Working from home – are you covered?
With millions more people across the UK now working from home, should you inform your insurer? The Association of British Insurers (ABI)1 has issued reassurance that, if you are an office-based worker now working from home because of government advice or because you are self-isolating, your home insurance cover will not be affected. The ABI […]
The Chancellor’s Summer Economic Update
“No one will be left without hope” In March, Rishi Sunak unveiled “one of the largest and most comprehensive economic responses in the world” to protect the UK’s population against the impact of coronavirus. The £160bn plan, the Chancellor said, was just the first stage of the government’s response to the pandemic. Four months later, […]
Global economy braced
The pandemic has inflicted enormous human costs right across the globe. The worldwide response, which has involved governments imposing a range of lockdown measures, will inevitably have a huge impact on global economic activity. Contraction across Europe The release of first quarter GDP data provided a foretaste of the economic damage the pandemic is set […]
Property market: Where are we now?
In mid-May, the property market reopened after nearly two months of inactivity – and buyer demand surged. Almost immediately, the number of visitors to Rightmove soared back to pre-lockdown levels, with site activity reaching record levels on 27 May1. In its latest Housing Market Update, estate agent Savills welcomed this increase in activity; however, it […]
The Week in Review – 6 July
“We’re not out of the woods yet” Last week, as the coronavirus global death toll passed half a million, England was preparing for the next significant step in lockdown easing measures. Businesses including pubs, restaurants and hairdressers, reopened on what was dubbed ‘Super Saturday’ – 4 July. In a press conference on Friday afternoon, the […]
What to watch out for when co-buying a property
These days, homeownership is simply unaffordable for many young people. That’s why more and more aspiring buyers are deciding to co-buy a property with friends. In fact, co-buying has become so popular, some providers are offering multiple person mortgages, following research1 showing that the majority (60%) of millennials would take out a mortgage with friends. Big […]
House-moving day – the logistics
With house-hunting, offers, surveys, legal searches, new schools and other pre-move essentials to fit around everyday life, there’s not always a lot of time to consider how moving day itself will pan out. Because rushed final arrangements can make for a fraught moving day, savvy house-movers should take the time to focus on the logistics […]
The Week in Review – 29 June
“Our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end” In a significant step toward the ‘new normal’, the Prime Minister announced the next raft of lockdown easing measures in England, commencing from 4 July, including the re-opening of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers. The two metre social distancing rule will be modified, moving to […]
The Week in Review – 22 June
“There is genuine cause to celebrate a great, British achievement” At Tuesday’s Downing Street briefing, the Prime Minister announced a significant development in the fight against coronavirus. A low-dose, cheap and widely available steroid treatment, dexamethasone, has been found to reduce the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators and by one-fifth […]
What makes a philanthropist?
It can be tricky to pin down precisely what qualifies as philanthropy. Basically, it’s an active desire to promote the welfare of others, often expressed by giving generously to charities or other deserving causes. If we count dropping some of our loose change into a collection box now and then or giving £3 a month […]