Knight Frank Daily Update Monday 22nd June
Tree planting, the return of gazumping and retail sales
2 minutes to read
Good morning,
Need to know
Boris Johnson will unveil the latest measures to ease the lockdown in the UK on Tuesday. A decision is also expected on whether the two-metre rule on social distancing should be relaxed.
A weekly saliva test is to undergo a trial to pick up asymptomatic cases of the virus - ministers hope the results could provide a blueprint for a national mass testing programme.
As economies reopen, it appears that pockets of a resurgent virus are likely to ebb and flow. Last week's outbreak of the virus in Beijing has now eased. Meanwhile, Germany’s coronavirus reproduction rate jumped to 2.88 on Sunday, up from 1.79 a day earlier, health authorities said.
There are tentative signs that France has a working model. Social distancing measures remain in place and masks are compulsory on public transport. Since easing the lockdown, the weekly number of Covid-19 patients sent to hospital has more than halved.
In Spain only 154 cases were diagnosed on Thursday, compared with 373 daily cases when it began easing its lockdown. It will now accept British visitors without the need to quarantine.
As it happens, London City Airport reopened for passenger flights yesterday after a three-month shutdown.
The property market
This morning we update our outlook for the UK residential market.
The number of new prospective buyers registering across the UK was 45% above the five-year average in the second week of June and gazumping and sealed bids are on the rise, though there remain questions as to how long this burst of activity will continue, writes Tom Bill.
Andrew Shirley's latest analysis of rural markets covers tree planting, commercial tenants struggling to pay rent as a result of the pandemic, and an uptick in land being brought forward for sale.
Stephen shares his thoughts on the prospects for the retail sector on this morning’s edition of our Intelligence Talks podcast. Faisal Durrani, Head of London Commercial Research, joins the discussion to and explores how the serviced office sector is changing to amidst new demand for flexible space. Listen on Acast, Apple or Spotify.
If you have any questions, please contact me, or the team.