Bedford Capital, International House, 6 South Molton Street, London (2026)

With a passion for excellence and a commitment to integrity, we specialize in connecting buyers and sellers across the dynamic and ever-evolving UK real estate market.

31/01/2025

Spain Golden Visa program: Full guide

Spain Golden Visa is a residency-by-investment scheme. For a minimum investment of 500,000 EUR, non-EU nationals can get a Spanish residence permit and secure visa-free travel across Europe's Schengen Area.

Eventually, you can also obtain Spanish citizenship.

Spain announced plans to end Golden Visas for real estate investments in early 2024, but concrete changes have yet to be made. The Spain Golden Visa program is running business as usual, and real estate remains a valid investment option as of October 2024.¹

In this article, you'll learn how to get a Golden Visa in Spain. What is the Spain Golden Visa program?
Many EU countries have residence-by-investment programs, commonly known as Golden Visas. Spain's version launched in 2013.¹ It allows foreign investors to get temporary residency in Spain through a significant capital investment.

As of 2024, you can invest in Spanish real estate, business investments or government bonds. The minimum investment starts at 500,000 EUR but can go as high as 2,000,000 EUR for certain investment options.²

The Spanish Golden Visa gives you the right to live and work in Spain, travel freely within the Schengen Area and enjoy Spain's high standard of living. Plus, your investment could lead to permanent residency and eventually citizenship.

Benefits of a Spain Golden Visa
The Spanish Golden Visa program is one of the most popular in the EU because it comes with great benefits.

Live, work, and study freely in Spain: You can choose any city or region in Spain, take any job you want, start a business, or enroll in Spanish universities

Include your whole family: Your investment covers everyone - your spouse or registered partner, all dependent children and dependent parents over 65. Each family member gets the same rights and benefits as you do

Access world-class education and healthcare: Your children can enroll in Spain's high-quality public or private schools, and later attend Spanish universities at local student rates. Your family also gets full access to Spain's comprehensive healthcare system, ranked among the world's best

Visa-free travel across the Schengen Area: Your Golden Visa lets you move freely through EU countries without additional visas or permits

No language tests or business experience required: Unlike some residency programs, Spain doesn't require you to speak Spanish or have any specific professional background

Keep your home base elsewhere: Spain's Golden Visa is incredibly flexible with residency requirements. You only need to visit Spain when it's time to renew your permit. This means you can live in another country while keeping your Spanish residency

Path to permanency: After maintaining your Spain Golden Visa for 5 years, you can apply for permanent residency. Another 5 years after that, you're eligible for Spanish citizenship

Citizenship fast-track for children: If you have a child while holding a Spain Golden Visa, that child can become a Spanish citizen after just one year of residence

All of these benefits make Spain an attractive Golden Visa destination for many families.

Who’s eligible for a Spain Golden Visa?
To qualify for a Golden Visa in Spain, you must:

Be at least 18 years old
Not currently live in Spain illegally
Have a clean criminal record for the past 5 years
Not be barred from entering Spain
Have valid health insurance coverage
Make the required investment and show sufficient financial means
Not have recent visa rejections from Spain or certain other countries
Meet basic health requirements
You can also include family members on your Spain Golden Visa application. Eligible family members include:

Your spouse or registered partner (including same-sex partnerships)
Dependent children of any age
Your parents or in-laws over 65 who depend on you financially
Your family members also need to have a clean criminal record and pass basic health requirements.

Real estate investment
Purchasing real estate is the most popular path to residency in Spain because it has the lowest minimum investment. It's also quite flexible.

You can:

Buy residential or commercial property
Purchase one property or several that total 500,000 EUR
Own it personally or through your company (if you're the majority shareholder)
Rent out the property for income
Get VAT benefits on commercial properties (21% can be reclaimed)³
The only thing you can't do is sell your investment property. Then you'll lose your Spanish temporary residence permit.

31/01/2025

Revealed: Britain’s poshest suburbs

Yummy mummies, Range Rovers, private schools and tweed gilets – they all scream one thing: posh. Posh people tend to flock to some of the greenest and prettiest parts of the country, places with huge Georgian townhouses, state of the art gyms and a local Gail’s bakery.

