FAB Realty’s Chief Executive Officer, Ayomikun Adebayo, while addressing attendees, highlighted the company’s journey and its vision to bridge global capital with Africa’s property potential. “Afri-Vest is more than just an event—it’s a movement that educates, connects, and empowers Africans globally to invest with confidence and clarity,” she stated.

Emphasizing the need for strategic partnerships, Adebayo revealed plans to scale up the Afri-Vest initiative, describing it as a gateway for aligning diaspora wealth with development in Africa’s rapidly urbanizing regions. “Our mission is to bridge the investment gap and empower Africans to take part in the continent’s development story,” she added.

A central feature of the summit was a panel discussion involving seasoned experts in investment banking, property law, and real estate development. The discussion addressed core issues such as regulatory stability, legal protections, and collaborative models necessary for successful cross-border investments.

The speakers also tackled risk management, due diligence practices, and sustainable wealth creation for Africans abroad seeking opportunities in the continent’s urban centers. Calls for greater transparency and coordinated efforts across sectors echoed throughout the forum, with panelists stressing that building investor trust is essential to unlocking Africa’s full real estate potential.

The post Global Summit in London Explores Real Estate Investment Opportunities in Africa appeared first on Housing TV Africa.

More than a dozen councils in the capital have collectively spent millions buying up more than 850 properties in towns and cities across England since 2017, Guardian analysis of property ownership data found.

The homes are either owned directly by councils or by companies they partly or wholly own. They are used to house homeless individuals and families, either temporarily in emergency accommodation or permanently in privately rented homes.

Most of the homes are in deprived areas in the south-east and east of England that are already under huge pressures due to homelessness among their own residents. But in the past year London councils have looked farther afield, buying up a small number of properties in the Midlands and laying out plans to buy more in north-east England.

Housing charities said families’ lives were thrown into “turmoil” by being moved away from their communities. Labour MPs urged the government to reconsider its approach to the “scarring” out-of-area placements, which are at their highest levels since records began.

Waltham Forest and Bromley councils, via companies they jointly own with the housing and social care company Mears Group, have collectively spent almost £80m buying more than 500 homes in areas including Harlow and Thurrock in Essex and Maidstone in Kent since 2017. Both councils use these properties to discharge their homelessness duties and permanently rehouse people out of London.

Brent council has spent more than £18m buying 75 properties across Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead and Slough, while Barnet council has spent more than £10m buying nearly 70 properties in Peterborough and Luton. Brent and Barnet used companies they wholly owned to make these purchases since 2017.

Housing Gateway, a company wholly owned by Enfield council, spent £13m in 2018 buying Greenway House, a converted office block on the outskirts of Harlow with 83 flats that are used as temporary accommodation.

The Guardian previously revealed that councils had paid millions to relocation companies to help them permanently move homeless people to the Midlands and north of England. Recent property purchases suggest that some London councils are starting to move the practice in-house.

In December, Enfield council laid out plans to buy 28 homes through Housing Gateway around Liverpool this year. It said these properties would initially be used as temporary accommodation with the aim of finding homeless households long-term housing in the area once relocated.

Harlow is the most popular local authority for London councils to buy homes in, with 164 properties acquired there since 2017.

Many of the homes bought are concentrated in areas where hundreds of households are already homeless. Eighty-four homes owned by London councils are in Basildon in Essex, where nearly 700 households are living in emergency accommodation.

Basildon council’s leader, Gavin Callaghan, has previously said his authority had no choice but to find local people new homes in the north of England because its own housing stock was being used by London councils.

MPs have been increasingly vocal about out-of-area placements. Government data shows the number of households placed in temporary accommodation outsidetheir borough is at an all-time high, with a 39% rise in such placements in the past 12 months.

Florence Eshalomi, a Labour MP who is the chair of the housing, communities and local government parliamentary committee, said: “Out-of-area placements force some of our most vulnerable families away from desperately needed support and devastate the life chances of children, who end up travelling for hours simply to go to school.

“This is the result of the toxic mix of the housing crisis and the stretching of local council finances to breaking point. The government’s long-term housing strategy must give local authorities the support and supply to ensure everyone has access to the right housing and support in their own community.”

Naushabah Khan, the Labour MP for Gillingham and Rainham, who also sits on the housing committee, said: “The negative impact of out-of-borough placements is the scarring legacy of a deeply damaged housing market that was neglected under 14 years of a Conservative government. As local councils struggle with an ongoing housing crisis, this last-resort practice has become the norm.”

