David Ryckman
David edits The London Property News and writes on the London and UK property markets.
- Homeownership
Your First Home scheme sets £140,000 London income cap and £4.7bn lending
The government says buyers can use a 2.5% deposit and a 20% equity loan, with price caps of £650,000 in inner London and £500,000 in outer London.
- Investing
Royal London and Simten win planning for Soho Square redevelopment
Westminster City Council approved plans for about 55,000 sq ft of office space at the former 20th Century Fox headquarters and neighbouring Soho buildings.
- Homeownership
Grade II listed Malplaquet House in Mile End goes on sale for £2.2m
The 1741 Georgian townhouse has five bedrooms and about 4,400 sq ft over four storeys, and was hidden behind shopfronts for over a century.
- Interiors
Burberry to restore Regent Street flagship as Burberry House, opening autumn 2027
Burberry says the Grade II-listed 121 Regent Street store will be restored in phases and stay open during the works, with the 'Burberrys' clock returning.
- Homeownership
Notting Hill film house with blue door listed at $10.05m
The three-bedroom house used as William Thacker's front entrance in the 1999 film is on the market through UK Sotheby's International Realty.
- Investing
Delano London to open in early 2027 with 67 rooms and suites
The hotel overlooking Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park will have more than half its rooms as suites, plus a Mediterranean restaurant, Rose Bar and a wellness concept.
- Investing
£35.5m build-to-rent finance backs Earlsfield scheme
United Trust Bank has lent £35.5m to Dominus New Homes for Wandle Place, a 96-apartment development in Earlsfield with a gross development value of £51.1m.
- Investing
London luxury apartment sales above £5m fall 80% since 2023, Beauchamp Estates says
The agency says sales of new-build flats fell 87%, while the average price of £3,038 per sq ft between 2022 and 2026 has barely moved.
- Homeownership
London house prices fall 1% in year to September, Zoopla says
Zoopla's index shows prices down in 22 of 31 postcode areas in London and the South East, with the average London home at £523,100.
- Homeownership
Kensington and Chelsea tops ONS list of least affordable areas
ONS data shows a house-price-to-income ratio of 20.6 in Kensington and Chelsea, ahead of Richmond upon Thames at 14.5 and Camden at 13.8.
- Homeownership
Savills hires Simon Rosenblatt as director in St John's Wood sales team
Rosenblatt joins from Aston Chase after nearly 20 years there and will work with head of office Stephen Lindsay on St John's Wood and Regent's Park sales.
- Investing
Arada London applies for 720 co-living homes and 404-bed hotel at Elephant & Castle
The UAE-based developer has submitted plans to Southwark Council for two towers at 99-101 Newington Causeway, the former Salvation Army headquarters.
- Homeownership
Ormeley Lodge in Richmond, Princess Diana's weekend retreat, listed at £25m
The 10-bedroom Georgian and Queen Anne-style house of about 16,000 sq ft has seven bathrooms, a wine cellar and a self-contained guest apartment.
- Investing
MCR Property Group buys Holland Park hostel lease from Safestay for £3m
MCR paid £3m for the long leasehold and plans to refurbish the site and run it under a new brand, LOOP London, using its existing London hospitality team.
- Investing
Gardiner & Theobald leases 54,939 sq ft London HQ at 30 Finsbury Square
The firm will take 3.5 floors at MEAG's office development, with its lease starting in 2028 and staff due to move in during the third quarter of 2029.
- Mortgages
FCA: one in seven English mortgages tied to postcodes with flood risk
The regulator's analysis of public data indicates that high exposure to surface water flooding is concentrated in and around London.
- Homeownership
SNG launches Indigo shared ownership flats in Southall from £95,000
The one- to three-bedroom apartments go on sale on 31 October 2026, with a 25% share of a one-bedroom flat priced from £95,000.
- Investing
IHG signs 90-room Hotel Indigo for Kingston Bridge House in Hampton Wick
Westcombe Group's Acre Hotels Collection will convert the vacant former university building into a hotel and 22 residences, with opening planned for 2027.
- Landlords
Greenwich adds HMO conversion rules as Plumstead residents ask for more
Planners recommend refusing three HMO conversions under new rules, while a 150-strong Plumstead group wants a meeting with the planning cabinet member.
- Homeownership
First-time buyer scheme income caps reportedly raised ahead of Budget
The Your First Home income limit is reported to rise to £110,000 outside London and £140,000 in the capital, ahead of Wednesday's Budget.
- Investing
ARK Living relaunches Gants Hill student block as ARK Valentine
The 333-bed residence, owned by Crosstree Real Estate Partners, has ensuite rooms from £199 a week and studios from £292 a week.
- Homeownership
Tower Hamlets backs plan to turn four Canary Wharf offices into temporary homes
The council's plans describe about 180 family-sized homes at Marsh Wall, but approvals, design and building work are still to come.
- Investing
Helical returns about £17m to shareholders after £333m sale, trading update says
Helical's update for 1 April to 22 October 2026 also covers a Brettenham House letting to FGS Global and a Southwark Gateway 2 approval expected in November.
- Investing
Generator to open Greenwich hotel in 2027 and add Paris hostel
The hybrid hostel brand has bought the Novotel London Greenwich and agreed to convert a Paris office block, as it aims to double its portfolio by 2031.
- Investing
Unite sells Hawthorne House academy school in London for £40.7m
Unite Group has sold the school part of its Hawthorne House student scheme to an unnamed buyer and will use the proceeds to cut debt.
- Homeownership
Argenta shared ownership homes go on sale in Silvertown from £97,500
Guinness Homes is selling one and two-bedroom apartments at Argenta, the first homes released at the Silvertown scheme in Royal Docks.
- Interiors
Hilton London Metropole to refurbish West Wing with 363 family bedrooms
The multi-million-pound Edgware Road project is due to finish in November 2026 and includes five connecting suites that sleep up to eight guests.
- Investing
Helical lets three floors of Brettenham House near Waterloo Bridge to FGS Global
The advisory firm will take 23,887 sq ft on a 10-year term from January 2027 at the refurbished 1930s Art Deco office building.
- Investing
Pallas Capital lends £7.5m on Tottenham industrial site with consent for 80 units
The six-month bridging loan at 50% LTV refinances a borrower's existing bridge that had come to the end of its term.
- Interiors
Minecraft-themed hotel with 69 rooms to open at Chessington in 2027
Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios plan a four-floor hotel beside a new £50 million Minecraft World theme park.
