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The easing of lockdown helped Britain’s construction sector to expand at a near record pace last month, an industry survey suggests. IHS Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the sector came in at 61.6 in April, down slightly from 61.7 in March but still considerably above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction. “The UK construction sector is experiencing its strongest growth phase for six and a half years, with the recovery now evenly balanced across the house building, commercial and civil engineering categories,” Tim Moore, economics director at IHS Markit, said. New orders rose at their fastest pace since September 2014 as the end of lockdown spurred contract awards on previously delayed commercial development projects. |
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Daily Mail (07/05/2021) Evening Standard (07/05/2021) The Guardian (07/05/2021) The Times (07/05/2021) |
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UK house prices rose by 7.1% compared with a year ago, Nationwide has said, prompting one analyst to suggest the market is "on the boil". The building society said the average property price had risen by £15,916 in the last year, to reach £238,831. Nationwide said increased savings during lockdown meant some first-time buyers would be better placed to afford a home. The lender also forecast that annual house price growth will reach double digits by this summer, if prices hold steady over the next couple of months. |
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Buyers face an average premium of £63,000 to live in a newly built home. The property analysts TwentyCi found that people will pay an average of £316,000 for a new property compared to £253,000 for an equivalent resale property, a premium of about 25%. Paula Higgins, chief executive of the Homeowners Alliance, warned that a new house depreciated "the minute you turn the key in the door. Even in a rising property market you may not get your money back if you have to sell within a year or two." |
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A mortgage warning has been issued over the Government's latest scheme to get people on the housing market. The 95% mortgage scheme was launched last week and has been widely welcomed. However, there is hesitancy as to the effectiveness of the scheme and who it benefits. “I really think it is going to take a lot of time before the majority of people can benefit from the process.”," said Matt Coulson, Director at Heron Financial. However, while the scheme has been dubbed as a political message, Mr Coulson urged people not to reject the scheme outright if it could be suitable for them. Meanwhile, Richard Hayes, CEO at Mojo Mortgages considered the potential long-term future of the scheme. He said: “Government backing is due to end in December 2022, but you'd hope it'll leave behind a mortgage market confident in 95% again. The signs are good, with some lenders who don't have the Government-backed deals, like Accord, already doing it. |
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Mortgage lenders are taking heed of environmental concerns with 26 "green mortgages" now available to borrowers. The deals promise lower mortgage rates to those whose homes have good energy efficiency ratings - typically a band A or B on the property's energy performance certificate. Until18 months ago there were no mortgages that offered discount rates for reducing a property's carbon footprint. Now, deals are from as little as 1.13% fixed over two years from NatWest for those with 40% equity in their home. That compares to the cheapest ordinary two-year fixed rate at the same loan-to-value, which is 1.24% t available from First Direct. Some lenders provide extra incentives, too, with Foundation Home Loans offering borrowers £750 cashback. Landlords are also eligible for the cheaper deals if they can show their properties have improved energy efficiency. Jeni Browne, director of Mortgages For Business, a broker specialising in buy-to-let, says: "At 14% of the UK's total emissions, housing has a greater carbon footprint than the farming industry and nearly as much as our shops and offices. We need a mass retrofitting programme on existing, inefficient properties in the private rented sector." |
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Property owners are more likely than renters to have been vaccinated, official breakdown of uptake figures in the over-50s has shown. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the probability of someone accepting the jab is significantly linked to ethnicity, religion, language skills, job level and housing situation. It found that the vaccination rate among homeowners is 93.7%, but falls just 84.2% for those who rent privately. It was slightly higher for people renting social housing, at 86.6%. |