No-deal Brexit could cause 6% reduction in UK house prices

UK house prices could drop by 6.2% next year if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October, according to accountants KPMG.

However, if a deal is reached, KPMG predicts that house prices will rise by 1.3%.

London will probably see a fall in prices with or without an exit deal this year and next, it said, with sharper declines if no deal is reached.

However, the low supply of new housing stock could prop up prices over time.

“Overall, while a no-deal Brexit could dent property values in the short term, it may make less impact on one of the fundamental factors driving the market: the stock of regional housing,” said the report.

“Housebuilders are expected to reduce the supply of new housing in some regions in the short term as a response to a deteriorating economic outlook.

“So, while there will be fallout from the initial economic shock following a no-deal Brexit, the market is expected to recover most ground in the long run,” it said, assuming the economy recovers.

Given that the housing market is hard to predict, KPMG said prices could see steeper falls – of perhaps 10-20% – in a no-deal scenario.

“Transactions volumes will likely fall much more than prices – making government housing delivery targets impossible to achieve and slowing new building across the sector,” said Jan Crosby, UK head of housing at KPMG.

Assuming no agreement is reached, KPMG says Northern Ireland will be the hardest hit next year, with average price declines of 7.5%, followed by London at 7%. The least-hit will be Wales and the East Midlands, with 5.4% declines apiece.

This year, most regions will see changes of less than 2%, KPMG says, with the exception of London, down 4.8%, and Northern Ireland, down 2.2%.

If a deal is struck, prices in London and Northern Ireland are still predicted to fall this year, by 4.7% and 1.2%, while most other regions will be largely unchanged. Scotland and the North West will see gains of 1.4% and 1.6%.

And next year, all regions will gain aside from London’s predicted 0.2% slide. The average increase will be 1.3%.

KPMG noted that the UK housing market is healthier than it was at the time of the last housing crash – when prices fell by 15% in 2008. House prices are lower as a percentage of earnings in most regions outside London and the South East.

In addition, compared with the aftermath of the 1991 recession – when housing prices dropped 20% over about four years – mortgages are much cheaper. Back then, the Bank of England’s base rate was about 14%.

How to find the best SEO consultant in London

With Google’s increasing popularity, businesses have started looking for expert SEO services.

They have come to realise that owning a website isn’t enough to prosper in today’s highly competitive market.

That website has to be easily accessible for people to see the products and services your company offers. And this implies that it should ‘rank’ high in terms of the keywords as well as key phrases that explain what your business does and offers. Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is the only sure way to achieve this.

Of course, not all SEO is the same. The SEO for local businesses may vary greatly from that of a global brand. So, you ought to hire an excellent SEO consultant in London if you want to enjoy the best business experience.

The Importance of Local SEO

There are numerous reasons why a local business will want to invest in SEO, especially if it’s well-established online.

Most consumers (over 86%) use the internet for searching and accessing local businesses. And 29% look for local enterprises online at least once per week.

72% claim that search is their favorite method for accessing information about local merchants. Research shows that local searches lead most people to visit a company within 24 hours.

From these data, you can clearly see that no matter what your company offers, it’s still very important that it establishes a strong online presence. With the right SEO consultant in London, you can easily achieve that. But what are the things you should be looking for? Here are a few pointers:

1. Flexible, efficient, and up to date. SEO keeps changing all the time. And a reliable SEO expert in London should have the capacity to cope up with those changes and deliver reliable solutions.
2. Honest and transparent. Good SEO consultants keep their clients updated about all their intentions. Because it’s your company’s reputation that’s at stake, it’s crucial that you work with a trusted partner. The Agency should be effective, ethical, and able to represent your brand in a positive manner.

How to Choose a Dependable SEO Company: Pro Tips

With countless SEO companies now flooding the market, it can be quite daunting to pick the right one. But with the following tips, it can be simpler finding the right agency for your business.

• Set Your Goals. To get the best SEO team, you need to pinpoint the specific areas you want to improve. For instance, you may need an entirely new website or just some SEO upgrades. A good agency will provide data on the most beneficial areas of focus.
• Data Tracking Capability. Settle for an SEO firm that’s capable of tracking and measuring all your company’s data- from phone calls, site visits, and contact forms to click through rates.
• Reviews as well as Case Studies.One of the most effective ways to identify a reputable SEO agency is to check their testimonials plus online reviews. You can explore the company’s website or search them on sites such as Google and Yelp.
• Budget is Key. Plan your budget ahead to avoid getting trapped in something you can’t afford. Most companies will provide several monthly packages for you to choose from. Pick something affordable that’ll make your life easier.

