An increase in property prices, both residentially and commercially has seen London become the most expensive city to live and work in, worldwide. Reports from the major property companies, notably Savills and Knight Frank, have shown that prime office rents across central London have risen by nearly 10%. With high demand and a lack of supply in the coming months prices are steadily increasing , filtering out into historically less regarded areas such as Midtown.

Ever wondered what it’s like inside the iconic sky scrapers of London? Or what they’re worth? Well you’re not the only one. Besides there eye catching facades they are full of modern components that you just won’t get in a heritage building. As London city receives approval for upward growth you can expect to see more skyscraper when you look up at the sky. 

With the news that the Japanese Government are looking to invest a massive £43 billion into real estate across the globe from their new London base, the impact of overseas investors is highlighted once more. Japanese investors, prominent throughout the 80s and 90s, are once again at the forefront of an influx of Asian investors within the London market – both in residential and commercial markets. However, there has been a diversification in who is investing.

Midtown has now officially beaten its previous record rental rate high in 2008 after seeing a 6% increase in rent in the last six months, how long can this carry on before tenants say enough is enough? Well it appears that time has come. Midtown has traditionally been the trading grounds for the legal industry, but as a reaction to the continuously increasing rents we see industry leaders making a move to new areas. 

Once upon a time there were many start up tech and media businesses who wanted nothing more than to be a part of Shoreditchification; Shoreditch was a much sought after location for these Hipsterpreneur’s who thought the run down, somewhat grotty appeal of Shoreditch was one that would benefit their businesses. Historically, East London’s rental market has been easy on the pocket and this was a major benefit as long as you didn’t mind being in East London.

Another glass skyscraper is set to grace the City of London’s skies with its presence by 2017; with work beginning this year the 35 storey tower’s home will be in the cities insurance district nestled in between ‘The Walkie Talkie’ (20 Fenchurch Street), 100 Bishopsgate and ‘The Cheesegrater’ (122 Leadenhall Street) – let’s hope this one doesn’t melt any cars.

It’s no news that the desirable office spaces are near easily accessible transport hubs. Who likes a long commute? Not me, and I believe much of London will agree with me. This can be seen by increased development in areas following the development of transport accessibility to the area. 

CBRE and their joint venture partner Instant Offices recently provided figures showing serviced office take up in the West End. The published figures show there has been a gradual increase in take up of serviced offices since 2010 with a sudden step up in 2014 meaning over 400,000 sq. ft. of space is likely to be taken up by the end of the year. In comparison take up in 2011 was just 70,923 sq. ft. – a difference of 329,077; total serviced office space is currently at 3 million sq. ft. which shows a growth of 25% in the last two years!

With the ‘Yes’ vote narrowly ahead for the first time, the impact of Scotland’s potential independence has hit the property world. Proposed deals across London are being put on hold until after Thursday’s referendum as factors such as the devaluation of the Sterling in recent weeks making investors and developers uneasy about risking money that may become further weakened if Scotland votes ‘Yes’.

A portfolio of industrial properties in the south east of the UK has been put up for sale. The seller, Columbus Capital Management, has placed an asking price of £220.5 million on the investment vehicle, which is currently registered in Jersey. Columbus is a division of Schroders, the fund manager, who set it up in 2011 after buying a portfolio of nine assets from Alycidon Investments. Schroders plc is a global asset management company with £271.5 billion under management as of June this year.