Legal
Wandsworth homeowner hit with hefty fine over ‘favela’ extension
Resident claimed he was a 'Freeman of the land' and thus immune from planning laws
Government overhauls the national model tenancy agreement
Pets are welcome in rental properties, decrees Housing Minister Robert Jenrick
Owner of Chelsea mansion sues Airbnb for over £700k
Developer thought he was renting his property out to a family of four, but ended up hosting a 500-person bash...
Mortgage mis-selling ‘could be the next PPI’
Legal cases are being brought against mortgage brokers who allegedly "mis-sold" interest-only products; potential compensation payouts could run to "billions"...
Is the time finally right for the commonhold revolution?
According to the the Law Commission, commonhold offers a once in a generation opportunity to rethink how property is owned in England and Wales and should be reinvigorated.
Berkshire estate agency cartel fined £600k for price fixing
Four estate agencies broke competition law for nearly seven years by fixing minimum commission rates, says the CMA; three have been fined.
Industry agrees new process for valuing tall buildings
Surveyors, builders and lenders agree a new industry-wide process for the valuation of homes in 18+ metre buildings.
One month to go: Government yet to publish new AML regs
New EU anti-money-laundering rules are due to be implemented exactly one month from today, but lenders, brokers, estate agents and introducers are still waiting on the final details...
European property firm faces €14.5m GDPR fine for ‘data cemetery’
Deutsche Wohnen, which has a portfolio of 165,500 homes, has been handed a huge fine by Berlin's GDPR regulator
Required Reading: Understanding the upcoming changes to Private Residence Relief
The government is planning some major changes to a long-standing tax break next year, which could deter (even more) people from moving - and have big implications for certain landlords.
What is a flat? Court of Appeal delivers important decision in Mayfair enfranchisement case
Last week, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in an appeal concerning a residential block on Mayfair's Park Lane, which clarifies the definition of a 'flat' for the purposes of enfranchisement.
Countrywide fined over £10m client fund transfer
Agency summoned to disciplinary hearing at the RICS in Birmingham over alleged failure to safeguard client funds