Half of business owners regret attitude towards cashflow

Nearly half of business owners fear they’ve held back their business by having a naive attitude towards cashflow during their company’s infancy.

Almost two-thirds of those who identified cashflow naivety as their largest regret suggested that they overspent before gaining any profit, ultimately leaving them in larger debt than they could manage.

Those in the business services, such as sales or marketing regretted their attitude to cashflow, with 65 per cent in these sectors claiming it almost ended their business venture, training providers were second most regretful and manufacturing third.

Industries in London feel they regret their cashflow decision with almost half of business owners feeling they made mistakes, which was fractionally higher than the national average of 47%.

The study gathered data from business owners to identify what UK SME’s view to be their biggest financial mistakes.

Gaining enough funding was also a major regret with two in five business owners claiming they made the wrong decision in starting a business with the budget they had.

Recruiters felt they made the worst choice with 62 per cent stating they didn’t take advantage of better funding options; this was followed by the manufacturing and retail industries.

Those in the arts felt the most comfortable with their start up budget as only 1 in 5 claimed they had any regrets regarding funding.

More than a quarter of business owners claimed they “didn’t know they could receive loans and grants” and simply used their own money to help support their start up.

Those in the legal sector had the least knowledge on funding options available to them, this was followed by owners in transport and logistics and healthcare.

Although the details of grants and loans can vary depending on business location, over one in four of the surveyed business owners in London admitted they had never researched options available to them.

Shockingly, more than a quarter of UK business owners regret not creating a financial plan or forecast during their start up.

Compared to the national average, less business owners in London regretted their financial planning with only 22% fearing they’re hampering their businesses due to a lack of forecasting.

Lack of funding for marketing during a start-up was also highlighted as a major regret for UK business owners, with more than a quarter claiming they didn’t budget for this expense.

The biggest culprits that didn’t have marketing budgets include business owners in transport and logistics, recruitment and manufacturing.

More than a third of businesses registered in London failed to put any budget towards marketing.

Surprisingly, 13% of UK business owners don’t regret any of the financial decision they made during their start-up.

Andy Dodd, Managing Director at Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance, who conducted the research, said, “It’s fascinating to find out just how many businesses have lacked financial planning such as not forecasting or budgeting for key start-up essentials such as marketing costs.

“We are really passionate about helping people start their own businesses and try and support wherever we can, I hope this survey allows new business owners to look at their own financial planning and re-consider those critical spends they need to plan for.”

Residents pledge to hugely reduce landfill rubbish removal in London

London is implementing a series of measures aimed at reducing the quantity of waste produced by its residents by driving resource efficiency and optimizing recycling levels.

The city’s goal is to reduce the negative impact of waste activities on the environment and maximize London’s infrastructure for managing waste. Also, by adhering to the Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration, the city’s residents pledge to reduce landfill rubbish in London and contribute to a global movement to create prosperous and sustainable zero-waste cities.

About the London Environment Strategy

The London Environment Strategy engages local authorities to develop special Reduction and Recycling Plans by 2020 to decrease the quantities of waste from local households and businesses. Also, the City has implemented new Emission Performance Standards (EPS) for greenhouse gases resulting from waste management.

To promote waste reduction, improve rubbish removal in London and increase recycling rates, the City is creating new waste management facilities. Also, local authorities are helping companies such as Clearbee to offer cost-effective waste collection and recycling services. And, to decrease the quantity of single-use plastic bottles in London, the City is improving access to free consumable water. In an effort to inspire a biodiesel revolution, and reduce CO2 emissions, London is turning all cooking oil, fats oils and greases, or FOGs, into fuel for its buses and vehicles fleet.

On the C40 Membership

London has joined the C40 community, which is a network of main cities from around the world, to address the negative impact of rubbish on the environment. Through the Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration, London is committed to cut the quantity of waste generated by 15%, to strengthen partnerships with specialist companies such as Clearbee to decrease the quantity of waste sent to landfills, and improve the waste diversion rate to 70% by end of 2030. With its partner cities such as Paris, Milan, New York, and San Francisco, London is accelerating the change to a zero-waste city and it’s actively supporting the global disposing of about 87 million tons of rubbish by 2030.

And, because the production of waste is the quickest growing pollutant, taking action to reduce rubbish removal in London will have the strongest positive impact on the environment.

