WELCOME

Just the start

The inaugural issue of London Property Matters emerges from an unprecedented period for us all – and yet the capital’s housing market has defi ed all expectations

Despite beginning 2021 in lockdown, the property market was booming. In fact, in all my years in property, I have not witnessed such a thriving market. In the fi rst six months of this year, we agreed 44% more lets and 71% more sales compared to the same period last year. While business was good, we faced the added challenge of providing the exceptional service and results our clients and customers know to expect from us, while keeping everyone safe. Although the market has fl attened since the tapering of the stamp duty holiday, we are expecting a strong end to the year as many Londoners now focus on a diff erent holiday – wanting to be in new homes by Christmas, eager to make up for moments lost last year. Along with helping thousands of Londoners make their next property move, this year we have expanded our network with the opening of four new branches (meet our Queen’s Park team and fi nd out what makes the area so desirable on page 32). We have also brought two build to rent developments to market in partnership with Simple Life London. Read more about the build to rent market (page 48) and how we are helping to bring the Simple Life promise to London (page 52). Looking ahead, we explore the relationship between our homes and the environment, along with the future of green mortgages, on page 42. We also delve into why our housing shortage needs imaginative solutions and whether permitted development rights (PDRs) are the answer on page 54. Please do take a few minutes to read about the work of London Youth, as told by CEO Rosemary Watt-Wyness, on page 62. We are very proud to be in our fi fth year of supporting their invaluable work with young Londoners, both through staff fundraising challenges (more on page 63) and by donating £1 for every property valuation we undertake. Finally, don’t miss the opportunity to enter our competition to win an overnight stay at The Kensington Hotel, along with breakfast, dinner and a tour of Kensington Palace, on page 66. After the 18 months we have endured, I think we could all do with a bit of R&R. I hope you enjoy reading the fi rst issue of this magazine as much as we enjoyed creating it. We are delighted to share with you our expertise and knowledge of the London property market. If you have any feedback, we would love to hear from you. Please email magazine@k .co.uk. 

Lee Watts

KFH Founder and Managing Director