Legal
New British sanctions regime clamps down on ‘blood money’ property acquisitions
"Those with blood on their hands, the thugs and despots, the henchmen and dictators, will not be free to waltz into this country to buy up property on the King’s Road," declares Foreign Secretary Dominic R…
Tax advisor fined over Stamp Duty avoidance advice
Cornerstone's David Hannah has been ordered to pay a total of £60,000 for "failing to properly assess and communicate" the risks of a Stamp Duty avoidance scheme in 2007.
Billionaire brothers go to court over asset sharing letter
The Hinduja brothers are embroiled in a High Court case over a six year old letter which states that “assets held in any single brother's name belong to all four”.
Jenrick to be shown the door, claims Cabinet source, as Westferry planning scandal continues
More details have emerged about the Westferry Printworks planning controversy; The Guardian has suggested that Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick could be sacked as part of a Cabinet reshuffle in September
The melting pot of a divorce, a pandemic & an uncertain housing market
As new figures show a spike in divorce enquiries during lockdown, Sital Fontenelle looks at how marriage asset pots should be divided when everything is up in the air...
Estate agency directors disqualified over price fixing cartel
Two agency bosses have been banned from a running a company for six-and-a-half years, after a CMA investigation found that they had conspired to fix commission rates for nearly seven years.
Vatican arrests London property middleman over Sloane Avenue deal
Gianluigi Torzi is being held on suspicion of extortion, embezzlement, aggravated fraud and money laundering, in relation to the multi-million pound acquisition of 60 Sloane Avenue.
Westferry planning drama escalates
The Met Police are looking into the Housing Secretary's apparent bias in favour of the developer, and the Prime Minister has been quizzed by Labour MPs over his involvement.
On the technicalities of getting deals done in lockdown & beyond
Property lawyers are having to adapt fast to the consequences of coronavirus, whilst making sure they transact within the law and protect buyers, sellers and funders from fraudulent activity.
Historic urn ruling questions whether artefacts are part of listed buildings
A Supreme Court decision on the sale of a pair of historic C18th urns could have important consequences for listed property owners.
Required Reading: Coronavirus & property taxes
Some pretty significant changes have been happening to the property tax regime of late, and with transaction timescales now all over the place, Fiona Poole & Dominic Condé-Cole condense the issues and …