Monday morning briefing 2025 08 18

hammondjon
Aug 18
2 min read

Good morning LinkedInners – how was your weekend? Let’s have a whirlwind trip around the mid-August property news.

>‘The UK economy just proved the pessimists wrong’. Despite headwinds and a shaky spring, GDP outpaced expectations in Q2—offering a glimmer of resilience amid global uncertainty reported Katie Williams at MoneyWeek

> Rightmove have released their AugustHousing Index which includes:

(a) The average price of property coming to the market for sale drops by a seasonal 1.3% (-£4,969) this month to £368,740. August’s price drop is in line with the ten-year average following the bigger than usual falls in June & July. However,

(b) The number of home sales being agreed is now 8% ahead of this time last year as serious buyers and sellers lock in deals

>Urban Living News reports that Ealing Council (London Borough of Ealing) has set a target of over 40 per cent “genuinely affordable” housing in build-to-rent (BTR) developments to qualify for fast-track planning approval.

>The Stockport 8 joint venture has secured planning consent for the creation of a new £350m neighbourhood in Stockport. The scheme will deliver approximately 1,300 new homes, including build to rent and owner-occupier homes reports BE News

>The latest construction figures from S&P Global Market Intelligence will serve as a "wake-up call" for the government and its housing aspirations writes Property Week

> BTR News reports that AIB has partnered with Bank of Ireland Corporate & Commercial in supporting Nest pensions, Legal & General, and PGGM Investments on a landmark £1bn BTR initiative in the UK. The first development - F1 - is based in Deansgate, Manchester will deliver 494 homes.

> InPBSA news it is a ta le of market consolidation as Unite Students acquires Empiric, StudentFM is to acquire The Tramshed PBSA and UOL is to acquire Varley Park PBSA

> InIreland, Ardstone has acquired the amazing Spencer Place Residential multi-family and co-living development for €177m. The 360 unit development sits in Dublin’s docklands.

>Property District reports Irish house building activity shrinks for third month in row as confidence dips, AIB report suggests: confidence among construction firms at its lowest in almost three years, according to survey, despite ever rising Government.

>And finally, The Association for Rental Living held their NW Hub summer drinks in Manchester last week. A lovely in evening in the sunshine kindly sponsored by The Focus Agency Group. As always a great evening, showing the real energy of the Manchest BTR scene. To celebrate that, and catching up with Lauren Smith (amongst others), this weeks image is @ila's amazing Swan Street House (both via On The Market)