Warwick-Watcher

Or view it as sheltered rented accommodation - under £40k a year may not seem expensive compared to a care home.

Maybe we could pair a rich family with a poor one. The poor one could do the menial tasks in return for their money from the rich one. Cut out the government benefit system

They won't act. They will continue to be "watchful", but will do nothing; like they did nothing last time inflation got this high (mid-2011) - anyone remember the Bank of England base rate rising then? No, thought not because it didn't happen. https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/consumerpriceinflation/july2020

Peterborough is apparently already the shittiest place in England - for the third year according to this website. https://www.ilivehere.co.uk/top-10-worst-places-to-live-in-england/10 Now it's to lose its John Lewis branch; is there no end to the pain? However housing is cheap - £270k for a 4 bed detached house. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/78881934#/

Banbury being a classic example - the Castle Quays shopping centre is owned by Cherwell District Council, who are paying a fortune to expand it; whilst the old BHS unit has been turned into a pop-up food/gift area, M&S has closed and moved out of town, and now Debenhams will go - leaving the 3 largest units in the original centre empty. Whilst they busily build more retail and leisure across the canal whilst removing car parking spaces?

Help to Buy London provides up to 40% equity loans from the government up to a ceiling of £600,000. Small value? https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/london/why-us/help-to-buy/london-help-to-buy/

More gaps in the high street then?

It's not just 21m "refugees". It's probably 500 million people who'd like to live somewhere nicer/richer than they were born.

Flat 349 as another example. Sold for £409k in 2003, listed at £830k in 2016 and sold in 2017 for £750k. Yet Zoopla now estimates it as worth £910k ! WTF A 17 year old flat up against endless new builds in that area. Good luck getting 20% more than it sold for 3 years ago.

1200 square foot, 2 beds, why the heck does it need 3 sh!tters?

The ones crossing are the key to entry for their extended families - just wait 3-5 years. They probably won't qualify for asylum but will be granted "exceptional leave to remain". Then just sit and wait until in-laws are allowed to join them.

True, unless they have a thing about horse statues! Looks like Oxford may be dropping or rising - who knows! https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/54584532?search_identifier=3cb7fb052a098bd41e02758d79a16984 Someone really wants a tenant - 4 price drops in 17 days! https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/55176286?search_identifier=3cb7fb052a098bd41e02758d79a16984 What's going on here - on the rental market for 11 months with 7 price changes? https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/52410793?search_identifier=3cb7fb052a098bd41e02758d79a16984

Or houses in Leamington Spa - developer obviously bought the colour palette from Homes Under The Hammer - grey is the new beige magnolia! Reduced 4 times since March from £1,400 to £1,000 ppm asking. Bought in 2019 for £250,000. So at best £12,000 p.a. rental income on a £250k capital outlay - under 5% yield. https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/54451526?search_identifier=fe6567976fac9717baf94caad4cafab0

Claim in the article that rents outside London are rising. How does that stack up when a million people have signed on in the past 3 months and another 1-2 million are about to lose their jobs? Banbury 2 bed flat example :- https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/54879417?search_identifier=f2bcea97b7a3ed72ebbdf7fa0a76f223 Reduced by almost £75 a month, so that's £900 a year less income for the landlord. At say 5% yield (asking £802x12) that caps the value of the flat at £192,000. Highest previous sale of a flat in that street is £183,000. Not looking likely that's going to be beaten any time soon.

BBC reporting job losses of their own - 520 roles in news. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53416067