Press & media coverage

The potential introduction of a national property tax on homes above £500,000 would equate to a ‘tax on London’, says Marc von Grundherr at Benham and Reeves.

"Strong wage growth is helping to narrow the affordability gap, while improvements across the mortgage landscape are sparking greater buyer interest and encouraging many who had been sitting on the fence to finally make their move into homeownership," said Marc Von Grundherr at London estate agency Benham and Reeves.

There are also hints that talk of a landlord exodus is overdone: new research from Benham & Reeves found that there are 23.5 per cent more rental properties available now than there were when the Renters’ Rights Bill was introduced to parliament in September last year.

‘Rentvestors are still a relatively small segment of the UK property market, but it’s certainly a growing one,’ Marc von Grundherr, director at Benham and Reeves, tells Metro. ‘The trend has been driven largely by the lack of affordability in many desirable areas, alongside a greater acceptance of renting as a long-term lifestyle choice among younger generations.’

Yields are generally higher on the outskirts of London than in the inner boroughs, with buy-to-let investors enjoying an average rental yield of 4.42 per cent across the entire capital over the last five years, according to Benham and Reeves.

Commenting on the ongoing debates, Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves, said: “Matthew Pennycook has justified rejecting the majority of Lords’ amendments by suggesting that landlords would exploit any concessions to behave poorly. This narrative is both unfair and inaccurate.

Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves: “Another month of measured house price growth and the third consecutive monthly increase seen confirms what we’ve been seeing on the ground – a slow but steady market trajectory that demonstrates buyer and seller activity is building, albeit gradually.

As Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves tells Metro, AI is simply the ‘latest tool in the market’s marketing arsenal.’

Research from lettings and estate agent Benham and Reeves compared average house prices in postcode districts containing independent schools with borough-wide figures.

Marc von Grundherr, director of estate agent Benham and Reeves, said: “August’s marginal dip is no surprise, with the school holidays always proving disruptive for buyers and sellers. “However, this is nothing more than a seasonal summer slump as our plans to move take a backseat in favour of holidays and longer days spent in the sun with family and friends. Now that September has arrived it brings with it a greater degree of normality where our day to day routines are concerned and so we should see momentum return quickly, with greater consistency in both market activity and house price growth.”