House prices have been rocketing since the start of the
pandemic, as people have sought more space, saved more money and taken
advantage of tax breaks on buying a home.
Households have been unable to spend as much money as usual, allowing those
that have still been in work to save up for a deposit.
After the property market was temporarily paused in March last year, activity
surged, with record sales.
The average sale price of a home in England jumped 10.2 per cent in a year from
the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Now the UK residential property market’s first £100 billion summer is on the
horizon.
A forecast, by consultancy UK Residential Research, which takes the current
trajectory of the housing market and applies it to the rest of summer months,
estimates that there will be 420,000 sales in the UK across June, July and
August at a total spend of a record £107bn.
This will make this summer the highest grossing quarter in UK residential market
history, and is in stark contrast to previous years. Throughout the past half
decade, total spend from buyers during the summer months has averaged £69 billion-per-year,
a figure that comprised a little over 300,000 sales.
Speaking on the forecast, Nick Whitten, head of UK living research, said: “It
is well-documented that the summer is the best time to sell a home, with
sentiment receiving a natural positive boost from the warmer weather. However,
our data suggests that this post-lockdown summer will set a new record.
Nearly half of adults have not had the “difficult conversation” about finances on death
Almost half of Brits who have a parent, guardian or partner have not had the “difficult conversation” about finances on death, a major study has revealed.
General Export Facility supports hundreds of businesses with export finance throughout pandemic
An innovative new export finance scheme has helped support more than 100,000 jobs throughout the pandemic, new figures have revealed.
Employers step up with boost to low pay
There has been some good news for workers at the bottom end of the pay scale, according to a new survey.
Commercial property eviction ban extension sparks dismay
A ban on landlords
evicting firms for unpaid commercial rent is being extended for another nine
months, sparking dismay from senior property industry figures, with one
describing it as ‘crazy.’
The ban, which stops landlords taking tenants to court for non-payment, was due
to end on 30 June.
Treasury Secretary Stephen Barclay said the delay in easing lockdown
restrictions, had presented additional challenges to business.
It is estimated that firms in retail and hospitality are £5bn in rent debt.