HMOs outperforming all other types of rental property The latest report from Mortgages for Businesses has revealed that although Vanilla BTL and HMO property offer fairly consistent yields, for the more experienced investor, HMOs are outperforming all other types of rental property averaging just below 10% since 2011. Buy to
With the recent declarations of the Bank of England to freeze the amounts of interest rates that it normally gives out, it is always useful to seek out advice from someone who knows what they are talking about when referring to how this will affect the different property and construction
Mister Struan Robertson has been honored with being selected by GSA to become the newest person to be added to their executive Group Board and will equally be acting as the new Chairman of the company’s Investment Committee. GSA, which specializes in the building of residences for students all over
Safran Nacelles, a technology-driven conglomerate with high-profile focuses as varied and exciting as those of defense, security services and even aerospace technology, has started the second month of the new year well by investing in personnel by putting more than 100 of them forward for the Composites Assured Practitioner Scheme
A recent report and release of statistics by online conglomerate eMoov has indicated a staggering discrepancy between the amounts of pay earned by top estate agencies in the United Kingdom compared to other workers, including those in the building and construction trades. The study calculated that some high-profile estate agencies
Northumberland College has launched a new Apprenticeship Academy and welcomed its 1,000th Apprentice. Northumberland College has recently launched its new Apprenticeship Academy that will focus on meeting the needs of Apprentices and their employers. This new Academy sees Apprenticeship Support Officers and Assessors for all subjects working more closely together.
Boon Edam, a global market leader in entry solutions has unveiled a quality, engineered solution technology for a brand new, state of the art building in St Pancras; now home to The Francis Crick Institute. The biomedical discovery organisation, required an entry solution to seamlessly integrate with its new building’s
Despite headwinds in the global economy, internationalisation will continue to drive the growth of companies in the engineering consultancy sector as infrastructure demand remains strong globally. Meinhardt Group, a leading global engineering, planning and management firm, is working closely with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the government agency partnering Singapore companies
Hammersmith & Fulham Council have unanimously approved planning permission for Chelsea to redevelop Stamford Bridge. The proposed rebuild to increase capacity to 60,000 was presented in model form at a hearing at Hammersmith Town Hall on Wednesday. The council had already initially recommended that the application be approved and, after a three-hour
One of the leading development businesses in the building world in Britain that seeks to build more and more residences for people around the country, SSM Holding AB, has recently won a competition that will enable it to oversee the work on a grand total of 270 brand new residential
HMOs outperforming all other types of rental property The latest report from Mortgages for Businesses has revealed that although Vanilla BTL and HMO property offer fairly consistent yields, for the more experienced investor, HMOs are outperforming all other types of rental property averaging just below 10% since 2011. Buy to let product numbers grew more slowly in the second quarter of 2016 compared to Q1. Products increased by an average of just 75 in Q2 compared to an increase of 142 in Q1. Much of the rise in Q2 was due to lenders creating separate offerings with differing stress test calculations for personal and limited company borrowers. The trend for remortgaging continued whereas purchase activity fell back to pre-Q1 levels when investors surged to get purchases completed ahead of the introduction of the SDLT surcharge. The average loan to value of HMOs increased from just 62% in Q1 to 75% in Q2 suggesting that investors are keen to stretch borrowing on this asset class due to the consistently high returns on offer. However, looking at the data over the last five years, LTVs on HMOs have remained fairly steady, averaging 69%. LTVs on vanilla BTL property have also remained steady, averaging 67% since the index began in 2011. LTVs for multi-units and semi-commercial property have travelled a more uneven path and, as might be expected with these more commercially underwritten properties, average LTVs are lower. The average LTV of a multi-unit stood at just 56% in Q2 compared to an average of 64% over the last five years. Average LTVs for semi-commercial property was 60% in Q2 2016 – the same as the five-year average. David Whittaker, managing director of Mortgages for Business said: “We now have five years’ worth of data against which investors can benchmark their portfolios. Both Vanilla BTL and HMO property offer fairly consistent yields. For the more cautious investor and for those who like a mix of risk within their portfolio, 6.1% average yield on a standard BTL still represents a good return. And for the more experienced investor, HMOs certainly perform better than all other types of rental property averaging just below 10% since 2011.” Average yields on multi-units grew to a very positive 9.5%, well above the five year average of 7.4% demonstrating that landlords can often achieve greater yields by taking on more complex property types. Semi-commercial property performed less well than expected considering these buildings are not subject to the residential stamp duty surcharge. Going forward it will be interesting to see whether any trends develop as more investors are expected to move into this niche. Source link
