UK Property

By ANNE ASHWORTH Updated: 05:45 EDT, 15 June 2025

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Britain’s National Crime Agency has frozen more than 300 UK properties worth about £185mn linked to Bangladesh’s former land minister, as the south Asian country seeks to recover billions of dollars allegedly siphoned off by the deposed regime of Sheikh Hasina.The NCA said on Thursday that it had frozen 342 properties with a combined purchase price of roughly £185mn after it was granted orders by the High Court in London on June...

The UK economy shrunk by 0.3 per cent in April, latest data from the ONS shows. It was the biggest drop in GDP since October 2023 and follows growth of 0.2 per cent in March. The largest contributor to the fall was a drop in monthly services output of 0.4 per cent. This was mainly driven by a 10 per cent drop in legal activities, linked to a drop in property services and therefore use of conveyancing solicitors. Nicholas Hyett, investment manager at Wealth Club said: “The UK economy is...

A property expert has revealed her top tips for homeowners looking to sell their homes this summer.Liv Conlon, 26, originally from Glasgow, runs an award-winning property staging business that furnishes over 400 homes a year to make them more appealing to potential buyers, as well as StagerBoss - a coaching business that teaches other women how to do the same.This summer, experts are predicting a summertime boom with increased interest from potential buyers, Liv explained, adding that property prices are also expected to rise.However, she added, 'This doesn't mean your...

12 June 2025, 12:26 Officers were at the address in Oak Avenue to carry out investigations. Picture: Google A decommissioned mortar and "potentially hazardous" chemicals have been found at the scene of a fire where a man died. The man in his 80s was airlifted out of the blaze, but died in hospital following the blaze at a property in Sandhurst, Berkshire, on Friday afternoon.The cause of death is currently unclear, and police are currently investigating it as ‘unexplained’, but not suspicious.Police said a decommissioned mortar was found at the...

The Bank of England cut interest rates in May to 4.25% from 4.5% in the second rate reduction of the year. The cut was widely expected as a cautious response to continued global trade tensions and the potential for an increase in inflation. The Bank’s next interest rate announcement is scheduled for 19 June. What’s happening with inflation? The most recent inflation figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the rate at which prices are rising (as measured by the Consumer Prices Index or CPI) stood at...

Two U.S. private equity firms look set to icrease their exposure to UK real estate. U.S. private equity houses have moved closer to making two major UK real estate acquisitions as KKR and Blackstone line up accepted bids for Assura and Warehouse REIT, respectively. The moves highlight increasing activity among private equity players in the UK and Europe as they hoover up multiple listed companies. KKR has won a takeover battle for NHS landlord Assura after raising its bid to £1.7B. Assura confirmed that it had reached an agreement on...

A week after India announced its trade deal with the UK amid tariff threats from US President Donald Trump, the European Union and India have made significant progress in their trade talks between May 12 and May 17, closing as many as five chapters including the challenging area of intellectual property rights (IPR), a status report released Tuesday by the EU said.The conclusion of the UK deal is an “important factor” in Delhi’s trade negotiations with Brussels, a government official told The Indian Express, since UK’s exit from the EU...

Sara Haigh has a crumbly old property crammed full of nasty surprises such as bottles filled with urine into a beautiful holiday home close to the seafront in PlymouthSara Haigh bought the rundown home and decided to spruce it up(Image: Supplied)A pensioner poured £100,000 and three years of her life into turning Britain’s ‘most disgusting home’ into a coastal paradise.Sara Haigh, 65, bought the garbage-filled hoarder’s house in Plymouth, Devon on a whim after being given just 15 minutes to view it before it went to auction in 2021. A...

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldEvery homebuyer finds in time that property ownership is a chore as well as a pleasure. Investors in UK developers know it too. Despite hopes for action in this week’s spending review, in the form of more government support for local authorities to construct affordable housing, the industry still faces a slow build. An investment in the four FTSE 100 homebuilders — Barratt Redrow, Berkeley Group, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon —...