Prospects for the UK property sector
There was much attention focused on the UK property sector yesterday with hopes that the government would step forward with significant assistance and significant financial help for this vital area of the UK economy. As it happens Alistair Darling confirmed that the stamp duty holiday on properties with a value of under £175,000 was to be extended until the end of 2009 along with significant investment into the UK mortgage sector.
As we covered just a few days ago, the UK government recently received clearance from the EU regarding a security backed mortgage liquidity arrangement which will see a significant increase in mortgage funding in the UK. There was also the announcement of a £500 million fund to re-energise the housing market and allow projects which had been mothballed because of the recession to come back online. We also saw £50 million put aside for the modernisation of armed forces properties and a further £100 million targeted at energy efficient homes of the future.
While there is no doubt that progress has been made in the UK mortgage market of late, many believe that more could have been done by the Chancellor to increase confidence, investment and support for a sector which has been in freefall for some time. There is a growing view that the UK authorities will continue to drip feed "good news" into the UK property market over the weeks and months ahead in the run-up to the general election.
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