Policy
Blinded by Transparency: How the government plans to shine a light on beneficial ownership
Given the bewildering array of initiatives proposing to shine a light on who actually owns and/or benefits from companies and trusts, there is a real danger of clients being blinded by transparency, say…
The Green Space Race: Understanding the Urban Greening Factor
How a green planning policy idea from Berlin could change the way London's new developments are assessed...
Khan lays out fast-track planning route to boost affordable housing
SPG confirms new 'threshold approach'
One in five UK landlords looking to sell next year – RLA
Quarterly poll suggests a third are also planning to raise rents in 2018...
In defence of the leasehold system
Measures to prevent abuse are welcome, but let's not forget the leasehold structure has created and maintained some of our best loved urban landscapes...
Camden renews calls for 200% council tax rate on ‘ghost homes’
'At the moment, empty furnished homes left vacant are effectively protected by Whitehall rules'
Scrap stamp duty to free up the property market, say academics and Cabinet members
Replacing SDLT with an annual property tax could raise housing transactions by about 27%, claim academics
Home is where the heart(ache) is: Practical solutions for separating couples
How do the courts deal with the family home in separation cases, and what are the solutions available to both parties?
Property developers shelled out £2.1bn in s106 payments last year
“For smaller developers who are already struggling to find funding for their developments, these added costs can be the final nail in the coffin", says peer-to-peer lender
Carrington on Q2: ‘There are better ways to deflate a bubble’
'The market is adjusting as it always does, but HM Treasury will bear some of the pain this time as they forgot that the London residential market is part of the economy, not a cash cow needing to be milked'…
Hackney pre-empts government with voluntary letting fees ban
London borough becomes the first English local authority to ask agents to stop charging "unnecessary fees" to tenants
Weighing up PCL’s best and worst case scenarios
'Much of the downward pressure on PCL house prices because of Brexit and Stamp Duty changes has likely already been experienced' says Strutts, but significant five-year downside risk remains...