With the recent declarations of the Bank of England to freeze the amounts of interest rates that it normally gives out, it is always useful to seek out advice from someone who knows what they are talking about when referring to how this will affect the different property and construction industries around the country. Indeed, it seems clear that Mister Russell Quirk sees the bank’s decision to freeze these rates as an encouraging sign to the property and construction industries that this sector of the British economy will prosper as the year goes on. Indeed, Mister Quirk has explained that the housing market itself is in a strong position for the year ahead and the steadiness of interest rates remaining the same is a sign that the economy will be able to put itself back on its feet in terms of allowing more people to buy more homes and allowing the building and construction industries to invest in more projects and initiatives for land and housing development. The Bank of England’s decision, he intimates, will also have a positive effect on those wishing to buy a home for the very first time, but he has explained that people in this position will be more than ever advised to buy within their own affordable means and budget. This is due to the fact that the current interest rates will increase at some point rather than remain in their current static position: Mister Quirk therefore advises first-time buyers to be wary of the fluctuations in the housing market and encourages them to not be foolhardy in their buying enterprises. The same caution ought to be the case with members of the building, design and construction industries. Whilst investment in land capital and various project initiatives is undoubtedly a good thing, the amount of fluctuations within the British economy at this present time means that caution ought to be taken now more than ever before.
Mister Struan Robertson has been honored with being selected by GSA to become the newest person to be added to their executive Group Board and will equally be acting as the new Chairman of the company’s Investment Committee. GSA, which specializes in the building of residences for students all over the country, is extremely proud to welcome such an experienced member of the housing and building industry through their doors. Indeed, with the greater demand for student places at university also comes the even greater and more pressing increase for building and designing new accommodation sites in order to house them. It is therefore clear that much-needed investment needs to take place in order to ensure that companies like GSA can handle the various demands for accommodation space in the years to come. With 20,000 individual accommodation residence space laid out across an expanse of no less than seven different countries, a business like GSA is forever committed to the idea of developing new and alternative forms of housing and construction that is able to cater and satisfy the increased demand for student space at campuses all over the world. Having succeeded the procurement to build 2,500 new beds in Japan, GSA are clearly paving the way forward as a prime example of a business that prides itself with over-seas projects and investment initiatives. Indeed, the building business has projects and initiatives planned for the year in countries as varied as Australia as well as Japan, and it is clear that with $1.5 billion in its investment strategy, Mister Struan Robertson will have his hands full in terms of helping to develop the company’s investing initiatives even more extensively than ever before. With a wide range of experience in investing in the hospitality sector, such as hotel and short-stay accommodation, Mister Struan Robertson is clearly very pleased to take on the challenge of becoming GSA’s new chief of investment strategy in the years to come.
Safran Nacelles, a technology-driven conglomerate with high-profile focuses as varied and exciting as those of defense, security services and even aerospace technology, has started the second month of the new year well by investing in personnel by putting more than 100 of them forward for the Composites Assured Practitioner Scheme (also known as the CAP). This initiative is designed to help assess workers’ own input against the development and construction strategies of the company itself, in order to determine what can be done to ensure long-lasting productivity between employer and employee. In order for this to work, employees complete a number of tests and initiatives, and are then awarded a criteria (Bronze, Silver or Gold) that the governing body feels that they meet. This ought to be of particular use to the building and construction industry, which has seen numerous reports in recent times of a shortage of competency and skill in those specific industries. It is therefore essential, one might argue, for the future of the industry itself that such tests such CAP be carried out by more companies in these sectors than ever so that these can determine what aspects they need to improve and work on in order to maintain the amount of skilled workforce in the United Kingdom. Through conducting such initiatives and assessment sessions as these, companies like Safran Nacelles will be given a greater idea of what they need to do in order to progress themselves into the future of the 21st Century. Indeed, their decision to put the Burnley branch to the test was an ambitious and brave move for the company to make, and Composites head of Safran Nacelles Mister Graham Banks has said that the scheme will be used in order to determine who will be the future leading forces of the company in the long term. It is a strategy that companies from all over the country are being encouraged to adopt.
