Policy
Call To Farms: Buying and developing agricultural land for residential use
We all know it's been a shrewd investment in recent years, but just how easy - or sensible - is it to buy up and develop farmland?
HIP Hop: RICS recommends Home Reports for England & Wales
An independent inquiry, commissioned by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, has suggested that Home Reports - which sound rather similar to the much-maligned Home Information Packs that were ditched…
Flood insurance deal will cover domestic properties “regardless of whether leasehold or freehold” – ABI
The Association of British Insurers has rebutted yesterday's claims that proposals set out to provide affordable flood insurance will leave leasehold properties, council homes and the entire rented sector…
Wimbledon joins basement ban camp
Merton council is the latest London borough to make a move on banning mega-basements, with a spike in dig-down applications in Wimbledon Village driving the clamp-down.
“Utterly nuts” to slam door on foreign investors – BoJo
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has thrown his weight behind the capital's foreign buyers, warning luminaries at last night's Mansion House London Government Dinner that we'd be "utterly nuts" to "slam the…
“Significant” changes to listed building consent afoot
There's some pretty major planning changes on the way in 2014 for anyone with an interest in developing or buying listed buildings.
£1.5bn of Section 106 cash “unspent”
A BBC investigation has claimed that £1.5 billion of Section 106 money remains "unspent" by English councils, with a whopping £421m yet to even be allocated to anything.
Public gets right to demand sale of government-owned property and land
New "Right to Contest" powers have officially come into force today, allowing the public to contest the use of central government land and property and apply for its release.
You Outstanding Natural Beauty: Is South Devon about to become a National Park?
After wrestling the title of Britain's most expensive seaside resort from Sandbanks last year, Salcombe in South Devon could soon be adding another feather to its guano-covered cap.
Plucking the Golden Goose: The pain, gain, and unintended consequences of property taxes
Mansion, Capital Gains, Stamp Duty & Land, Residency...
Parity Pledge: UK housebuilders promise end to ‘foreign first’ sales tactics
A bevy of big league resi developers have signed up to a new "voluntary commitment" that could affect the way new schemes are marketed from next year.
The Great Divide: House price schism “unbalancing the economy”
Despite pretty universal forecasting that the regions are now playing catch-up with London's runaway property values, "The Great House Price Divide" is bigger than ever and threatens the stability of the…