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Behind every headline lies a story and recent news about rents rising to an average of £725 across England and Wales is sure to have perked the interest of would-be investors looking at buying cheap property to provide good returns.
However, for every landlord reaping the rewards of escalating demand for rental property as would be first time buyers are blocked from getting on the ladder, there is another whose tenants are out of work and struggling to make monthly payments. Templeton LPA recently revealed the number of tenants who owed two month’s rent or more has risen by 24 per cent annually in Q2 2012 taking the number to around 100,000. (more…)
A recent survey by Interface Financial Group revealed nearly one in three SMEs have been unable to secure business funding through traditional channels in the last twelve months. Unsurprising for anyone who follows this market, but what’s more interesting is what the survey doesn’t show – the reasons why these businesses have been refused and whether private investors would be willing to invest given the same information.
It is further evidence of a reaction to the lending excesses and disregard for risk that characterised the period prior to the credit crunch from providers of traditional business funding. They have pulled up the drawbridge leaving SME owners to try down the road, or plod on with modest growth, or worse still rely on short term finance measures like credit cards and overdrafts to support long term plans. (more…)
When you think of what motivates you to use a local business, it’s usually the fact that it’s close so you can save cash travelling further, you could have used it before and had a good experience, or you might know the owner and want to feel you’re contributing towards the business succeeding.
There will almost certainly be indirect benefits of doing this if other members of the community act in the same way. (more…)