A recent report and release of statistics by online conglomerate eMoov has indicated a staggering discrepancy between the amounts of pay earned by top estate agencies in the United Kingdom compared to other workers, including those in the building and construction trades. The study calculated that some high-profile estate agencies could be paying their unskilled agents up to £815 an hour: this is, the survey explains, a clear result of the incredible soaring of the prices of homes across the United Kingdom, particularly in and around the suburbs of London such as the borough of Barking and Dagenham. Whilst it is clear that the rising value of a property will in turn increase the rise in commission by successful estate agencies, the discrepancy between what they could profit from this compared to skilled laborers in the country is a prime example of the scrupulousness of these property agencies. EMoov calculated that a skilled practitioner in manual labor, such as the professions carried out by electricians and plumbers would on average make between £17 and £18 an hour. In comparison to this, an estate agent could be earning more than £800 an hour in this country due to the shocking rise in house prices recently. Surely this is to be seen by the building and construction industries as an indication of the lack of fairness and the sheer lack of scruples that these estate agencies have. At a time when concerns are constantly being raised about the worrying lack of skilled laborers and manual workers in this country, it is clear that something ought to be done to ameliorate this shortage. But when the wage gap between what a hard-working electrician might earn and what an estate agent could earn based on the current housing market is so huge, it is clear that something must be done to tackle this unfairness in society where salesmen are being paid more than 19 times more than workers whose aim it is to keep British homes warm and in decent working order.
Northumberland College has launched a new Apprenticeship Academy and welcomed its 1,000th Apprentice. Northumberland College has recently launched its new Apprenticeship Academy that will focus on meeting the needs of Apprentices and their employers. This new Academy sees Apprenticeship Support Officers and Assessors for all subjects working more closely together. Susan Goldstein, Director of the Apprenticeship Academy said: “Apprenticeships offer a fantastic opportunity for employers to recruit and further develop staff with the skills and expertise needed for their organisation’s success.” “For individuals, regardless of their age or background, apprenticeships offer access to structured industry-standard learning and qualifications. Successful apprenticeships are delivered by a robust and cohesive partnership between employer, apprentice and the College. The Apprenticeship Academy will ensure that each partner is clear about their responsibilities and opportunities within this process. Our aim is to support as many Apprentices as we can in achieving their career and educational goals and at the same time help employers to meet current and future skills needs.” Northumberland College is in a unique position to meet skills needs, offering as it does, more than 40 different Apprenticeships at Level 2, 3 and 4, one of the largest ranges of apprenticeship subjects in the region. The College has invested more than £10m in modern learning facilities, plus recently received further funding from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership for a £2.5m science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) centre, which will open later this year. Susan says: “We are constantly reviewing our offer to make sure that it meets the needs of apprentices and contributes to the economic well- being of our region.” National figures show that for every £1 of government investment in Level 2 or 3 apprenticeships, there is typically a return of £26 to £28 and that someone with a Higher Apprentice (Level 4) could earn £150,000 more on average over their lifetime. The Apprenticeship Academy, working in partnership with the College’s Business Training Solutions team provide bespoke information, advice and support to employers and their Apprentices. With a history of delivering training over the last 60 years the College has now recruited it’s 1000th Apprentice, April Halligan. April, aged 18 from Fenham, Newcastle, is a Bricklaying Apprentice with Newcastle City Council. Newcastle City Council Apprenticeship Manager, Paul Maddison said: “Building and Commercial Enterprise and indeed Newcastle City Council as a wider organisation, has supported apprentices for many years and boasts a successful track record of providing opportunities for young people to develop skills and secure employment. “More recently, in partnership with Northumberland College, to increase employment opportunities for local 16-18 year olds, April Halligan has been part of a new Apprentice Pathway Programme that has been developed to provide further placement opportunities for young people within the City, in particular those Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).” April said: “The programme has provided an excellent opportunity, opening new doors to my career. I’ve improved my skills and experienced different workplaces including maintenance and building sites. I’m a lot closer to my goal of becoming a qualified brick layer and gaining full-time employment thanks to this experience and the support from Northumberland College.” April’s Apprenticeship Assessor, Ged Tait, plays a pivotal role of working with Construction Apprentices including April, on site and at College has a primary role in supporting the learners. He said: “An assessor’s job includes supporting Apprentices while they are at College and in the workplace, by encouraging them and giving feedback to improve their performance and enhance their skills. “Every eight weeks I go out to visit my apprentices for assessment and progress