The complexities of the government’s leasehold reform proposals affecting millions of homeowners came under the spotlight at a seminar organised by...
Archive
Rumours of the launch of a 1% mortgage deposit scheme have re-emerged with just weeks to go until the Spring Budget Chancellor...
23 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Housebuilders have indicated that they would prefer a Labour government is formed after the next General Election. The latest Land Index and...
30 January 2024
From: Breaking News
After months of negative messaging and anti-development sentiment, espoused both nationally by the Government, and locally during May’s local election campaigning,...
13 January 2024
From: Features
The United Kingdom stands on the precipice of a historic overhaul in property ownership. With the King's speech unveiling the anticipated...
25 November 2023
From: Features
Talk about a wasted opportunity. The Conservative party conference - just finished, and possibly the last one before a General Election -...
07 October 2023
From: Features
More families need a home they can call their own, the Housing Secretary Michael Gove has claimed. Speaking at the Tory Party...
04 October 2023
From: Breaking News
Propertymark is extending its political engagement and reach by exhibiting at the party conferences this week. The agency trade body will be...
02 October 2023
From: Breaking News
Since the Bank of England base rate started making large jumps around the middle of last year, mortgage rates have increased...
23 September 2023
From: Features
The Government is facing calls to resurrect the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme. The housing support scheme, which provided a Government-backed...
11 September 2023
From: Breaking News
And suddenly it’s autumn. It’s just six weeks before the clocks change, days are getting shorter and - the real sign...
09 September 2023
From: Features
Keir Starmer’s announcement about building on the Green Belt attracted some contentious headlines. It immediately thrust housing and planning into the...
26 August 2023
From: Features
It may be all change - again - at the Department of Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government if media speculation...
17 July 2023
From: Breaking News
It has been another busy week in the property sector. In his latest column, property commentator Jonathan Rolande, provides his take on...
19 May 2023
From: Breaking News
Labour leader Keir Starmer took to the airwaves yesterday, promising to "back the builders not blockers" when it comes to homeownership. Speaking...
18 May 2023
From: Breaking News
Rishi Sunak has admitted Conservative Party members were a factor in ditching centralised housing targets. The Government officially watered-down proposals for mandatory...
14 April 2023
From: Breaking News
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday repeated previously debunked claims that the Government is building record numbers of homes. Housebuilding have returned to...
01 December 2022
From: Breaking News
A former Housing Secretary has outlined why the Conservative Party mustn’t abandon its commitment to housebuilding. It comes as some 47 Conservative...
24 November 2022
From: Breaking News
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should be wary of placing a greater financial burden on homeowners in next weeks’s Autumn Statement, an agent...
10 November 2022
From: Breaking News
A Bill to bring the Government’s Stamp Duty reductions into legislation reached its second reading in the Houses of Parliament this...
26 October 2022
From: Breaking News
How did the housing market transform from incredibly strong - almost too strong - early in the year, to a situation...
15 October 2022
From: Features
Who would be in the shoes of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng? I don’t mean who would like their power, pay and...
01 October 2022
From: Features
When it comes to housing policy, the Conservative MPs have given their party a choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle DumDum. Rishi...
23 July 2022
From: Features
It’s often fashionable to criticise trade bodies and official groups, but right now I think that’s absolutely inappropriate. In well over 20...
25 June 2022
From: Features
In retrospect, it was perhaps inevitable that the infamous dead cat would come into the debate over government housing targets and...
21 May 2022
From: Features
What a difference two months and some local elections make. Cast your minds back to March 9 and the annual report of...
07 May 2022
From: Features
It’s easy to overestimate the importance of something in one’s own industry or work, but there seems good reason for believing...
23 April 2022
From: Features
If you want to sex-up the Chancellor’s financial statement scheduled for lunchtime on Wednesday, you’d call it a Budget or a...
19 March 2022
From: Features
A poll of Conservative voters shows strong majorities for higher taxes on second homes and empty properties, and tougher demands on...
07 February 2022
From: Breaking News
22 January 2022
From: Features
We’ve probably all learned to be a little less cynical about politicians in recent weeks, given the tragic events. We perhaps...
30 October 2021
From: Features
There were 13 new buyers for every property listed for sale in the UK in September according to Knight Frank. Over the...
