Up until recently it has been well noted in various studies by major reputable property consultancies that London is now receiving more foreign investment, up to two thirds of investment in the prime locations of London are coming from overseas, the Shard being one prime example of this. London has been deemed the safe haven for those countries suffering in the Euro zone as well as other nations such as China and UAE.
London has seen around £16b of investment in 2012, while New York only received £4b in the same time frame, demonstrating just how attractive London is too foreign investors. But now the chief executive of the property investment management company, Riverside Capital has stated that there are traps that overseas buyers need to be aware of when investing in London and without UK real estate knowledge and the correct guidance, they may not be investing in the best possible way.
A foreign investor is unlikely to know the London market well, and should only really invest after conducting the due diligence necessary on all major factors such as on the property, the locality, the existing and future yield. It has been evidenced that knowledge of the current location situation is a major issue for investors, and a percentage of foreign investment is being pumped into the City of London – the reasoning behind this is fair, with the City being the financial district of London.
As said by Christina Weguelin of Morgan Pryce, “during the past 25 years, the supply of office space in the City of London has grown by around 60%, whereas the supply of office space in the West End is dwindling and has increased by only 16%. Rental levels are therefore much higher in the West End than the City, and investment in office space in the West End would provide much more asset growth than that of an office in the City.”
In today’s economic situation, London is ever changing and for an oversea buyer, it would be their due diligence to properly investigate the current trends effecting London before investing.
Morgan Pryce is a specialist tenant acquisition agent with offices in Oxford Circus and the City. Morgan Pryce specialises in search, negotiation and project management and works exclusively for tenants.
