Grosvenor & JLL sustainability chiefs take on UK climate ambassador roles
Top names from the UK property industry join built environment panel set up ahead of the United Nations COP26 summit.
When the Wind(fall) Blows: Controversial commercial-to-residential permitted development rights, explained
Last week’s expansion of permitted development rights on high streets came as “a bit of shock”, says Roy Pinnock, a partner in the Planning & Public Law team of the world’s biggest law firm, Dentons. Changes announced by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick open up many more commercial properties for residential conversion without the need for full-fat planning permission. Here Pinnock explains what the new PD proposals are, and what’s not to like about them…
UK real estate & the Register of Foreign Owners: New registration requirements, explained
As a transparency measure, the Government is set to introduce a Register of People with Significant Control over Overseas Companies owning UK real estate. Ronnie Myers of Burges Salmon and Michelle Cartwright of John Lamb Hill Oldridge explain how to navigate the new rules, which are due to come into force this year.
The Times: Should we follow the Kiwis and try to burst the house-price bubble?
‘New Zealand is innovating again’, writes David Smith in this opinion piece for the Times looking at how the Ardern government is dealing with a soaring real estate market.
FT: What the stamp duty charge for overseas buyers means for London
In this piece for the Financial Times, George Hammond speaks to buyers, agencies and analysts about the potential impacts of the incoming 2% surcharge for non-residents.
Government’s new ‘Tax Day’ brings a raft of policy consultations – but nothing major on CGT or Stamp Duty
HM Treasury has published a suite of some 30 consultation documents and policy proposals that are “designed to enhance the stability and effectiveness of the UK tax system by outlining a future pathway for its tax administration and tax policy development.”
Inspectorate backs Westminster’s planning blueprint
Policy of limiting the size of new homes to a maximum GIA of 200 sqm deemed ‘justified and consistent with national policy’.
Ellingworth on leasehold reform: Be careful what you wish for…
Charlie Ellingworth runs through the potential implications – and unintended consequences – of the government’s latest proposals to up-end the ancient leasehold system.
What would a CGT hike mean for buy-to-let landlords & second homeowners?
“The proposed changes from the Office of Tax Simplifications would act as nothing more than another nail in the coffin of the buy-to-let sector, in particular,” says estate agency Benham and Reeves.
London’s high-end homebuyers ‘paid 12% of the stamp duty owed across England last year’
The 675 £3m+ deals recorded in the capital in 2020 generated a combined total of £368.6m in stamp duty, according to research by Enness Global.
New valuation guidance for cladding-hit flats
New guidance has been published that clarifies types of properties which will, and those which will not, require additional inspections, as a result of concerns about fire safety. It should help reduce the number of uneccessary EWS1 requests.
Analysts & commentators revisit forecasts as market continues to defy gravity
The UK housing market will continue to defy predictions of a slump, says Bloomberg Intelligence, but the longer-term outlook ‘remains uncertain’.