On Tuesday night, a couple of lucky people from Pocket were in the front row for a debate by the London mayoral candidates entirely devoted to the subject of housing in the Capital. Mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan launched his campaign by saying that the election in May was going to be “a referendum on housing” and from the level of engagement on Tuesday night – he was right. It was mentioned that previous Mayoral elections have been centred around the key issue of transport or policing and this vote will be defined by the candidate that reassures the electorate that they will make an impact on the housing crisis.
Pocket receives strategic investment from US company
Related Companies makes a ground-breaking strategic investment in Pocket
We are extremely excited to announce that we have attracted a new investor to Pocket. This week we became equity partners with Related Companies, the largest owner and developer of affordable housing in the US. This strategic investment in Pocket is a trail-blazing deal as it brings investment from across the pond into the UK’s affordable housing market. Related have acquired a 50% stake in Pocket, and will be working with us to scale up our delivery of discounted flats for sale and rent in London.
Pocket bond on Crowdcube attracts double-investors
So good they invested twice
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Pocket gets moving in Lambeth
On track to deliver 127 new Pocket homes in Lambeth in 2016
It’s all happening in Lambeth! Having just started building our latest development Mountearl Gardens SW16 in Streatham, Pocket has this corner of London on the brain. One of the boroughs where city makers most want to buy their first home is Lambeth, and what’s not to like?! Lambeth stretches all the way from the River Thames (overlooking Westminster) through multicultural Brixton, down to leafy Streatham. There’s something for everyone, and we are underway with Pocket schemes dotted from the top of the borough to the bottom, between them delivering 127 affordable Pocket homes, most of them one bedroom.
Construction at Wynne Road SW9 is well underway, and having started last week on-site at Mountearl Gardens SW16 we are really excited about the innovative modular construction methods we’re using, working with Donban Contracting UK, to reduce construction times and improve economies of scale – getting these homes delivered sooner. Sail Street and Juxon Street are due to start construction January 2016, using this same innovative approach. Here’s a round-up of all our upcoming Lambeth schemes:
Help for Help to Buy!
Helping to make Help to Buy helpful
Help! The government has its heart in the right place, trying to ‘help’ first time buyers with its Help to Buy schemes… and as of today a new one has launched, the Help to Buy ISA. It can all feel very confusing – we’re not promising to ‘deconfuse’ things completely, but here is a brief summary of how Help to Buy works with Pocket, and links to some nice clear explanations.
Mayor kicks off first Pocket homes in Lewisham
Pocket was delighted that Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham and Lewisham Housing Chief Cllr Damien Egan kicked off the construction of 26 affordable Pocket homes yesterday for local people in Lewisham.
How London Help to Buy might work for Pocket buyers
Announced in the government’s Spending Review yesterday, ‘London Help to Buy‘ is a punchy new addition to the Help to Buy family. And now that we’ve got our heads around how the Help to Buy equity loan works in principle, we can easily understand the London version. When coupled with the government’s commitment to create 200,000 starter homes, things should be easier for first time buyer in London, which is great news.
In simple terms, from early 2016 first time buyers in London will be able to borrow up to 40% of a new property’s value from the government, interest free for five years. This means that buyers will need to raise a smaller mortgage, which will open the market up to more people on lower incomes. Pocket hope this will help even more first time buyers to get a foot on the property ladder.
Furnishing your new Pocket home
A house doesn’t become a home until you put a personal stamp on the place. After the potential stress of buying a house, the real fun begins with decorating. Helpfully, our Pocket homes provide plenty of space and flexibility, whether you are buying furniture for your new home, picking out a specific living room rug or catching the eye with a statement art piece.
However, with various rooms and functions to consider, knowing where to start is far from easy. If the idea of how to furnish a new home gives you a headache, this guide could be useful for you.
Read MoreFair to Middling: Report of the Commission on Intermediate Housing
Fair to Middling, and how Pocket fits in
The latest report to be published on London’s housing crisis, Fair to Middling, is specifically focused on intermediate housing, whether it’s working, and how it can be improved. The Commission on Intermediate Housing (COIH) was set up following the Centre for London’s 2014 report, Hollow Promise, which highlighted that London needed to prioritise ways of making housing for low- to-middle income earners more affordable. The COIH has been jointly chaired by councillors from two very different London boroughs, Kensington & Chelsea and Haringey, with input from a range of eminent contributors – including Pocket’s very own CEO, Marc Vlessing.
Home sweet Pumpkin – fully booked for 1st phase viewings at Western Road UB2
1st phase viewings at Western Road UB2 fully booked
Becoming a homeowner means all sorts of things – one of which is having your very own front door to showcase your pumpkin-carving skills. It so happens that tomorrow, Saturday 31st October 2015, is Halloween, and we have invited nearly 30 potential buyers for our latest development in Western Road UB2, Southall, to visit our Camden show flat. We have back-to-back appointments, and while the launch has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween (although we may have some spooky sweets to keep our sales team and their visitors going through the busy day), it could mean that the 1st phase of Western Road UB2, sells out before the trick or treating starts!