Policy
Who says UK Property PLC is out of the woods?
For London's estate agents, the consequences of all this housing market hype are potentially devastating, says Ed Mead...
It must be the silly season
Camden clamps down on “Buy to Leave” investors
Camden Council sounds pretty fed up with the number of unoccupied properties on its patch, and has asked for additional powers to clamp down on "Buy to Leave" investments
Move Along: Traveller sites given marching orders
Eric Pickles has told local councils that they should clamp down quickly on illegal encampments and unauthorised traveller sites, as he announced a new set of guidelines that gives "more power and a stronger…
Which country has the highest prime property purchase taxes? (Clue: it’s not the UK…)
Who doesn't love a good rundown? We definitely do, so here's accountancy firm UHY’s take on the Big Mac test, with a snapshot of current compulsory property purchase fees on a property worth USD $3.5
Return to tender as resi land values surge
Hot on the heels of Knight Frank's upbeat stats last week, CBRE is also pretty sanguine on the resi land value front, crediting improving consumer sentiment and government initiatives with an increasingly …
Right to Supply: Why Help to Buy isn’t the answer
The Help to Buy Scheme may be a brave effort, says Trevor Abrahmsohn, but the Government needs to deal with the banks and the planners if it really wants to provoke a healthier property market...
Does London’s property market need foreign buyers?
London's resi development pipeline is likely to pump an extra £8bn into the UK economy, according to some research by London Central Portfolio.
Resi land values on the rise
Resi land values in prime central London shot up by 4% in Q2, whilst prices across the UK rose by an average of 1.2%, according to Knight Frank today. This means that average UK values have risen by 1.
New Building Regs tackle carbon emissions, but may penalise smaller developers
The newly-toughened-up Part L of the Building Regulations has some very noble aims to tackle climate change by making new-build homes significantly more energy efficient
Lobby Talk: Why a stubborn Government breeds corruption
Amoral lobbying is just a symptom of a broken consultation system, says London Central Portfolio's Naomi Heaton after an eye-opening experience on the Ensuring the Fair Taxation of Residential Property Tr…
Westminster mulls office-to-resi conversion tax
There's talk of a tax on office-to-resi conversions in Westminster, as the Council tries to maintain its 10-year principle of a "fine grain" level of mixed use buildings
CBRE urges for planning clarity please, Mr Boles
CBRE's Head of Planning Stuart Robinson has penned a lengthy letter to Planning Minister Nick Boles, urging the MP to provide some clarity on the permitted development rights (PDRs) in relation to offices …