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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

The RICS Lettings Survey published in February showed that tenant demand rose at the fastest pace for nine years. This acceleration was down to a strong economy, buoyant employment conditions and sustained migration from EU accession countries. Demand rose for both flats and houses, with surveyors reporting a rise in demand for houses, up from 22% in October - the highest figure in the survey’s history. New landlord instructions (an indicator of buy-to-let activity) showed a modest upturn. Higher invest

Following the recent release of the Report for Social Housing commissioned by the Government, it has been reported that people on lower incomes are in a better situation in Council or housing association accommodation than if they were in private landlord accommodation. Landlords have a duty to supply adequate and decent accommodation, so how do you ensure that you are a good landlord? Firstly, before even buying a property check that repairs and fixes will be easy to access. Before your tenant moves

In February, Julian Sedgwick, Director for New Homes at Chesterton Global commented that his company had: “started 2007 with a bang with most developments across London and the UK achieving over the asking price and units being sold on the day of the launch. As less stock comes to the residential market, increasing numbers of people are purchasing new builds and paying market prices. Growth for the year to date is strong and we have seen some record price increases and prices per sq ft achieved over the c

BREAKING NEWS Only 9 days to go before new deposit protection laws… ARLA, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, is backing efforts to ensure landlords understand their new legal obligations over deposits and is taking steps to ensure that the Tenancy Deposit Scheme works efficiently for them. To support letting agents who are members of ARLA, the Association has produced its own leaflet in a bid to help them educate client landlords and tenants about their obligations and rights under the

Last summer, I was writing that it had never been easier to buy your freehold or extend your lease. There was only one cloud on the horizon. If the government brought in the regulations attached to the 2002 Act, which include the right of participants to dip in and out of the process, enfranchisement would become problematic again. But it was a small cloud – the regulations have been in administrative limbo for four years now, and the hope is the government has abandoned them. Generally leaseholders were