Newbould Guardians

Squatting on commercial premises - social nuisance or social utility?

On the 9th of October a group of squatters occupying the empty BT offices in central London's Holborn were ordered to leave those premises by Master Yoxall sitting in the high court. The BT offices are commercial premises, and so fall outside the scope of recent legislation criminalising squatting in residential premises, for which the first prosecution was brought recently against Alex Haigh. Commercial squatting therefore remains within the remit of civil, rather than criminal, law.

Commercial properly owners may be concerned that their land will be targeted now that squatting in residential property is a crime. Of course, commercial property can range from a corner shop to a multinational bank. The only recourse for a commercial owner is to go to court and obtain a possession order. Although the procedure is relatively straightforward, the cost of simply issuing an application is £175. If owners instruct a lawyer, their costs will further increase.

More workers rely on state benefits to pay their rent

It has reported an 86 per cent rise in employed people claiming housing benefit over the last three years.

About 10,000 more working families now need housing benefit every month to help pay their rent, with 417,830 more wage earners claiming since 2009.

His sentiments were echoed by Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb. He said the housing crisis had reached 'boiling point' with rising rents leaving lots of people unable to save up a deposit to buy a home.

Housing minister Mark Prisk said the government was 'pulling out all the stops' to attract new players to the market and 'get Britain building'.

UK house sellers increase asking price by 3.5 per cent

Sellers have bumped up the asking prices of UK houses by 3.5 per cent (about £8,310) in October, according to Rightmove's monthly report.

Although prices in England and Wales are 1.5 per cent higher than a year ago with a typical property averaging at £243,168, sales may not follow through.

Commenting on London prices, which saw a 4.8 per cent (+£21,834) jump in average new-seller asking prices during October.

In Kensington and Chelsea, the most expensive London borough, new-seller average asking prices are in excess of £2.2 million.

The October increase could be seen as speculation by sellers as there are few new houses coming on the market.

However, other Rightmove statistics show that most buyers will not look at houses they consider over-priced, so price rises may not produce sales.

Business investors still keen on UK commercial property market despite eurozone woes

Confidence in the commercial real estate sector in the UK has fallen back as a result of the weaker economic backdrop and ongoing euro zone crisis, according to a new survey.

Despite this fall in confidence, all groups remain committed to investing in the sector and are keen to source opportunities that can add long term value and this might be symptomatic of a perception that the market is near the bottom, the latest Commercial Property Confidence Monitor produced by Lloyds Bank Wholesale Banking and Markets and in association with the Investment Property Forum.

Major businesses and London based medium to large businesses have the greatest appetite for new investment in the sector over the coming three to six months. Major businesses have become more positive, inline with August 2011 expectations, with 70% of respondents aiming to increase commitment and 10% looking to divest.

It also shows that London based medium to large businesses are looking to take advantage of attractive valuations with 4% expecting to invest and just 4% planning to divest.

Newbould Guardians and The Community

Newbould Guardians have been involving themselves with the community of eptford over the last year in the Old Tidemill School. Since begining occupation in March 2012, Newbould Guardians have organised a street party over the diamond jubilee weekend, art exhibitions, theatre and comedy nights, film screenings, gardening workshops, and many more great free events. It's great to see the school which has laid in the heart of the community for a year to recieve a new boost of life and benifiting many raher than just sitting empty. To follow more closely on what's happening at Tidemill follow the link to the 'assembley' blog.

http://assembly-se8.tumblr.com/

New Squatting Law 2012

The change in law is not good news for everyone.. 

Please click on link.