As part of the Declaration, with the support of local clearance companies such as Clearabee, London will implement actions to reduce rubbish removal in London by lowering food loss and waste generated by food producers, retailers and consumers, increasing the recycling of food waste to improve the quality of soils, and banning single-use plastics and non-recyclable materials while educating residents in terms of sustainability and recycling programs.

Since the beginning of his mandate, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has proven great ambitions and has undertaken a series of programs to keep rubbish removal in London under control. He aims to transform the City into a zero-waste capital.

Clearabee – a Revolutionary Approach to Rubbish Removal

As a leader in the waste management industry, Clearabee provides fully integrated rubbish removal and recycling services throughout the UK.

Thanks to their flexible approach to rubbish removal, you can sustainably dispose of any small or large quantity of rubbish at any time. You’ll also enjoy a wide range of rubbish removal options such as skip hire, skip bags or furniture removal services.

And because the company diverts more than 95% of the collected rubbish away from being sent to landfills and offsets their vehicles’ CO2 emissions by 150%, whenever you book a clearance with Clearabee, you’ll contribute to protecting the environment.

How much do life coaches charge in London?

In the past five years, the demand for life coaches in London has been growing and this trend is likely to take off in the coming years.

Having a life coach could potentially be as common as having a personal trainer at the gym in the near future.

Life coaches can help elevate your mind and body to help you achieve personal and professional goals that are instrumental to self-growth and self-improvement. But these services come at a cost which can vary substantially depending on the type of life coach you want and the frequency of the program.

Average Monthly Cost

Hiring the services of a life coach in London can cost on average in between £200 – £1000 a month for a total of three to four face-to-face or phone meetings as well as continued monthly correspondence via email and chat.

In some cases, this cost can be a lot higher depending on what specialized coach you are looking to hire and the goals you are trying to achieve. Some coaching programs are a lot more intense and require a lot more time and energy on part of the life coach leading to a substantially higher monthly cost.

Opportunity Cost

The best way to determine whether a coach is feasible and within your budget is determining the value of what you are likely to gain from their coaching in comparison to what it is going to cost. A life coach is a broad category that can include coaches that specialize in many different subjects, skills, and expertise.

For example, if you are looking for a life coach that can help you unlock your true potential by expanding your network and social circle while strengthening your organization, management, and decision-making skills than paying them a £1000 – £2000 a month is well worth the investment. This is especially true if you are seeking to take your career or personal life to the next level.

Hourly vs. Monthly

Many freelance coaches and coaching companies offer hourly and monthly coaching programs to help you achieve your goals and build self-confidence.

An hourly plan is certainly beneficial to start with as it allows you to test the program to really get a sense of whether it is the right fit for you. A life coach in London can cost anywhere from £25 – £200 an hour depending on the coach’s specialization, experience, and popularity.

If everything goes smooth initially and you begin to see positive results from the training and regiment proposed by your coach than selecting a monthly model moving forward could be more advantageous. By paying monthly you generally get greater access to your coach and at a more affordable price. This can help you work towards achieving your long-term goals.

Cost Variation

The most highly ranked coaches tend to be a lot more expensive as compared to freelance, part-time or self-proclaimed coaches that can be found dime and dozen on a variety of social media platforms.

It is always recommended to go with a coach that is well-renowned in their profession and have the network and skills to get you where you need to be. Paying a little extra upfront can help you earn and save a lot more in the future with the right coach.

If you’re looking for an elite level life coach in London, then https://michaelserwa.com/me/ should be considered. He is the most expensive coach in the UK, but provides the highest, most exclusive level of service to his clients.

24 hour pest removal in north London by Empire Pest Control

How would you react if you wake up in the middle of the night and you find out that there is a rat in the kitchen?

Or how would you feel if you had hired a pest removal service, you had spent a lot of money and two days after the service, the pest is back on your house?

Believe it or not, it might happen; but you can avoid it by hiring the correct and the most professional pest control service. This kind of companies will be there for you, before, during and after the pest removal job. Before: by advising you and creating the lowest budgets, during the job while they will use their professionalism to fully remove the pest and; after, by being in contact with you in case something goes wrong and the pests return.

In North London, a company that has all those characteristics is Empire Pest Control. They will be ready for you at any time in case something unusual happens at your home or commerce.