Now, with help from data from estate agent Savills, the Telegraph has revealed the 14 suburbs in the UK that have the highest number of households with the biggest mortgages, are close to the best schools, have gorgeous green spaces and high streets full of indie stores — i.e. the poshest places in the country.

Five out of the 14 areas are (predictably) in the UK’s most spenny city, London. But beyond the capital, the UK’s bougiest neighbourhoods can be found in the likes of Cambridge, Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow.

North Central in Oxford was the most affluent place outside of London. It has an average house price of £1.3m and average household income of £115k.

Fellow university town Cambridge featured high on the list. The suburb of Newnham is one of the most ‘sought after’ parts of the city and is a ‘hub for academia, science and pharmaceuticals’, with an average house price of £1.1m and household income of £104k.

Stoke Bishop in Bristol, which is close to some of the UK’s fanciest private schools, has also been named one of the country’s poshest locations, alongside Dorridge in Solihull and Edwalton and West Bridgford in Nottingham.

These are the UK’s 14 poshest suburbs:

Herne Hill, London
Between the Commons, London
Brook Green, London
Barnsbury, London
Newnham, Cambridge
South Hampstead, London
North Central, Oxford
Stoke Bishop, Bristol
Dorridge, Solihull
Edwalton and West Bridgford, Nottingham
Didsbury Village, Manchester
Gosforth, Newcastle
Bearsden, Glasgow
Lisvane, Cardiff

31/01/2025

London Mayfair's cheapest house is on sale for just £500,000

Mayfair is well-known as one of the glitziest, most luxurious and crucially most expensive areas of London to buy property.

But according to estate agency Wetherell it’s also currently home to the “biggest bargain” in Central London.

Wetherell says the flat - a 956-square-foot, two-bedroom abode priced at £500,000 - is the ideal “pad” for wealthy students from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The apartment is located on Davies Street, just down the road from the famous five-star hotel Claridges.

"This apartment would be ideal as a university or college student pad for a young student from a wealthy family from the Middle East, Africa or Asia. Many flats like this one get snapped up by overseas families who want a smart and safe base for their student offspring whilst they study in London,” James McManus, managing director of Wetherell, said.

The agency said that the current average price of a home in Mayfair is £4.66m, with a typical two-bedroom apartment priced at £2.8m.

Peter Wetherell, chief executive of Wetherell, said sub-£1m flats are still rare in Mayfair so the agency expects it to sell “extremely” quickly.

“This flat has forced me to ‘eat my words’ and to retract a bold claim I made just last year. Last year we forecast the extinction of the sub-£1 million flat in Mayfair. Well this flat clearly proves that mega-bargains can still be snapped up in Mayfair,” Mr Wetherell said.

31/01/2025

Abu Dhabi firm buys 50% stake in Broadgate skyscraper scheme

Modon Holding will acquire a 50% stake in the 750,000 sq ft development – marking its entry into the UK real estate market.

#1- Modon Holding buys into London office tower under new JV with Broadgate: ADQ-backed developer Modon Holding has acquired a 50% stake in London’s skyscraper project 2 Finsbury Avenue under a newly-formed 50-50 JV with Broadgate REIT, which is owned by British property company British Land and Singapore's GIC, according to a joint press release (pdf). While the financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, the move marks Modon’s first venture into the UK real estate market. The story got ink from Bloomberg and the Financial Times.

Project profile: The commercial and office-led skyscraper — which is set to be completed by 2027 — comprises two high-rise towers of 36 and 21 floors. Notably, next-gen capital market firms Citadel and Citadel Securities have pre-leased at least a third of the space, with options to expand up to half, significantly mitigating leasing risk.

REMEMBER- The Abu Dhabi-based real estate developer has been making a global push, recently acquiring Spanish real estate company La Zagaleta and inking an agreement in October to become the master developer on the USD 35 bn Ras El Hekma megaproject in Egypt. Its subsidiary, Adnec’s Excel London, also recently acquired London’s BDCG Holdings, which owns the Business Design Center venue in north London.

