After the shock of the Conservatives returning to power with
a majority at Westminster, all the potential issues and possible uncertainties
of a hung parliament has lifted the cloud from the Grantham property
market. Talking to other Grantham
agents, surveyors and solicitors in the area over the last few days, there are
signs this has started a new impetus in the Grantham property market after a
subdued six months, when an amalgamation of tougher lending conditions, a
natural correction after the strong recovery in Grantham property prices in
2014, and political uncertainty ahead of the General Election slowed demand.
Against the back drop of Labour’s election promises of rent
controls and three year tenancies, some Grantham buy to let landlords were
waiting to see how these new policies would be implemented before they
committed themselves to buying more property for their buy to let portfolio.
Now that uncertainty has been removed, the long term picture is very positive
So, with all that uncertainty now removed, where next for
the Grantham property market? Well with
inflation at zero and with the Money markets happy David Cameron is still at
No.10, the Bank of England have no reason to raise interest rates until 2016 at
the earliest. As mortgage rates are at their lowest levels since 2010,
landlords with large deposits will now be wooed by the mortgage companies in
the coming months with low rates.
You see over the past couple of years, Grantham landlords
have benefitted from a booming Grantham job market. Unemployment in Grantham area has dropped to 1.9%,
as a year ago, 1,503 people were claiming unemployment benefit in the Grantham
and Stamford Parliamentary Constituency compared
to today’s 1,012. With more jobs and better pay, as the level of rents is directly
linked to tenant’s wages, there has been an increase in the rental prices
tenants are willing to pay for good quality Grantham properties.
Some landlords might be nervous about Tory’s plans for the
housing market over the next five years in terms of tenant demand for their
rental properties. One plan is for Housing Association tenants to have the
right to buy their property. These kind of tenants were never in the private
rented sector and will actually increase the supply of properties in the housing
stock in decades to come. The Government ‘Help to Buy Scheme’ has only helped
to buy 159 Grantham (and Stamford) properties since April 2013. Considering 1,557
properties have changed hands in the last year alone in Grantham (and Stamford) , I
don’t think it has made a huge difference to our local property market.
The biggest matter, when it comes to tenant demand of rental
property going forward, comes from the shift in the mindset and attitudes
towards renting itself. Twenty years ago you were seen as a second class
citizen if you rented a property. Nowadays it is considered the norm. In Grantham,
as in the rest of the UK (apart from Central London), renting continues to
offer good value for money for tenants and therefore will continue to grow in
this decade .. meaning everyone is a winner.
For more news and views on the Grantham property market ..
visit the Grantham Property Blog .. http://granthampropertyblog.blogspot.co.uk/
