What can the government do to set the property market up for a strong 2020?
Along with resolving the remaining uncertainty around Brexit, a few small tweaks to the tax regime and regulatory environment would significantly improve the state of the market, argues Forsters' Helen Marsh...

Helen advises on all legal aspects of residential property. She has a wealth of experience of dealing with high value conveyancing, secured lending and landlord and tenant issues. She also has specialist experience in the legal structuring of residential and mixed-use developments. She acts for a wide range of clients including developers, investors, banks, trust companies and private individuals. Helen trained at Allen & Overy and qualified in 2005. She later worked at Boodle Hatfield, and then Farrer & Co. She joined Forsters in 2014 and became a partner in 2015.
April 2016: When the PCL property market shifted down a level
Carter Jonas provides a handy - and stark - sit' rep' on how the 3% stamp duty surcharge has altered the Prime Central London property market
By Prime Resi
Tom Bill on what 2021 could bring for the UK property market
Tax changes and the withdrawal of support measures mean the post-Covid ‘normal’ will only begin to emerge later next year, writes Knight Frank's Head of UK Residential Research.
By Tom Bill
What’s next for prime markets? Eight factors shaping the top end of the UK’s property market
A year after the pandemic struck, Savills is "optimistic" about the outlook for Britain's prime property markets...
By PrimeResi
Companies in this article
ForstersMost read
Rising star joins super-prime brokerage as its youngest PCL director
Chelsea specialist Jessica Moreton has made the move to UK Sotheby’s International Realty from Douglas & Gordon.
‘Landmark’ townhouse sale concluded in Chelsea
'Discerning buyers are focusing on best-in-class assets', says agency, confirming sale of near-£28mn trophy home as part of £100mn deal run.
Government proposes the ‘biggest shakeup to the homebuying system in this country’s history’
Consultations have opened into significant & wide-ranging reforms that promise to 'rewire a chaotic system which has become a barrier to homeownership.'
By PrimeResi
Country house guru Sweeting joins high-end valuation firm
Longstanding Knight Frank figure has taken up a consultant role at James Wyatt's Parthenia.
Savills installs new sales boss in Notting Hill
Dan Martin returned to the agency earlier this year following a stint at UK Sotheby’s International Realty.
Property industry reactions: Tories pledge to ‘abolish’ Stamp Duty
Stamp Duty is 'a bad tax, an un-Conservative tax', says Kemi Badenoch.
By PrimeResi
Beyond interior design: St George MD on rethinking the role of the showhome
Marcus Blake talks us through the Berkeley Group developer's new creative direction, and shows off its first completed in-house design effort.
By Marcus Blake
‘Westminster’s fastest-selling luxury residential development’ reaches completion
With 70% of apartments sold before completion, Native Land heralds 'not only a design triumph but a commercial success' at 100 George Street.
By PrimeResi
Five-star Belgravia project sets London price records
The Peninsula London has reportedly proved popular with billionaire buyers from the United States.
Qatari Diar tops £1.5bn sales mark at Chelsea Barracks
Momentum continues at the ultra-luxury Belgravia scheme despite wider market headwinds.
LATEST ARTICLES
Homes of the Rich & Famous: Celebrity-owned properties sell twice as fast as ‘normal’ listings
An A-list occupant can generate a huge buzz for a new instruction, reports Beauchamp Estates, but the effect on the property's value is less obvious.
By PrimeResi
Top-end tenant & landlord expectations diverge as big regulatory changes loom
Impact of the forthcoming Renters' Rights Bill 'has been limited' so far, but Savills warns reforms 'for some will feel more radical & sooner than expected.'
By PrimeResi
Hamptons heralds ‘a new generation of landlords’
'Landlord purchases haven’t collapsed in the face of higher taxes and tighter regulation,' says estate agency - 'but they have shifted.'
By PrimeResi
Rising star joins super-prime brokerage as its youngest PCL director
Chelsea specialist Jessica Moreton has made the move to UK Sotheby’s International Realty from Douglas & Gordon.
Grosvenor names new UK CEO
Jamie Whitty-Lewis has been promoted following James Raynor's move to lead the international property business.
By PrimeResi