Format: Views
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…
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.
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...
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;
What awaits the resi auction market in a post-Covid world?
Bridging the gap between buyer expectations and seller sentiment will be one of the major challenges in the months to come, writes Richard Adamson...
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...
Rishi Sunak’s stamp duty cut is not about helping first-time buyers, but shoring up the whole UK economy
"Property prices are critical to UK prosperity," writes Professor Alexander Tziamalis.
Why zero-carbon homes must lead the green recovery from Covid-19
Following the Government's big spending boost for green home improvements, architect and lecturer Ranald Boydell explains the importance of sustainable property development in the aftermath of the Coronavirus…
Industry Reactions: Property sector welcomes Sunak’s Stamp Duty holiday
It'll come as no surprise that most estate agents and property developers are quite delighted with the temporary raising of the Stamp Duty threshold to £500k, as announced by the Chancellor in a "mini…
Is ‘build build build’ really the best way forward for England’s planning system?
The Prime Minster's latest housing mantra "is the wrong starting point", says Professor Alister Scott, as he outlines six core challenges that need to be addressed by the planning system first...
What do the next 12 months hold for high-end borrowers?
James Chisnall predicts a shift away from traditional high street lenders to smaller, private banks who are more willing to consider 'higher-risk' opportunities...
‘We can see the first green shoots of a recovery’: Mishcon’s James Liffen on the current state of the property market
"We can see the first green shoots of a recovery," writes James Liffen of Mishcon de Reya as he takes stock of the property sector's current situation, "but think it may be some time before the prime and…