Attendance at Benham and Reeves Residential Lettings\u2019 latest series of property investment\u00a0seminars in South East Asia has surpassed expectations, with over 150 investors turning out\u00a0to attend the company\u2019s roadshows in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The\u00a0central London letting agency teamed up with companies such as Citibank and OCBC Bank\u00a0in Singapore to present the seminars highlighting the latest developments in the London\u00a0residential property market. Private appointments were also held over a 8 day roadshow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been our busiest trip to date, showing that demand from South East Asian investors\u00a0for London residential property shows no signs of slowing down,\u201d reports Anita Mehra,\u00a0Managing Director of the company, central London\u2019s largest, independent lettings agency.\u00a0\u201cEven the recent news that Singapore\u2019s central bank has announced plans to impose\u00a0restrictions on loans taken out by Singaporeans for their investments, seems to have had little\u00a0impact so far on investors\u2019 appetite for investing in London rental property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, investment conditions in London remain fairly settled and investors continue to\u00a0be drawn by the UK\u2019s economic stability, transparent legal system and liberal tax system.\u00a0Some of the investors we meet are wealthy individuals who are simply looking for a safe\u00a0haven for their wealth and London property meets their investment criteria, providing good,\u00a0long-term capital growth. These investors tend to stick to prime central London \u2013 it has a\u00a0unique cachet, with beautiful properties and a real kudos that few other international cities\u00a0can match.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother reason that Malaysian investors choose central London properties is that many\u00a0Malaysian banks for instance, will only lend on properties in Zones 1 and 2. But many\u00a0investors that are able to pay cash are looking for a good rental yield as well and are now\u00a0looking at new developments on the fringes of the city and central London where purchase\u00a0prices are lower yet rental demand is just as high, providing them with better rental yields –\u00a0typically around 5%,\u201d continues Anita.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment we\u2019re finding investment properties in East London and Docklands are\u00a0attracting a lot of interest from South East Asian investors \u2013 developments such as New Festival Quarter on the borders of Bow, Marine Wharf & Number 1 The Plaza in Greenwich,\u00a0Avant Garde in Shoreditch and Altitude in Aldgate (the latter two are in Zone 1 so meet the\u00a0Malaysian banks\u2019 lending criteria). The Triton Building in Kings Cross, NW1, also in Zone\u00a01, is another popular development.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems that London\u2019s favourable economic conditions \u2013 strong rental demand and healthy\u00a0rental yields coupled with good long-term capital growth, continue to attract overseas\u00a0investors. With most commentators predicting a growing shortage of housing in London\u00a0over the next few years, we don\u2019t expect this situation to change significantly,\u201d concludes\u00a0Anita.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Attendance at Benham and Reeves Residential Lettings\u2019 latest series of property investment\u00a0seminars in South East Asia has surpassed expectations, with over 150 investors turning out\u00a0to attend the company\u2019s roadshows in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The\u00a0central London letting agency teamed up with companies such as Citibank and OCBC Bank\u00a0in Singapore to present the seminars … <\/p>\n