Policy
Complex SDLT consultation ‘will create anomalies and uncertainty’
HMRC's current consultation on higher rates of Stamp Duty will create anomalies and uncertainty, according to some top tax accountants, despite official efforts at a rudimentary flow diagram...
LGA calls for full Council Tax to be charged on unbuilt homes
There are a record 475,647 homes in England which have been given planning permission but have yet to be built, says the Local Government Association as it calls for developers to pay full council tax…
Planning application competition ‘could relieve burden on cash-strapped local authorities’
An amendment in the Housing and Planning Bill that could see external parties taking some of the planning strain away from under-resourced councils is a "step in the right direction", according to the…
Stuck In The System: Housebuilders hit back at ‘bumper backlog’ claims
A weary Home Builders Federation has hit back at claims that developers in England are sitting on a record 475,647 green-lit, but unbuilt, new homes.
Companies’ Houses: Challenging times for buy-to-let landlords
The whole tax regime in relation to resi properties is in a state of flux; all the more reason why landlords should be wary of rushing into things, says Scott Leonard...
RBKC considers policy change after hundreds of homes ‘lost’ to de-conversions
Council taking a long hard look at its stance on amalgamations
Encourage estate owners to release land for affordable homes – RICS
The owners of England's 5,000 biggest country estates should be giving up some of their land to make way for more affordable housing, the RICS has suggested.
Buy-to-let SDLT surcharge consultation: Now open
The government cheekily chose a Bank Holiday Monday in the middle of the holiday season to launch a consultation into its scheme to charge an extra 3% stamp duty levy on second homes and buy-to-let properties.
Why has Osborne got a bee in his bonnet about Buy-to-Let?
Rather than choking off the demand for BTL investments, why not instead deal with the root cause of the housing shortage, asks Trevor Abrahmsohn...
Osborne ‘in for a shock’ when 2015’s stamp duty receipts are counted up – Chestertons
George Osborne is "burying his head in the sand" by ignoring industry calls to review last year’s changes to Stamp Duty and will "likely be in for a shock" when 2015's final receipts are added up, Chestertons…
Scotland hikes LBTT for second homes in line with SDLT
John Swinney has followed George Osborne's lead, announcing a 3% increase in the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax rate for additional properties in Scotland, such as buy-to-let and second homes.
‘Drastic changes’ needed ‘to fix Britain’s broken housing market’ – NAEA & ARLA
"The news is bleak" says the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) as it forecasts that home ownership will fall by 7% in the coming decade…