reviews and the learners are able to contact me any time if there is a problem relating to their NVQ qualification. “April is the first female apprentice bricklayer I have worked with. She is making good progress with her qualification and I have received great feedback from her mentors at Newcastle City Works.” Graham Charlton, Northumberland College’s Brickwork tutor said: “April is a model student with a 100% attendance record for her theory, practical and functional skills lessons, she has a fantastic attitude towards her programme of study, both in the classroom and workshop. She has settled in with the group right from day one.” The College is also supporting employers through a range of Government changes to Apprenticeships. One key change is the move towards the use of Apprenticeship Standards. Standards show what an apprentice will be doing in a particular job and the skills they need to demonstrate, in order to be considered competent. Standards were developed by employer groups called Trailblazers. Another change, from 6 April 2017, is the government’s Apprenticeship Levy. This will see all employers with an annual payroll over £3million, contribute to apprenticeship training at a rate of 0.5%. The College’s Business Training Solutions team is currently offering a series of free events for employers to guide them through the Levy and other Apprenticeship changes. Employers wishing to find out more about apprenticeship training and the Levy may contact the College’s Business Training Solutions team on 0170 841 268 or email training@northland.ac.uk
Boon Edam, a global market leader in entry solutions has unveiled a quality, engineered solution technology for a brand new, state of the art building in St Pancras; now home to The Francis Crick Institute. The biomedical discovery organisation, required an entry solution to seamlessly integrate with its new building’s modern design. The research centre, a flagship for UK biomedical science and one of Europe’s largest biomedical research facilities, is a base for 1500 scientists and staff, whilst housing technology to help create discoveries for illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Therefore, the entry solution required advanced security to ensure staff, visitors and equipment could be kept safe and protected, whilst complimenting the design. With 140 years’ experience with manufacturing entry solutions, Boon Edam ensures its products technology meet the strictest quality standards. The building is serviced by five Automatic Crystal Tourniket’s. This product was selected following an assessment of everyday use including analysing the number of visitors and size of luggage expected to be carried into the building whilst creating a user friendly and attractive gateway into the building supporting the green principles that were embedded into its design and carried through to its operation. The revolving doors use a combination of laminated and toughened glass, which results in a reduction in the traditionally framed elements of the door. The minimalistic, all glass revolving doors provided a stylish solution which complimented the new building’s façade. They also met the security requirements; with each Crystal Tourniket supplied with an external night locking door. Finished in stainless steel, the additional feature provided a further layer of security for the building. The night locking door was mounted onto a stainless-steel track fixed to the glass soffit and provided with fully integrated locks. Ian Goldsmith, Head of Sales at Boon Edam Ltd commented, “We are thrilled to have provided the entry solutions for this building. The cross-border project between Boon Edam BV (Netherlands) and Boon Edam UK was successful in meeting the precise requirements of The Francis Crick Institute. The Crystal Tourniket’s have provided the new building with the secure, eye catching solution desired whilst utilising the environmental benefits of installing a revolving door.”
Despite headwinds in the global economy, internationalisation will continue to drive the growth of companies in the engineering consultancy sector as infrastructure demand remains strong globally. Meinhardt Group, a leading global engineering, planning and management firm, is working closely with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the government agency partnering Singapore companies in going global, on its expansion strategy to Africa and the Middle East. This includes the company’s recent acquisition of African engineering consultancy to gain in-roads into East Africa. Acquisition & Expansion in Africa According to the United Nations, several African cities are expected to grow by 50% or more by 2030, causing severe stress on the availability of water, transport, housing and power. An additional US$93 billion a year will be required to meet the demands of Africa’s urbanisation. With this in mind, Meinhardt recently acquired a prominent engineering consultancy, Bhundia Associates2 (BA), in Kenya, East Africa in late 2016. IE Singapore has been sharing on-ground developments as well as connecting the company to key business partners in Kenya, eventually leading to the acquisition. By tapping the existing established networks of BA, Meinhardt is able to jumpstart its entry into Kenya and East Africa. East Africa is the fastest growing sub-region in Africa, consisting of high growth economies including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Acquisitions have been a key part of Meinhardt’s business strategy to amplify its global presence. Meinhardt’s new office positions the firm strategically within the region to offer its engineering expertise. Under the leadership of Meinhardt’s headquarters in Singapore, this will bring a total workforce of 450 employees in over 11 offices across the Middle East and Africa, making it one of the largest international and infrastructure consulting firms in the region. “We recognise that in a time of rapid technological advancement and greater