Archives

How does the prime London property market vary by postcode?

In a new piece by Investec, Black Brick Buying Agents have been asked to share our insights and expertise into how different areas of London affect the prime property market.

Our Managing Partner, Camilla Dell, commented:

“Bayswater appeals to a wide range of buyers, ranging from families to property investors. The area has seen a surge in buyer demand, driven by a £3bn regeneration of Queensway, which includes high-end apartment complexes, restaurant pavilions and landmark retail destinations that will be completed in 2026. W2 is also within striking distance of some of London’s best schools such as Wetherby, Chepstow House and Pembridge Hall.

My favourite part of W2 is The Hyde Park Estate, a small triangle area bordered by the Bayswater Road, Edgeware Road, and Sussex Gardens. The architecture consists of grand, white, stucco-fronted buildings that surround various garden squares and crescents. Residents are close to the park and Connaught Street for essential shopping.

The volume of transactions in W2 is up 14% year-on-year, and there has been a 9% increase in prices. In the last three months, houses achieved an average sales price of £6,082,667. Homes in good condition with period features and high ceilings are most sought-after, particularly in quieter streets.

That said, Bayswater hasn’t been immune from the slowdown caused by increases in stamp duty and the abolishment of the UK Resident Non-Dom rules. The average discount achieved between February and April 2025 was 9% *.”

Read the full article here.

First-time buyers today are going straight for the family house

In a new feature for The Times, Black Brick Managing Partner, Camilla Dell shares why young people are leaning towards buying their ‘forever home’ early on, rather than climbing the ever-challenging property ladder.

“In the old days, you might buy your studio, then sell it, then buy your one-bed, then sell, then a two or three-bed, then a family house,” she said. “That pattern, certainly in London, has vanished as a result of extortionately high stamp duty rates. People are moving less and trying to future-proof. First-time buyers want a house that will last them a good ten years.”

Read the full article by Hugh Graham here.

Why are Americans are flocking to the Cotsworlds?

It’s been reported that Americans are flocking to the ‘Hamptons of England’, where the cost of buying in the countryside is around 40% cheaper than buying in the US.

The Cotsworlds provides the perfect, picturesque backdrop that country-escapers are looking for, whilst still being in close reach of London.

In a new article for The Daily Mail, Black Brick Buying Agent Camilla Dell shares her insights into how this move is effecting the London and wider UK property market.

Read the piece here.

The £400m blossoming of Bloomsbury

Located just on the edge of prime central London, Bloomsbury is seems to be undergoing a glow-up this year, thanks to local campaigns and new investment.

Speaking on the region’s property market, Black Brick’s Managing Partner, Camilla Dell has been interviewed for a new feature in The Financial Times.

Read the article here.

How interest rate cuts will help revive our flagging housing market

With over 100,000 property sellers cutting their prices last month alone, it poses the question: is the Bank of England’s base rate cut signal future mortgage rate reductions?

Speaking with David Byers of The Times, Black Brick Managing Partner and experienced UK property expert Camilla Dell shares why she believes the impact of Labour’s tax rises, and in particular the end of the non-dom scheme, is hobbling the priciest parts of London.

“Buyers of prime London property are nervous about buying into a market with excessively high stamp duty rates and an exodus of wealthy people leaving our shores for more favourable tax jurisdictions.”

Read the full article here.

‘For the brave, there are real opportunities’: Camilla Dell on buying PCL property in a global financial crisis

“The playing field has changed substantially”, Black Brick Founder & Managing Partner, Camilla Dell told PrimeResi this week.

Speaking on the current (rather turbulent) global financial market, Camilla sat down with PrimeResi for a new article about how Trump’s tariffs have caused chaos for London’s prime central property market.

“In 2008–2009, we saw a clear flight to safety,” Dell said. “At the height of the global banking meltdown, with names like Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and AIG dominating headlines. Many of our clients turned to London property as a tangible, stable alternative to volatile stocks and bonds. Activity surged, driven both by opportunists and those seeking the security of bricks and mortar.”

This is not the case today, however. “We don’t anticipate a sudden rush of overseas buyers flooding the market, despite the current financial volatility,” Camilla commented, despite Black Brick seeing “notable momentum from UK domestic buyers those upsizing, downsizing, or purchasing second homes.”

Read the full piece here. 

Will Trump’s tariffs impact the UK property market, and if so, how?

The president from across the pond has once again shocked the world this week, this time with tariff turmoil that led to a stock market meltdown.

But just how much will they impact the London and wider UK property market? Black Brick Managing Partner and renowned buying agent, Camilla Dell shared her thoughts on the news in a new piece for The Times.

Having founded Black Brick Buying Agents in 2007, just before the financial crisis, Camilla commented that London’s luxury property market was already a buyer’s market well before Trump came along. The tariff news is just the latest in a series of that has led to the market slowdown, rather than the main reason. “The result of stamp duty increases and non-dom tax changes have caused prices in London to decrease to levels not seen since the financial crisis,” Camilla was quoted.

Read the piece written by Hugh Graham, David Byers and Carol Lewis here.

Spring Budget 2025: The prime property industry’s hopes & fears

Black Brick Founder & Managing Partner, Camilla Dell joined a panel of luxury property leaders this week, urging the Chancellor to “ease the tax burden on residential transcations, and to make Britain a more hospitable place for international investors & HNWIs.”

The panel comprised of estate agents, buying agents, developers, designers and mortgage brokers, all sharing their hopes and fears for the upcoming 2025 Spring Budget.

In the article by PrimeResi, Camilla reflected that changes to the SDLT regime since 2014 have been “like pouring glue into the London property market”, and urged for a return to the pre-George Osborne “slab” structure.

Read full article here.

Why are so many of London’s luxury houses empty?

“Is it tax changes, market timing or something more sinister?”, asks Melissa York in her new piece this week for The Times.

The question comes as parts of London’s most luxurious and high-priced areas begin to empty, leading to a rather dramatic stand-still in the capital’s prime property market.

Camilla Dell shared her insights into just why this may be the case, citing how many luxurious London home owners find their city properties too un-prepared to cater for their short trips into the capital. With no full-time lodgers, the homes go empty with dust collecting, no clean bedsheets, and no food in the fridge.

She also shared how Black Brick have found a solution to the problem in our development of Prime Property Asset Management, where we check over empty, second-home properties for heating, plumbing, electrics and ventilation, and prepare them as warm, clean homes stocked with fresh groceries, flowers and wine, ready for their owner’s arrival.

Read more in the full article here.