News

22 Apr 2020

Unite to take 16%-20% hit on income this academic year

Unite Students, the student accommodation owner has said it expects a 16%-20% reduction in income for the 2019/20 academic year. The group has received rent cancellation requests for the summer semester of 2019/20 and expects to forgo rent on around 43,000-46,000 beds representing around 62-65% of all owned and managed beds. Remaining beds are accounted for by […]

21 Apr 2020

Stenprop collects 73% of rent during covid-19

UK industrial specialist Stenprop has provided an update on rent collection during the covid-19 pandemic. The company, which is in the process of converting its portfolio to be fully focused on UK multi-let industrial assets, said it had received 73% of rents, as at 15 April 2020, for the current quarter and the month of […]

20 Apr 2020

Retail landlords call for rental support scheme

Retail property landlords have called on the government to implement a rental support scheme as the covid-19 induced lockdown continues to hit income. Groups including British Land and Land Securities have teamed up with some of the biggest UK retailers to write to chancellor Rishi Sunak with their concerns, the FT reported today. They want […]

17 Apr 2020

Property valuations take a dive

We got the first real insight into the impact covid-19 is having on property valuations this week, with both Picton Property and BMO Commercial Property Trust announcing portfolio values for the quarter to 31 March 2020. BMO’s portfolio fell in value by 3.8% over the course of the period, while Picton’s was at a much […]

17 Apr 2020

Helical sells central London office at sub-4% yield

Helical has sold a central London office building for £48.5m and a net initial yield of 3.92%. The sale of 90 Bartholomew Close, Barts Square, EC1, which was made by Helical and its joint venture partner The Baupost Group, is a fillip for the property market during a period of few investment transactions due to […]

17 Apr 2020

Property companies update on covid-19 impact

Several property companies have updated the market on the impact of covid-19 on their business, as the lockdown in the UK is extended. Schroder REIT Schroder REIT has drawn its revolving credit facility (RCF) with Royal Bank of Scotland International in full, totalling £52.5m, to boost its cash reserves. Following the drawdown, the company has […]

16 Apr 2020

Big Yellow Group reports robust trading during covid-19 lockdown

Self-storage specialist Big Yellow Group has reported relatively robust trading during the covid-19 pandemic. The group said it saw heightened levels of activity both in and out of the business in the last two weeks in March. It recorded a net overall loss of 23,000 sq ft in occupancy in the two-week period. It said customer move-ins […]

16 Apr 2020

BMO Commercial Property Trust reports hit on NAV due to covid-19

BMO Commercial Property Trust’s net asset value (NAV) fell 5% in the quarter to 31 March 2020 as the covid-19 pandemic hit the value of its portfolio. The unaudited NAV per share was 124.3p compared to a NAV of 130.9p per share at the end of December 2019. The NAV is based on the external […]

15 Apr 2020

Picton Property to review dividend level

Picton Property will review the level of its dividend due to the covid-19 pandemic. The company has collected 71% of rents due for the current quarter, as at 7 April 2020. Short-term monthly payment plans have also been agreed with some tenants, which brings this figure to 80%. Picton, which owns a £665m diversified UK […]