11 October 2021
From: Breaking News
By the time I next write this column, we’ll be just days before the next Budget and Autumn Statement. So I’ll...
02 October 2021
From: Features
Few political policies have such a ring of the past as rent controls - they were last seen in this country...
04 September 2021
From: Features
There’s gathering momentum to do ‘something’ about the unfairness of council tax and stamp duty. This isn’t new in principle. Agents have...
24 July 2021
From: Features
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and strategist Sir Lynton Crosby - the architect of many Conservative election campaigns -...
19 July 2021
From: Breaking News
Government leaks ahead of today’s Queen’s Speech suggest a major planning shake-up is set to stop NIMBY objectors to new homes. News...
11 May 2021
From: Breaking News
Local elections rarely set the pulse racing and this year’s poll on Thursday faces a similar problem. But this time, it’s a...
01 May 2021
From: Features
The Conservatives have promised that first time buyers would not pay tax when buying a home in Wales if the party wins...
23 March 2021
From: Breaking News
Labour says Chancellor Rishi Sunak “will give away half a billion pounds to second homeowners and landlords through the stamp duty...
05 March 2021
From: Breaking News
Labour has accused the government of promoting “sky high mortgages” instead of providing stable accommodation for younger households. A new mortgage guarantee...
02 March 2021
From: Breaking News
The online petition which prompted a debate by MPs has now won the support of around 150,000 signatures. Typically public support for...
23 February 2021
From: Breaking News
There is no scientific formula, no list of must-have elements in a successful campaign. That’s especially the case for a campaign involving...
06 February 2021
From: Features
Pressure is building for widespread property tax reform beyond short term issues regarding stamp duty. Many MPs in this week’s 65-minute special...
05 February 2021
From: Breaking News
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering an extension to the current stamp duty holiday according to media reports today - and the...
17 January 2021
From: Breaking News
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to create a ‘Generation Buy’ to help young people purchase homes with low-deposit mortgages. In...
05 October 2020
From: Breaking News
As expected within the property industry, the Chancellor announced a stamp duty holiday in his Summer Statement. This now means that...
25 July 2020
From: Features
Conferences, events and awards dinners are a hugely important part of the property calendar, bringing the great and the good of...
18 July 2020
From: Features
Unnamed government sources quoted in many newspapers today suggest stamp duty reforms may be announced later this year. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is to...
06 July 2020
From: Breaking News
Controversial Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is the subject of a harshly critical cartoon in The Times which depicts “pigs in the...
24 June 2020
From: Breaking News
Back in the day, party politics and the private rental sector used to be straightforward. Conservatives were pro-landlord, Labour were pro-tenant, while...
13 June 2020
From: Features
Conservatives have been lining up to criticise a mansion tax which may be introduced on expensive homes to fund infrastructure improvements...
11 February 2020
From: Breaking News
Not for the first time, a government policy on housing ends up begging more questions than it provides answers - but...
08 February 2020
From: Features
Last November, as part of the Conservatives’ general election campaign, Boris Johnson made a surprise announcement that his party would introduce...
01 February 2020
From: Features
After a year dogged by Brexit deadlock, political turmoil, and slow growth, estate agents’ confidence in the property market hit a...
04 January 2020
From: Features
An estate agent in London claims he did £53m of property deals within hours of the Conservative victory in the General...
16 December 2019
From: Breaking News
Yes, believe it or not, we’ve nearly reached the end of a whole decade. And what an eventful decade it’s been. We’ve...
14 December 2019
From: Features
It’s a substantial Tory government for the next five years: what does this mean for estate agents, property and the market? We have...
13 December 2019
From: Breaking News
With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...
07 December 2019
From: Features
The latest figures from investment consultancy London Central Portfolio suggests new build sales have plummeted in prime areas of the capital...
28 November 2019
From: Breaking News
In just over two weeks, the UK population will head to the polls for the fourth general election since 2010. Of course,...
27 November 2019
From: Features
The chief of an online auction service says the Conservatives’ controversial proposal for a three per cent stamp duty surcharge on...
26 November 2019
From: Breaking News
Agents have reacted angrily to General Election proposals by all three main political parties to hike stamp duty for foreign buyers. The...
25 November 2019
From: Breaking News
Pressure is building on the Conservative party to honour its previous commitment to reform stamp duty for British buyers and sellers...
