Policy
Talking Heads: On the expansion of Permitted Development Rights
Specialists from the worlds of acquisition and architecture offer their unbridled thoughts on the government's latest tweaks to the planning system...
Think tank calls for a Property Capital Gains Tax to ‘pay for the coronavirus’
Michael Johnson and the Social Market Foundation are calling for "tens of billions of pounds of new taxes to be levied on increases in the value of homes", with a new Property Capital Gains Tax replacing…
Commercial Break: What to consider when converting excess office space to resi
Permitted development rights are in hot debate as the Government attempts to reform the planning system, deliver more housing and build the UK out of the Coronavirus crisis, with questions remaining over…
Details of next year’s non-resident SDLT surcharge published
The 2% foreign buyer levy "may help to control house price inflation, by leading to a reduction in residential property purchases by non-UK residents," suggests HM Treasury.
Significant leasehold reform proposals promise ‘to transform the future of home ownership in England & Wales’
Commonhold should be the "preferred alternative" to leasehold, says the Law Commission in a series of three important reports that outline how to create "a better deal for leaseholders and make our homes…
Place in Society: On loneliness & the role of real estate
The industry can learn many things from the last few months, writes Sara Bailey, including how buildings can help alleviate the problem of loneliness in our communities.
14 key principles for licensed estate agents: Future RoPA Code of Practice opens for consultation
“The new code of practice will look to set standards at a higher level than currently legally set," says steering committee leader Baroness Hayter.
An unwieldy system with many anomalies: The case for simplifying SDLT
The rules around stamp duty are unduly complex, writes Elizabeth Small - and complexity inevitably brings a degree of uncertainty, which benefits neither the taxpayer nor the taxman...
Government orders review of Capital Gains Tax
This CGT review could be "the starting pistol for a tax grab ahead of the Autumn budget later this year", suggest analysts.
SDLT Tips & Traps: On navigating the stamp duty minefield
Rishi's holiday won't make much of a dent in many prime purchasers’ SDLT bills, but it pays to be aware of some of the other lesser-known rules around this complex tax;
Is it time to view stamp duty from an economic rather than a political perspective?
If a stamp duty holiday is designed to help kick-start the economy, is that not a tacit acceptance of its flaws as a tax, asks Tom Bill...
NCA ‘reassessing’ use of UWOs
Targeting PEPs and oligarchs has proven ‘much more difficult than expected’