared to the same month in 2015
Average rents in the UK rose 1.2% to £906 a month in January compared to the same month in 2015, the slowest increase in three years, the latest rental index shows. But average rents are some 12% above their pre-recession peak, reaching the highest level on record, according to the data from the Countrywide monthly lettings index. The data also shows that London has seen the largest growth in rents anywhere in the country since 2007, with rents 34% higher than their pre-recession record. Between 2007 and 2016 the average Londoner has seen their rent rise from £966 to £1,295 a month. However, despite rising rents, over the past nine years the majority of the country has experienced rents growing steadily in line with incomes. Average income has increased by 12% since 2007 according to the ONS compared to a 12% increase in average rents. But there is a classic North/South divide. In the North West, North East and Wales the average tenant is still paying less than they were in 2007 by £12 a month. Across the UK as a whole, one in five tenants is still paying less rent than they were in 2007. In London rents have grown well beyond incomes. Incomes have only increased by 10% since 2007 in London whilst rents have grown by 34% fuelled by a lack of supply and high demand. As a result tenants have had to either share, downsize or move further from the centre in order to accommodate this rise, the report suggests. It also points out that at current rates of rental growth the three regions where rents remain below their previous peak will see average rents surpass 2007 levels by the middle of 2016. In these regions landlords have increasingly looked to renegotiate with long term tenants, some of whom have enjoyed years without any increase in their rent. This January more landlords were able to increase the rent for tenants who renewed their contract in the North East, North West and Wales than at any time since 2012. In 2007 the average monthly rent for a home in the UK peaked at £809 before the recession hit. Between the end of 2007 and 2008 the average cost of renting a newly let home fell 11%, equating to a fall in the average monthly rent of £87. This brought the cost of renting the average home down to £720. It wasn’t until the start of 2010 that rents started rising again. ‘Nationally rents in January rose at the slowest rate since 2012, as some of the upward pressure on prices subsided and affordability limited further rises. Across most of London and the South East the slowdown in rental growth is the first since 2010, where rents have been growing for the past six years,’ said Johnny Morris, research director at Countrywide . ‘The most sustainable way of creating a more affordable rental market in London and the South… Continue reading