Empire Pest Control has a professional team that knows what to do with in any kind of pests and which are the best products to use in order to guarantee a great job. The best thing to do is to know which the main factors are to consider in order to hire the greatest company:

Find companies with differentiated objectives

At your house or commerce, you may find several kinds of pests, such as: rats, mice, bedbugs, foxes, squirrels and even more, that is why, the professionals must know what to do and how to differentiate each of them. In other words, it is not the same to treat rats as bedbugs or pigeons. However, the common factor is that all of them may cause several issues to your life and even diseases to your family members. That is why; as Empire Pest Control knows how to treat each of them, they will send you the most specialized professionals.

Check that they provide 24 hours services

As we stated before, pests may show up in your house at any time, any day of the week. That is why is very important to hire a company that can arrive at your house at those unusual times. Empire Pest Control is ready to arrive at your house or commerce in a matter of minutes, in order to do the job as soon as possible. It is also important to consider that this kind of animals must be removed in a short time, since its reproduction is extremely fast and can cause the problem to be even greater in a matter of days.

Be covered after the job

These companies are treating with animals and they can be unpredictable. Empire Pest Control will do a great job by the time you call them, although, once they finish, pests can return. Maybe some eggs where left in hidden places or maybe the pest was so big that they could not remove them all. However, if this happen, Empire Pest Control will be ready to come back at your house to take action again.

Hire companies with the best products

Empire Pest Control has the best pest removal in north London that are trained to do the job correctly. In addition, this kind of company uses the best products against the pests and that are harmless to your family or house. These products have the necessary volume and chemical to ensure a great job but always taking the necessary care to avoid generating problems for your family, plants or pets.

Photo by Mert Guller on Unsplash

5 places to visit in London at night

London is a wonderful city. Almost everyone falls in love with this city. Day or night, it just gets better at every step.

When the sun goes down, the city lights up and many of London’s most famous landmarks are showcased across the city skyline. There are places where you can have long walks and meet new people and see new places and as we all think that night time is much more peaceful.

While visiting London you would need a place to stay basically a hotel to stay with your family or with your spouse. The hotels near Paddington station are great for the desired any businessman or travel would want.

The Park Grand London Paddington Hotel is a great property which is easily accessible by public transport. It has access to transport links like Kensington Gardens and Heathrow airport via the Heathrow Express. Park Grand London Paddington Hotel is ideal for both business professionals and tourists.

Make sure to explore the city after the sun has gone down. Visit some of the places below for sure and don’t forget to bring your camera!

CHINATOWN

Well, who doesn’t like the products sold at a place like this?The enclave currently occupies the area in and around Gerrard Street. It contains a lot of different happening places like Chinese restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, souvenir shops, and other Chinese-run businesses.

The first Chinatown was located in Lime House in the East End. There is a stone lion on Gerrard Street.

LEADENHALL MARKET

Leaden hall Market is a covered market in London, located on Grace Street Church but with vehicular access also available via Whittington Avenue to the north and Lime Street to the south and east.

This is a must-visit as it is one of the oldest markets of London. It dates back from the 14th century. You can find this market in the historic center and financial district of London.

It is open on weekdays from 10 am until 6 pm. You can basically find fresh food with cheesemongers, butchers, and florists. It was basically a meat, gameand poultry market. Now, you can finda number of commercial retailers in the market. Itincludes clothes shops as well.

LONDON EYE

The London Eye is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is a famous tourist attraction and is considered Europe’s tallest observation wheel. It has over 3.75 million visitors yearly. It is a wonderful place to visit at night as the city is lit up and it is quite a view from there.

The structure of the eye is 135 meters tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 meters. The London Eye used to offer the highest public viewing point in London until it was superseded by the 245-meter (804 ft) highobservation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard. This opened to the public on 1 February 2013.

SKY GARDEN

The famous sky garden is London’s highest public garden. The Sky Garden is located at20 Fenchurch Street. It is a different public space that runs across three storey’s and offers 360-degree majestic views across the City of London. Visitors are allowed to wander around the beautifully landscaped gardens, observation decks and an open-air terrace which is basically London’s highest public garden.

It is basically designed to offer an open and vibrant place of leisure. It gives visitors a rare chance to experience London from a different viewpoint. Entry to the Sky Garden is completely free.

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE

The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and a prime performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as the “Covent Garden”, after a previous use of the site of the opera house original construction in 1732.

It contains the Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. It was called the Theatre Royal previously.

Conclusion

So, to all the travellers who are planning to visit London can go and check out the above places and create some new experiences and memories with your families or spouse.

