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BREAKING NEWS Commonhold Conference ‘07 News on the Block will be running a conference on commonhold at the London Stock Exchange on May 16th. The event begins at 6pm, followed by a distinguished panel of speakers from Government and the property sector, and afterwards there will be an opportunity to network over a glass of wine and canapés. We have limited places for directors of resident management companies, property developers and managers. If you wish to apply for an invitation please email your r

Linden Homes and Galliford Try have reached an agreement on terms of offers by Galliford Try, to acquire the entire issued share capital of Linden Homes for £108.5 million in cash, and will also assume Linden’s debt. The Linden Board believes the combination of housebuilding businesses of Galliford Try and Linden Homes would create a significant business. It will position Galliford Try amongst the top ten listed housebuilders in the UK. There are no current plans to close any Linden Homes regional office

Developer Hillcrest Homes has been working with leading full service carbon management organisation, the CarbonNeutral Company, to calculate the amount of CO2 that will be emitted during the construction of its Littledales Park development in Hartford. Climate change is recognised as the biggest threat faced by our society, and it is everyone’s responsibility to pay back what they take from the planet in addition to making long-term lifestyle changes. As well as looking at ways of reducing CO2 emissions,

First time buyers are now faced with higher house prices and rate rises. Higher house prices alone have added £75 to a typical first-time buyer’s monthly costs compared to last year. Interest rate increases bring this up to almost £120. More first-time buyers choose longer-term and interest-only mortgages which can cut more than £300 off monthly payments, according to the Nationwide Building Society. Their chief economist, Fionnuala Earley, said: “As interest rates have increased to their highest level

The latest development in the heart of Cardiff Bay has been snapped up by eager first-time buyers within hours of going on the market. Over 300 buyers pre-registered their interest in one of the 22 apartments on offer at the 150 year old Sealock warehouse, being developed by Loosemore Homes, sold off plan within 24 hours of launching. David Loosemore, director of Loosemore Homes stated: “Our aim for this development was to reach first-time buyers currently priced out of the property market and show them

A major scheme to regenerate an inner city area of Bristol is being drawn up by a newly-formed consortium of two well-established developers. Places for People has teamed up with Bristol-based developers PG Enterprises with the aim of transforming five acres in St Paul’s, which could attract up to £300 million of investment. The consortium wants to redevelop the area with a mixture of residential, retail and employment uses, together with community facilities designed to turn it into a vibrant part of th

In April 2007, the Tenant Deposit Scheme (TDS) will come into effect in England and Wales, overseeing deposits equating to an amount worth £1.2 billion. The TDS will provide protection to both tenants and landlords entering into assured short hold tenancy agreements by offering an independent and regulated means of dispute resolution. An area that remains peripheral to any discussions is that of the need for accurate and detailed documentation of a property and its contents. Dispute resolution will be ba

Adam Stackhouse, sales director of Chesterton, recently commented: “I can report a quite dramatic uplift in buyer activity across all price levels, with year-on-year registrations increasing by 27%. An increase in interest rates remains the only solution to ease buyer demand and, subsequently, slow down the recent hikes in value. Stock levels are now becoming so critical to buyer and agent alike that we have several cases across our network of purchasers acquiring property that is currently under a two -

One of the UK’s largest housing and regeneration groups has called on the housing sector to be more innovative in helping millions of social housing tenants onto the property ladder. Places for People, which is responsible for around 60,000 properties, said that the sector needed to cast off its one size fits all approach to housing and offer people greater choice, following the launch of the Hills review into social housing. David Cowans, of Places for People said: “Large numbers of social housing tena

Although the Bank of England decided to hold interest rates in March, increases over recent months seem not to have deterred investors in the housing market. All UK house price indices are showing upward curves, with the average home in the UK now costing £188,623. This positive growth is continuing to drive investors into expanding their buy to let portfolios. The market is driven by strong rental demand, spurred on by household break ups, growing student populations and increased immigration. Rising de

Over 80% of home buyers attach little or no importance to the energy efficiency rating of a house being offered for sale, and even the Government’s own ‘Better Regulation Commission’ has described the introduction of energy performance certificates as “ill considered”. With the introduction of HIPS due on 1 June, it is clear that home buyers can’t see the importance of an Energy Efficiency Certificate which will provide houses with a fridge/freezer style A-G rating when they are offered for sale. A surv

Greene & Co., a successful North West London estate agencies, has been named one of the ‘100 Best Small Companies to Work For’. One of only two estate agencies nationwide to receive the accreditation, Greene & Co. is the only estate agency in the UK to receive the superior 2 star status. The annual ‘100 Best Small Companies to Work For’ list is published by The Sunday Times. This year’s research canvassed the views of more than 100,000 UK employees across 434 organisations. David Pollock, Managing Direc