Polly Neate, the chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, said: “On top of the trauma of becoming homeless, families’ lives are being thrown into further turmoil by being moved miles away from their communities, often overnight. Councils are meant to accommodate families who become homeless in their own area, but a dire shortage of social homes, extortionate private rents, and record homelessness is making this increasingly difficult.

“Instead of sinking money into temporary solutions, we need to see social homes built in areas where they are most needed.”

Waltham Forest council said the purpose of its housing company was to provide long-term good-quality homes to discharge the council’s homelessness duties and move households on from temporary accommodation. It said loans used to buy these homes were taken out by the company itself, not the council, and they did not appear on council balance sheets.

Bromley council said its policy was to secure housing in or as near to Bromley as possible but, as it receives lower funding as an outer London borough, many local homes were unaffordable, forcing it to look farther afield. It said its housing companies were primarily partner-funded.

Barnet council said when it placed people in temporary accommodation it ensured it was in or as close as possible to the borough. It said neither the council nor any of its subsidiaries had bought homes outside the borough since 2020.

Redbridge council said all properties it had acquired were being used as temporary accommodation but it aimed to use these homes to provide longer-term settled tenancies by discharging its homelessness duty through a housing company.

Brent council said the vast majority of homes bought via its housing company were in London and it was working to build council housing to deal with the 34,000 people on its housing waiting list. It added that none had been bought outside London since 2021.

The post London councils buy £140m of property to move homeless people out of city appeared first on Housing TV Africa.

Despite the promise of leaving a legacy for local communities, only around 10 percent of the nearly 12,400 homes built in and around the Olympic site are designated as social housing units.

This disparity has led to concerns about gentrification and pricing out lower-income residents from the area.

University College London researcher Penny Bernstock criticized the project, stating that the key beneficiaries have been wealthier professional groups, rather than the local community.

The rapid increase in rental rates in Newham, where the park is located, has made it challenging for many residents to afford housing in the area. Demand for social housing remains high, highlighting the need for more affordable options in the neighborhood.

READ ALSO: Developer Proposes Energy Bank to Address Retail Real Estate Crisis

Mark Robinson, a manager at the London Legacy Development Corporation, acknowledged the dilemma posed by the regeneration project. While the investment has led to improvements in infrastructure and amenities, rising land values have driven up rents, potentially displacing those the project aimed to assist.

Plans for continued construction over the next 15 years include the development of thousands of affordable homes to address the housing affordability issue.

Despite the challenges, the Olympic Park regeneration has brought positive changes to the area, including improved educational facilities and a decrease in crime levels.

However, the ongoing debate over affordable housing remains a central issue in the discussion of the project’s long-term impact on the community.

The post London’s Olympic Park Regeneration Falls Short on Affordable Housing Promise appeared first on Housing TV Africa.

Acclaimed Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage has secured a luxurious residence worth £1.2 million (N1.7bn) in the heart of London.

The songstress took to her Instagram story to share the exciting news with her millions of followers. In a series of posts, she revealed glimpses of the newly acquired house, appreciating Shama-Rose Akinwale , Nigerian property agent in United Kingdom for helping her secure the property.

“I copped my first key in London Town, with the best team…my agent @morg9nrose. My bestie and acct (accountant) too @tiwaayankoya” The ‘Pick up’ crooner stated.

Corroborating the development, Shama-Rose Akinwale in an Instagram post appreciated Tiwa for trusting her with the process.

READ ALSO: IDP housing project will cost N3 million each using direct labour – Minister, Edu

She said “Congratulations to the Queen @tiwasavage on your first property investment here in London Town! Thank you Tiwa for trusting me with the process, it was an honor and first of many to come!”

See Akinwale’s post https://www.instagram.com/p/C06XJZdoPXT/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Fans and well-wishers have since flooded social media with congratulatory messages, celebrating Tiwa’s new achievement.

Tiwa Savage isn’t just joining the celebrity property club with her £1.2 million London house; she’s elevating the game by taking her investment across borders. While many stars own fancy homes, Tiwa’s move is like saying, “I’m not just successful at home; I’m making my mark internationally.”

Source: Ng24 media

The post How Tiwa savage secures 1.2m pounds home in London appeared first on Housing TV Africa.