Friday News #054 – 24th April 2020
The UK remains in lockdown with newspapers reporting that a lift of restrictions might take place from mid-May that would include the opening of small non-essential shops, nurseries and potentially schools with the rest of the country gradually resuming business as usual in stages.
In terms of UK property investment, savvy investors continue to register interest, secure properties and proceed towards purchase – taking advantage of the current climate.
Here’s what we’ve seen in the news this week:
Latest figures show surge in rental demand: Newly released figures from Zoopla have revealed that, after falling 57% in the wake of coronavirus, demand for rented properties has bounced back 30% in the two weeks to 14th April. Read More.
Coronavirus outbreak will halt 520,000 UK house sales in 2020: More than 520,000 UK home sales will be abandoned this year after the government ordered a temporary freeze on the housing market last month because of the coronavirus outbreak, research shows. Read the full article from The Guardian.
Lenders kick-start mortgage deals: Some big lenders have begun reopening their doors, making it easier to get a home loan. At the start of the coronavirus lockdown, several scrapped deals or only offered loans to those with large deposits. Read more from the BBC.
Where have been the worst-hit areas of the property market freeze so far? With the property market currently on ice due to the ongoing crisis and lockdown measures, newly released data from GetAgent has revealed which areas of the UK have been hit the worst, based on the reduction of property stock hitting the market as online listings. Read more.
