Legal
HMRC sews up Stamp Duty loopholes
HMRC is cracking down on SDLT avoidance schemes, making it far more tricky for property buyers to avoid paying stamp duty
Estate Agents ignored over Property Misdescriptions and Estate Agents Act changes
So the Property Misdescriptions Act has been repealed and the Estate Agents Act has been amended
Required Reading: OFT guidance for property sales businesses
The Office of Fair Trading have released a handy 66-page guide for estate agents that explains (at some length) the whats and hows (but rarely the whys) of the repeal of the Property Misdescriptions Act…
Capco appoints Anne Byrne as first legal counsel
Capital & Counties Properties PLC (Capco) has appointed the well-respected Anne Byrne as legal counsel, the company's first in-house lawyer
RIBA “disappointed” with listed building consultation
The Government's consultation process has once again been heavily criticised for being too short and poorly thought-through
Stealth approach to Estate Agency Act consultation riles industry
Tomorrow's deadline for the consultation on amending the Estate Agency Act (more here) has taken some agents by surprise, causing a bit of backlash from the industry according to Estate Agent Today
Spicerhaart FINE not fine with Fine & Country
The High Court has decided, eventually, that Spicerhaart's FINE brand is a "passing off" of Fine & Country's brand
Required Reading: resi tax crib sheet
The legal gurus at Mishcon de Reya have produced a very handy guide to taxes on UK residential property
The reality of the Community Infrastructure Levy
As the Community Infrastructure Levy comes into force, Mishcon de Reya's Daniel Farrand and Jade Chalmers look at how this new charge - of up to £50 per square metre - on extensions and new resi builds w…
Gazumping is part of property market “flexibility” – Shapps
Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister, has ruled out any reforms to tackle gazumping in the property market in a reply to a Commons question from Tory MP Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne & Sheppey).
Savills and Barclays settle mortgage fraud case
Savills and Barclays have come to a settlement over a major mortgage fraud case just days before it was due in the High Court
Mishcon scoops top gongs at Lawyer Awards
Mischon de Reya have been named Law Firm of the Year and Real Estate Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2012