Homes & Gardens

House prices in the South West jumped sharply in May, despite the number of homes per UK surveyor falling to a record low since the data series began in January 1978, according to the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey.

While 46% more surveyors saw prices rise in May (the same month in which the Nationwide Building Society estimated that the average price of a home in the UK has now climbed to £195,000), supply to the market declined for the fourth consecutive month with 22% more surveyors reporting a drop in new instructions.

Despite the sharp incline in new buyer...

With the general election now over, haart estate agents in Exeter is predicting demand for property in the area to increase, creating a potential sharp rise in prices. Latest figures from haart’s monthly Property Index show that there’s already demand for homes in the city, with an average of nine buyers for each property on the books of its Paris Street branch. In turn the average price of property sold by the branch has increased by 5.80% to £179,140 over the last quarter to the end of April. Exeter haart Branch Manager Kyra Daniel, said: “Demand is already high in the area and now the...

Landlords in Devon could be forced to secure a licence under Government plans to tackle illegal immigration.

The Residential Landlords’ Association understands that the new Conservative Government plans to extend the scope of the mandatory licensing regime to tackle illegal immigration.

In a speech last week, Prime Minister David Cameron called for a new licensing scheme to tackle landlords who “cram” their houses full of illegal immigrants and powers to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants in private rented housing.

There was widespread concern that this...

The Guardian UK University League Tables 2016 are just out and Exeter University has been ranked at number nine, having risen three places since last year when it was ranked at Number 12 in the UK (league table here ). With an overall Guardian score of 83.8 out of 100, Exeter University ranks especially highly for those ‘Satisfied with Course’ (91.5 out of 100) and ‘Satisfied with Feedback’ (76.7 out of 100). As home to one of the UK’s very best universities, and rising in ratings and popularity, the student accommodation offering for those visiting Exeter University is also flourishing....