Leeds city centre pipeline runs dry

Residential sales activity in Leeds city centre is set to grind to a halt if plans for new schemes are not put in place soon – there are  are no new build apartment schemes currently being built and none are planned for next year either.

Having been crowned the empty flats capital of the North in the past, Leeds has gone from one extreme to the other with the only scheme on the horizon being Crispin Lofts, which is being built specifically to let.

In the 2010 The City Living Research Report published by the University of Leeds warned that construction over the next five years would stall with only five schemes, totalling around 600-700 flats, having a chance of being delivered within the next five years.

Schemes within the main city core are nearly all fully occupied which means there isn’t much choice for owner occupiers or investors at the moment. We have gone from a situation of chronic over-supply to a real lack of apartments in these central areas in less than five years.

With rental demand soaring and increasing numbers of potential owner occupiers looking for stand-out apartments in central locations we are also beginning to see some positive price movements.

Leeds benefits from a large financial centre, popular universities and expanding hospitals, and now there is growing demand from young professionals wanting to buy in the city centre we hope that development will start to regain some momentum soon to meet that demand.

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Morgans is recruiting

Morgans is recruiting eight new people to work across its city centre and newly opened North Leeds offices as a direct result of increased business throughout our residential sales and lettings departments.

After investing more than £500,000 creating a new state of the art office on Otley Road in Headingley, just four months after opening our lettings business throughout North Leeds increase by more than 10 per cent.

In addition our Dock Street office, which manages Leeds city centre’s largest apartment portfolio, is continuing to grow its market share and is also reporting an increase in sales since the start of the year.

We’ve had a great start to the year, we’re continually winning new business and we’ve also enjoyed a number of big successes such as being appointed by Rushbond Group to let and manage Crispin Lofts on North Street which is being developed exclusively for the rentals market.

As a result we’re now appointing rentals negotiators, property managers, customer services staff and we also have a number of part time and seasonal positions to fill. Although experience is required for some of these roles there are also opportunities for industry newcomers who want to work in property. As long as they have a great work ethic and plenty of enthusiasm they have the potential to enjoy a successful career at Morgans.

For further information on the company visit www.cityliving.co.uk or potential applicants should email a covering letter and CV to s.kirk@cityliving.co.uk.

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Shop till you drop!

Trinity Quarter have announced that their scheme is now 66% let, a year ahead of completion. This is an amazing achievement in a difficult market and has much to do with the strength of demand in and around Leeds for quality shopping and leisure. What’s most exciting is the number of brands in Trinity which will be new to Leeds- an Everyman Cinema where you can watch a movie from a sofa with-at seat service, 2 new Conran restaurants, Hollister, Apple, Republic and Giraffe, to name a few. You can view the web-cam at www.trinityleeds.com

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We’re winning new business and we’re recruiting

We’re winning new business every day and we’re looking for new blood. We are looking for people with a strong work record, which doesn’t have to be in property, bags of energy to burn, self-motivation and plenty of self belief.

We are market leaders in city centre and North Leeds rentals and we’re on the move so if you want to be part of something very exciting and you love property, email your CV to s.kirk@cityliving.co.uk and tell us what you’ve got to offer.

The Crypt Factor 2012

We would like to congratulate Emma Eastwood and Debbie Bull of Morgans,who put their nerves to one side and took to the stage for Charity in front of 400 people on March 1st at Elland Road. They put on a stunning show, performing ‘Let me entertain you’ and ‘Like a Virgin’ respectively so well done to our rising stars!

First glimpse of Crispin Lofts

Just got back from our first visit to peek at the brand new loft style apartments at Crispin House.
Met the project team and the developer and saw a fantastic near finished split level one bed. The spec is great- flooring, exposed brickwork, very high ceilings, sleek, low profile kitchens, loads of storage space, big windows- just what we need in a market starved of new buildings.
Residents in the building will enjoy optional secure basement parking, a concierge and the use of a residents gym!
First completions in April 12- exclusive to Morgans city centre rentals – call 0113 3980098 to join the priority list.