competition from regional and global economies, expansion and innovation are essential elements to increase our relevance to the world. Being one of the first Singapore engineering companies to acquire and set up its operations in the East and North Africa is a testament to our reputation and capabilities. While we stay committed to our core markets in Southeast Asia, we would also take advantage of Kenya’s established financial system and investor-friendly outlook to scale up our business in this continent, using it as a gateway into Africa.” Mr Omar Shahzad, Group CEO of Meinhardt Group said. Said Mr Chua Taik Him, Deputy CEO, IE Singapore, “Engineering services is a specialised business which requires deep knowledge, proven experiences and a sound understanding of markets to be globally competitive. Companies with these conditions are in high demand, and they need to scale quickly into global markets to sustain competitiveness. IE Singapore is happy to be able to work closely with one of such companies, Meinhardt, to apply its expertise in water and environment field in the fast-growing East Africa region. This is in line with our charter to help Singapore companies scale internationally to achieve first mover advantage and to advance competitiveness.” This acquisition builds on BA’s 40 years of indigenous experience to provide innovative engineering solutions, Meinhardt said, adding that it will open its second office in Kigali, Rwanda in the first quarter of 2017. Expansion in Middle East and Egypt To diversify and capture new growth, Meinhardt is also targeting the Middle East, given the booming real estate and infrastructure development opportunities. Meinhardt worked with IE Singapore to refine its strategy and broaden its business networks, having identified it as a potential market. Currently, the Group’s office in Cairo is staffed with a team of 35 technical staff with plans to expand to 100 by 2020. This Cairo office will act as a resource centre for its projects in the Middle East. Meinhardt is expanding its footprints steadily in these continents. It recently signed a cooperation agreement with Sharjah’s Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA) to modernise the water storage infrastructure in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council have unanimously approved planning permission for Chelsea to redevelop Stamford Bridge. The proposed rebuild to increase capacity to 60,000 was presented in model form at a hearing at Hammersmith Town Hall on Wednesday. The council had already initially recommended that the application be approved and, after a three-hour meeting attended by Blues chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum, permission was granted for the development. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan now has 14 days to call in the verdict, should he wish to, on a stadium expected to cost more than £500m and take three years to build. We are grateful that planning permission was granted for the re development of our historic home. In a statement, Chelsea said: “We are grateful that planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of our historic home. “The committee decision does not mean that work can begin on site. This is just the latest step, although a significant one, that we have to take before we can commence work, including obtaining various other permissions.” Stamford Bridge’s current capacity is 41,600+, making it the ninth largest club ground in England behind Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester City, Liverpool, Sunderland, Newcastle United and Aston Villa. Rather than move site and build from scratch, though, the club have decided that redeveloping Stamford Bridge is their preferred option. he main point of discussion is likely to be the ground’s proximity to transport, with the new prospective capacity of 60,000 making the distance of underground and railway lines paramount and the main challenge facing the project. The project will also mean that the club will need to find a temporary home due to the complex nature of the build, with a lowering of the arena and excavation likely to achieve the desired capacity on the 12-acre site.
One of the leading development businesses in the building world in Britain that seeks to build more and more residences for people around the country, SSM Holding AB, has recently won a competition that will enable it to oversee the work on a grand total of 270 brand new residential and storage apartments in Sweden. In total, no less than 180 of these apartments will be used for rent and customers are expected to be able to move into this brand new location in 2020. The works themselves beginning two years earlier is excellent news for the Taby Park area located in Stockholm, the capital city of the Scandinavian country. It has been said that the Taby Park area overall will, by the time work and development is complete, be home to a minimum of 6,000 residential apartments as well as 4 to 5,000 office spaces and workshops for employment. What is evidently clear from this is that Taby Park will be a business hub for the country by the end of the next few years provided that the building and construction goes as planned, and SSM are already working hard to work through the development and planning stages to make sure that they are able to achieve these ambitious aims. Indeed, the competition itself means that SSM will be involved in the building and construction of 450 houses and area for commerce and retail, and Mattias Roos the Chief Executive Officer of the company is confident that Taby Park’s location is ideal to the kind of clientele that companies like SSM cater towards, who tend to be individuals wanting to be within close range of the bustling city metropolis. Indeed, it would seem that Taby Park is an ideal location for a development of this kind to occur, since its proximity to Galoppfaltet station makes it an ideal location for those wanting to commute in and around Stockholm.