Policy
Conveyancer jailed for £350k stamp duty swindle
A conveyancer from north west London has been jailed for three years and four months after being found guilty of "swindling" his clients and HMRC out of £352,500 in stamp duty.
Patient Capital: The rise of the Prime Private Rented Sector
Commentary on the private rented sector often fails to acknowledge that there has long been a thriving rental market at the very top end of prime residential property, says Olivia Tassell...
Suburban Resistance: How Outer London boroughs turned down 4,160 potential new homes in H1
London's Inner boroughs are granting planning permission for more new homes than all the surrounding Outer boroughs put together, according to new research out today.
Is the new Electronic Communications Code good news for developers?
Proposed new rules for landowners and developers dealing with on-site telecoms paraphernalia sound like a win, says Thekla Fellas of Fladgate LLP, but there's still room for crossed wires...
Goldsmith Vs Khan: What does London’s mayoral race mean for the property sector?
The race for London Mayor is all about personalities, says CBRE's Jennet Siebrits, as Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith duke it out on housing, Heathrow and infrastructure.
Adverse Effects: Squatters, property developers, landowners and the law
In the wake of recent high-profile cases involving a property on Grosvenor Street in Mayfair, the former Stock Exchange building in Manchester and land near the Magna Carta memorial in Surrey, Nick Martyn…
Former Countrywide sales chief named as new TPO Chairman
The Property Ombudsman has named Gerry Fitzjohn as its new Board Chairman. The current Vice Chair will take over from Bill McClintock, who's standing down after a solid twelve-year stint at the top.
Interest rates to stay low for longer – BoE
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted by a majority of 8-1 to keep the Bank Rate at a deeply low 0.
‘This is a tax raid’: High earners should check pension plans before this month’s Spending Review
Britain’s higher earners should consider reviewing their pension tax relief strategy “sooner rather than later”, warns deVere Group's CEO Nigel Green, as Chancellor George prepares to wield a sharp…
Local councils forced to spend £450m ‘topping up’ planning fees
Stretched planning departments have had to be "topped up" to the tune of £450m over the last three years to cover the cost of processing planning applications, a new study has found.
Steady five years ahead for the UK market; ‘uneasy’ PCL to rebound in 2018 – JLL
A strong and stable domestic economy will underpin the UK housing market over the next five years, says JLL in its latest batch of forecasts, while London looks set to come under increasing pressure.
RBKC serves record number of stop notices
The Royal Borough's planning enforcement team is one of the most active in the UK, according to new figures released by the Department of Communities and Local Government.