Compliance
Flag It Up: Government extends ‘dirty money’ campaign to target estate agents
Tie-up with the RICS and the NAEA aims to 'help agents spot the signs of money laundering and reinforce their legal and moral obligations to report suspicious activity'
High Court throws out challenge to UK’s first Unexplained Wealth Order
Wife of 'fat cat international banker' must now explain how she was able to afford £22m worth of property;
UK’s ‘dirty money’ crackdown sparks super-prime sell-off in London
National Crime Agency reports 'change in behaviour' as new powers make it harder to hide ill-gotten gains
UK HNW investor visas hold their appeal
UK immigration stats show falling numbers - but nearly a third more high net worth Investor Visas were granted in the year to July compared to the previous 12 months, and twice as many as in the year from…
What real impact would a public register of beneficial owners have on the UK property sector?
The new draft Bill promises more transparency in the UK property industry, but will it cause headaches for estate agents, solicitors and developers - and will it put off overseas investors?
Beneficial Ownership Register to be enforced with five-year jail sentences & unlimited fines
Draft legislation to bring in 'the world’s first public register of overseas entities’ beneficial ownership' has gone before Parliament, promising real teeth in the battle against 'dirty money' in…
Money laundering fines rocket as HMRC gets tough on dodgy dealings
Volume of fines handed down to UK companies - including estate agencies - nearly doubled in 2017-18
Malaysia to probe record-breaking Battersea Power Station deal
Leader of governing coalition vows to look into billions of dollars of investments made by previous administration, including the giant south west London regen project...
Is compliance strangling commerce?
After a tortuous experience trying to do business with the private wealth department of a well-known clearing bank, agency boss Trevor Abrahmsohn has had it up to here with suffocating regulatory restrictions...
Know Your Client! What the recent Court of Appeal ruling on property fraud means for estate agents
The decision in P&P Property Limited –v- (1) Owen White & Catlin LLP (2) Crownvent Limited t/a Winkworth came as something of a relief for agents (and a disappointment for solicitors and their insurers),…
What is the Tier 1 UK visa Roman Abramovich has been trying to renew and why the delay?
Immigration law expert Jo Wilding explains the procedure involved in renewing the specialist visa for HNWI making a 'substantial financial investment' to the UK, and addresses recent speculation over…
Why Russia’s ‘dirty money’ is not leaving London any time soon
What is missing in the Moscow’s Gold report is a broader understanding of why Russian (and non-Russian money for that matter) flows into London and the UK in the first place...