5 best must-visit Oxford Street London attractions

Oxford Street has been one of the main arteries pulsing through the heart of London’s West End for centuries, and its origins can be dated all the way back to Roman times.

The 1.5mile-Long Street stretches from Tottenham Court Road station to the east and Marble Arch station to the west.

It used to be called Tyburn Road during the middle ages and was the main road leading from London to Oxford.

There are a lot of places in London near Oxford Street, which may interest you. As the oxford street is known for shopping and the flagship stores, it also has some places which are visited by the tourist while shopping from Oxford Street.

As you will be there for visiting you need to find a fitting place to stay, which is modern yet feels like home. M by Montcalm is one of the best hotels to stay at when visiting London. M is Montcalm’s spirited younger sibling, same DNA, but different personality.

These are the 5 places you must visit near Oxford Street

HYDE PARK

Hyde Park is located in Central London. It is the largest of four Royal Parks, and it is worth a visit. It also forms a chain from the entrance of Kensington Palace which runs through the Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Park past the main entrance to Buckingham Palace.

The park has Serpentine and the Long Water lakes as well. HydePark is 2-3 minutes’ walk from the oxford street which can be visited if you want to rest after the long shopping spree you just had at Oxford Street.

PRINCESS DIANA MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN

Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain which is also known as the Diana, is a memorial in London dedicated to Princess. She died in a car accident in the year 1997. The park was made to express her spirit and love for the children.

The fountain is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park, just south of the Serpentine Lake and east of the Serpentine Gallery. Its cornerstone was laid on September 2003, and it was officially opened on 6 July 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II.

Diana’s younger brother Charles Spencer, her ex-husband Prince Charles, and her sons William and Harry were present at the opening of the fountain. The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain is about 2 miles from the oxford street, which may take 10-11 minutes to reach there.

SPEAKERS’ CORNER

It is typically an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are conducted. It is also considered as the only original, and most noted is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London.

Some of the other areas in London were also designated as Speakers’ Corners which included Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Finsbury Park, Clapham Common, Kennington Park, and Victoria Park. This corner was set up to show and demonstrate the need for freedom of speech.

PHOTOGRAPHERS’ GALLERY

It is the first public gallery in the UK which is devoted solely to photography. It was founded in the year 1971. The Photographers’ Gallery is about 1 mile far from Oxford Street; you can go there via St George Street, which will take about 5-7 minutes.

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London; it has smaller museums in several other major cities. Wax sculptor Marie Tussaud founded it. It had a different spellbind and used to be spelled as “Madame Tussaud’s”; the apostrophe is no longer used. Madame Tussauds is very famous and is visited by a lot of tourists every year.

It showcases the waxworks of famous and historical figures, which includes popular movie and television characters. Madame Tussauds is about 1.5 miles away from Oxford Street. You can travel to this wax museum via Oxford St/A40 and Gloucester Pl/A41, and it would take about 8-10 minutes.

CONCLUSION

These are the 5 places you must visit while you are at Oxford Street. You can make your shopping trip an educational trip as well and why not roam the places nearby when you are visiting a different country. London is truly a traveler’s delight.

HS2 line cannot be delivered within £56bn budget & could rise by £30bn

The chairman of the High Speed 2 rail project has reportedly warned that its cost could rise by £30bn.

HS2 chairman Allan Cook has written to the Department for Transport to say the high-speed line cannot be delivered within its £56bn budget, according to the Financial Times.

The DfT said a review of HS2’s costs is continuing.

The line will connect London, the Midlands and northern England using trains capable of travelling at 250mph.

“The chairman of HS2 Ltd is conducting detailed work into of the costs and schedule of the project to ensure it delivers benefits to passengers, the economy and represents value for money for the taxpayer,” the DfT said in a statement.

“This work is ongoing. We expect Allan Cook to provide his final assessment in due course.”

The first segment of the project between London and Birmingham is due to open at the end of 2026, with the second phase to Leeds and Manchester expected to be completed by 2032-33.

An HS2 spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on leaks or speculation.

“We have previously noted that our chair, as you would expect, continues to scrutinise the programme, and regularly reports back to the Department [for Transport].

“We are determined to deliver a railway that rebalances the economy, creates jobs, boosts economic growth and is value for money for taxpayers.”

Mr Cook was appointed to head HS2 in December 2018 after his predecessor, Sir Terry Morgan, resigned as chairman because of delays at the Crossrail project in London which he was also leading.