#2- Americana acquires Pizza Hut Oman: Mena restaurant operator Americana Restaurants acquired the Pizza Hut brand in Oman from the Khimji Ramdas Group, it said in a statement (pdf). The transaction, whose value was not disclosed, added approximately USD 11 mn to Americana’s 2024 top line, ramping up its ability to “capitalize on advanced digital capabilities, such as online ordering and personalized marketing, to meet evolving customer preferences.” The transaction involves 46 Pizza Hut restaurants across the country.

The acquisition is part of Americana’s strategy to expand its regional footprint, particularly in the pizza segment, the statement reads. The company’s Pizza Hut network now spans 450 locations across the region.

31/01/2025

Strong momentum continues in UK property market with 2% price rise

Confidence is growing in the UK property market as both buyers and sellers take action, with the North West continuing to stand out for its fast-growing market.
The latest Zoopla House Price Index has revealed another positive month for the UK property market as it continues to demonstrate strength and stability, along with a greater level of buyer confidence compared with last year.

Its index found that the average house price has increased by 2% year-on-year, while sales volumes were boosted by 12%, which was the fastest rate of growth seen in two years. This was accompanied by a 13% rise in buyer demand, demonstrating a jump in appetite for UK property among buyers and investors.

The number of homes for sale is also up by 10% compared with this time last year, making it the strongest January in seven years with an average of 31 properties for sale per estate agent branch.

Positive sentiment for UK property
Zoopla’s study also found that, despite concerns that upcoming stamp duty changes combined with less downward movement than expected in the mortgage market could dampen UK property appetite, in fact buyer sentiment was relatively undeterred by the headwinds.

The portal’s consumer tracker showed that there were now more renters and homeowners looking to buy or move in the next two years than there were a year ago; with 17% of homeowners looking to move now or in the next two years.

The proportion of homeowners with no plans to move but who intend to watch the market has risen from 21% to 25%, while the number of current renters who are looking to buy now or in the next two years has increased from 18% to 22%.

North West wins out
Underpinning the growing momentum in the UK property market is wage growth, which has been rising at a faster rate than house prices. Zoopla’s report notes that annual earnings growth is more than 5%, boosting affordability in many segments of the market.

However, with affordability still being one of the key considerations in the current climate due to higher mortgage rates and cost of living difficulties, the more expensive markets are the ones that tend to see the lowest growth. Demand in these locations peters out when there are financial constraints, boosting appetite in more affordable areas.

Looking at England specifically, the North West continues to record the fastest house price rises, with a 3.2% annual jump in the latest figures. The region has been ahead of most others in England for some time, with separate market outlooks expecting it to remain this way.

The report states: “The North West of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have recorded faster employment growth over the last 2 years than the regions of southern England. Locally, prices are rising the fastest in Wigan in the North West (5.6%) and Motherwell in Scotland (4.9%).”

Meanwhile, southern parts of the country have seen the lowest rates of house price inflation, according to Zoopla, of below 1.5%. However, with a recent increase in first-time buyer demand in London and the South East, the property portal expects more “near-term price inflation” in these areas.

Speeding up ahead of stamp duty change?
The UK property market is widely expected to continue to accelerate ahead of the upcoming stamp duty adjustment in April, as buyers try to get their transactions over the line ahead of the changes. However, Zoopla notes that the new stamp duty threshold is not actually expected to have a major impact on market activity overall.

As ever, the UK property market remains a strong asset class and a stable option for buyers thanks to its positive fundamentals, with supply continuing to fall short of demand, and an improving economic outlook boosting prospects further.

Toby Leek, President of NAEA Propertymark, said: “With the average house price higher than what was achieved last year, coupled with the fact that more buyers are looking to move home, now is a great time to consider putting your house on the market. Propertymark member agents reported that the number of new buyers registered per branch has on average increased year on year by 44%.

“The Stamp Duty changes due to commence in England and Northern Ireland from April are having the expected effect of high activity due to many people wanting to save themselves potentially thousands on their next home move.”

Malcolm Prescott, managing director of Webbers Estate Agents, said: “Fundamentally the UK property market thrives on confidence and positive sentiment and whilst we have had to endure negative press for a while we are now seeing customers positively embracing property hearing that prices are set to rise, albeit marginally (4/6%) and affordability seems to be back given the more consistent mortgage interest rates.

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