Policy
Government publishes official guidance on the Tenant Fees Ban
"If the fee you are charging is not on this list, it is a prohibited payment and you should not charge it"
Law firm takes down government’s first crack at a reservation agreement
After a sneak preview of the first draft, Hart Brown dismisses the government's latest attempt at fixing the conveyancing system as 'well meaning but sadly way short of what is required'
MPs set out blueprint for leasehold reform
HCLG Committee 'demolishes' the current system with a series of wide-ranging recommendations, including a wholesale shift to commonhold ownership and a lid on ground rents
£100bn of UK property is ‘secretly’ owned
Global Witness analyses Land Registry data to highlight the scale of property ownership by 'anonymous companies registered in tax havens'
Chancellor pushes eco-conscious property development in the Spring Statement
A new "Future Homes Standard" will outlaw fossil-fuel heating systems in all new houses from 2025, and the forthcoming Environment Bill will include a mandate for "biodiversity net gain" for property…
Hammond needs to take action or risk the UK ending up in the economic ICU
Commentators aren't expecting much from the 2019 Spring Statement, but Glentree boss Trevor Abrahamsohn has some strong words for the Chancellor on the importance of maintaining the health of the residential…
Deadline looms for client money protection regs
Reminder: Letting agents have until 1st April to sign up to a government-approved CMP scheme - or face fines of up to £30,000.
Countrywide fined £215k in HMRC crackdown
UK's largest estate agency penalised for failing to comply with money laundering regulations; HMRC carries out week-long swoop on property firms around the country
Right to Rent breaches human rights laws, rules the High Court
Right to Rent "does not merely provide the occasion or opportunity for private landlords to discriminate," said the High Court Judge, "but causes them to do so where otherwise they would not."
Voluntary Mansion Tax: RBKC looks to follow Westminster’s lead
Kensington & Chelsea to launch consultation on tax experiment pioneered by Westminster last year, asking high-end homeowners if they would like to 'contribute a little more to the borough'
Westminster’s ‘voluntary mansion tax’ brings in over £600k
'The hundreds of thousands of pounds being allocated today shows that wealthy householders do care', says council, nearly a year after launching its 'ground-breaking' tax experiment
These maps show how tricky it is to measure inequality in local areas across England
In the UK, people often think about inequality in geographical terms: for example, places such as Kensington in London are considered 'rich', while Blackpool in Lancashire is considered 'poor'.