On June 23rd, Britain will decide in a referendum whether to remain or leave the European Union. The move towards “Brexit”— Britain departing from the European Union— gathered steam following Europe’s migration crisis and the interminable euro mess. Asian Property Review talks to two experts on its impact on the London property market.
Hugh Wade-Jones, Managing Director at Enness Private Clients, an independently owned, large mortgage brokerage in Central London:
“A referendum on Britain’s EU membership may seem far removed from the London property market but, according to Halifax, confidence in the UK housing market is at its lowest in over a year. Similar drops were seen before the 2015 general election, with the looming spectre of mansion tax, and before the vote on Scottish independence in 2014. If the mere fact we are holding a referendum can have such an impact, what would happen in the event of a Brexit deserves serious consideration. It is difficult to talk about what would happen if we were to leave – after all, EU membership wasn’t designed to be something you could cancel, and we are in unchartered waters. At this stage, only one thing is certain; an exit would usher in a period of deep uncertainty, and uncertainty is poison to the housing market.
“In the longer term, solid arguments can be made on each side. In the ‘remain’ camp are those who say an EU exit would dry up investment in London property and cause prices to plummet. Among them is Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, who fears weaker levels of investment damaging the economy. At the moment, London is the city of choice for wealthy overseas investors. A Brexit would be felt the most keenly
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”1,2,3,4,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ]in central London, where 49% of the homes in the £1 mil plus bracket are currently bought by foreign nationals and fewer sales to EU nationals could result in a painful dip in house prices. According to a KPMG poll of 25 global real estate investors, 66% believe a Brexit would result in a significant drop in investment in UK property. The implication is that the view of UK property as a safe haven for wealthy investors’ money would take a hit. Investors look for a stable economic and political backdrop, and London’s stability has long been one of its main draws; this could go out of the window were we to leave the EU.
“At an International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington recently, Chancellor George Osborne – who has made no secret of his firm pro-remain stance – suggested an exit could also cause mortgage rates to jump up. ‘Families will be paying the price if Britain votes to leave the EU,’ he warned, echoing similar predictions made by Carney earlier this year. In the short term, lenders could react to the shock and financial instability by pushing rates up. Osborne’s argument is predicated on the notion that the plummeting pound (caused by investors selling off their UK assets) would drive up the cost of imports and increase inflation. The Bank of England, so his argument goes, could then increase interest rates in order to bring inflation under control and make sterling more attractive on the foreign exchange market.
“Of course, for all of these arguments, strong counter-cases have been made. Several economists believe the Bank of England’s next move if we voted to leave would actually be a rate cut to offset the shock to the economy, bolstering domestic demand and offering support to credit markets. Only if the fall in sterling turned into a full-blown crisis would rates rise, and at the moment this is a distant possibility – but a risk nonetheless.
There are also those who suggest a depreciation in sterling would mean international investors could buy British property cheaply, and this influx could make up for stilted investment in other areas.
“Inevitably, most of these arguments are pure speculation. To return to what we do know: in the wake of a leave vote, there would be years of negotiation as the terms of our exit are decided. During this period, we can expect stagnation as investors batten down the hatches and wait it out with London being the hardest hit.
We know the London property market functions best in a healthy economy; leaving the EU would therefore be a huge risk – and we have a lot to lose.”
Hugh Wade-Jones
Country Grouping in Europe
Camilla Dell, Managing Partner at independent property buying agency, Black Brick based in London:
“At the moment, in the run-up to the referendum, we are seeing two types of clients; some clients are very aware of a potential Brexit and the uncertainty that surrounds the referendum and, therefore, want to put their search on hold until the result is known. We have other clients who couldn’t care less. They want to buy, and buy now, and actually see the uncertainty surrounding the referendum as a good opportunity to get a better deal on their London property. The uncertainty is also having an effect on sterling, making London property cheaper for foreign buyers.
“Should we vote to leave, then this will create ongoing uncertainty as the UK seeks to agree a way forward with the EU. Sterling may weaken even further, again, making London property very attractive to foreign buyers.
“Should we vote to stay in, normalcy will return to the market straightaway and we may see a pickup in transaction volumes as a result of pent-up demand from buyers that were waiting in the wings.
“In general terms, London is going to retain its attractiveness to wealthy international buyers regardless of whether the UK remains in the EU; its cultural attractions, geographical location, legal system and concentration of talent mean that there will always be demand for prime central London property.”
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