Internet update

Citation

Nigel Almond, D. (2002), "Internet update", Property Management, Vol. 20 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/pm.2002.11320aag.001

Internet update

Housing plays an important role in society, not least because it provides shelter for individuals. Nevertheless, the availability of data remains limited relative to commercial property, where numerous sources of information exist, primarily through the leading commercial property consultants within the UK. Part of the problem, as with accessing information in general, is knowing where to find the data.

Both the Halifax and Nationwide publish their data on the Internet replacing the previous paper versions. The Halifax (www.halifax.co.uk) has its house price information within the general company information section, which is well hidden within the Web site. I found the easiest way to find it was to use the search facility and type in "house price index". Taking a link from one of the articles mentioned finally led me to the index! Once there you can view both the monthly or quarterly bulletins, or should you wish, there is the ability to download the index, with historic data in a Microsoft excel format. Details on their methodology is also available. For those who like to talk about house prices over dinner, you could always try the house price calculator, which tells you how much your property has appreciated (or depreciated!) between two periods, based on the main geographic regions e.g. the South East – so do not expect great accuracy in this facility for your own property!

The Nationwide (www.nationwide.co.uk) too, provides its house price index on the Web. Using the pull down menu of services on the home page, simply take the house price index option and you are automatically directed to the house price section – much easier that the Halifax! Once there the level of information available is much the same as the Halifax, with monthly and quarterly reviews, a house price calculator and details on their methodology. Data is also available to download, again in an excel spreadsheet format, though a much wider range of data is available including data on "all", "modern", "new" and "old" properties dating back to 1973. Other historic data, including that on house types is also available, some as far back as 1983, others just 1991.

In 1996 the Land Registry (www.landreg.gov.uk) entered into the arena producing a property price report at a more localised level (i.e. local/unitary authority), rather than the regional level used by the Halifax and Nationwide. These reports are available to download and view as an Adobe PDF (portable document format) file, rather than a spreadsheet format, although given the level of detail this is not surprising. Specific data can be acquired, with more details on this available on the Web site.

Beyond data from these traditional sources the picture is beginning to change with more publications on the housing market emerging from surveying practices. Savills (www.fpdsavills.co.uk) have traditionally produced regular bulletins on the housing market and continue to publish reports through the research section of their site. Choosing this section provides access to a variety of housing market reports including the regular residential research bulletin (with back copies available to 1997) and the Central London Residential Development survey (back copies to 1998). Their report on the "Emerging residential investment sector" (1998) is also available together with the recent residential investment report.

Knight Frank too produce an array of market reports in the residential sector, which can also be found within the research section of their Web site. This section of the Web site has been revised of late owing to the numerous current and historic reports available. Simply choose the type of report from the main list and the link will automatically take you to the desired reports, which are available to download. Beyond the quarterly market report, and other residential reviews, there are also some new and interesting development reviews for Bristol, the Midlands, the North and the Thames Valley. For those seeking better climates a report on the Spanish residential market is also available! Elsewhere, Cluttons (www.cluttons.com), Chesterton (www.chesterton.co.uk) and Jones Lang La Salle (www.joneslanglasalle.co.uk) produce reports on the residential market, and again these are held within the research sections of their sites.

Beyond market information the Government also produces housing data on the Department of Transport and the Regions (DETR) (www.housing.detr.gov.uk/) section of the Web site. The site is divided up into a number of sections including details on housing policy and research that is either currently being undertaken, proposed, or completed. Of particular interest is the Housing Statistics 2000 section that provides a link to a whole host of files available to download in both PDF and Excel formats. The level of information is too much to cover within this editorial, though to provide a flavour, it includes the stock of dwellings, house building, homelessness, finance and income.

A useful section in the DETR Web site is the links section, which provides direct links to a number of organisations involved in housing. One such organisation is the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (www.jrf.org.uk) which provides information on various research projects which it has been, or is, involved in. Details of current research priorities are also posted for those interested in undertaking research. A useful search facility is available to find past research findings, where you can search by various keywords provided, by date, or even by a title or reference search. In most cases the findings can be viewed or downloaded, with some reports dating back over five years.

The University of York (www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/index.htm) now too provides a rent and yields index, based on the index started by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. While the index is only available in paper format on subscription, some general information is provided on the Web site, to give a taster of what is available, including a market summary. The main reports themselves are published on a quarterly basis. Finally, for those interested in the residential lettings sector, the Association of Residential Letting Agents (www.arla.co.uk) provides some basic information on its activities, members and information on letting residential property.

Having started this editorial by stating that information on the residential sector is limited, it appears somewhat paradoxical in that having reviewed various sites a reasonable level of information is available. Certainly, in the past year or so the situation has improved. With increasing interest from key practices within this sector, further information should become available.

Dr Nigel AlmondMarket AnalystWeatherall Green & SmithLondon.E-mail: nigel.almond@weatheralls.co.uk