22 November 2019
From: Breaking News
Labour is pledging a “housing revolution” with the biggest council house building programme for decades Its manifesto being launched today will include new...
21 November 2019
From: Breaking News
Until now General Election pledges of stamp duty reforms were restricted to the Conservatives - but now a tax consultancy says...
06 November 2019
From: Breaking News
The National Audit Office, a spending watchdog, has exposed the government’s Starter Homes policy with a damning critique of its failure The...
05 November 2019
From: Breaking News
A survey undertaken for estate agency Jackson-Stops reveals that 55 per cent of people do not believe housing is a priority...
04 November 2019
From: Breaking News
A Labour proposal to dramatically improve energy efficiency in almost every British home would cost an estimated £60 billion. The upgrades would...
04 November 2019
From: Breaking News
It’s on - although judging by the early lack of enthusiasm amongst the British public, you might be forgiven for thinking...
01 November 2019
From: Breaking News
The Conservative Party conference agenda, now published, gives the housing issue several bites of the cherry in Manchester next week. Housing minister...
24 September 2019
From: Breaking News
If you thought - perhaps hoped - that five weeks of prorogued Parliament meant a break from politics, think again: the...
14 September 2019
From: Features
A leading London estate agent has written to The Times dismissing MPs who have been squabbling over Brexit and a possible...
04 September 2019
From: Breaking News
One of the country’s most respected agents has advised the agency industry to treat Boris Johnson’s pledges with real caution. Black Brick buying...
24 July 2019
From: Breaking News
Our own industry’s upheaval over recent years has been no less dramatic than the turmoil at Westminster. The political earthquake has seen...
23 July 2019
From: Breaking News
Conservative Party leadership contender Boris Johnson has expressed an interest in switching the stamp duty burden from buyers to sellers. Until now Johnson’s comments on...
16 July 2019
From: Breaking News
Britain lives in fundamentalist black-and-white times - all the more surprising when the country's most divisive point of contention sits on...
22 June 2019
From: Features
Four years ago, as we approached the general election, Andrews Property Group held a roundtable debateon the impact the election might have...
08 June 2019
From: Features
In a surprising announcement overnight, housing minister Kit Malthouse says he is standing to become the Conservative party leader and next...
28 May 2019
From: Breaking News
While media attention has been on Theresa May, Brexit and the Tories, chatter in the agency industry has been about what...
25 May 2019
From: Features
An ex-housing minister and ex-Brexit secretary says he wants to radically change taxes on buy to let capital appreciation to help...
16 April 2019
From: Breaking News
Campaigning groups like Generation Rent and Shelter like to think they are simultaneously edgy and radical; likewise some think tanks believe...
30 March 2019
From: Features
Labour’s housing spokesman, John Healey, has spoken out against the split in the party which has so far seen eight MPs...
21 February 2019
From: Breaking News
One of London’s highest profile and most outspoken estate agent chiefs has scolded ‘Maybot’ Theresa May on the day she is to...
03 October 2018
From: Breaking News
The government, which only recently said there would be one Ombudsman covering the entire housing sector, has announced that there is...
02 October 2018
From: Breaking News
The government has used this week’s Conservative party conference to announce a new stamp duty tax of one per cent to three...
30 September 2018
From: Breaking News
Another day, another housing minister – at least that’s what it feels like! The resignation of the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson...
21 July 2018
From: Features
It may not be a good idea for a journalist to be personal about a politician, so I write about our...
14 July 2018
From: Features
Estate Agent Today is 10 years old this weekend. We hope you’ll agree that’s a cause for celebration and a great...
29 June 2018
From: Breaking News
Savills has suggested that it may be time for a fundamental review of what’s left of the flagship policy of Margaret...
20 June 2018
From: Breaking News
If you want to know whether buy to let, landlords and letting agents will be in the firing line for more...
28 April 2018
From: Features
It’s traditional before Christmas to either review the year past or anticipate the one ahead - but I’m intrigued about what...
16 December 2017
From: Features
It’s something of an understatement to say it’s been a busy fortnight for the industry in terms of announcements, consultations and...
04 November 2017
From: Features
It has been revealed that the beleaguered government of Theresa May is to hold a summit at 10 Downing Street tomorrow...
16 October 2017
From: Breaking News
Conservative MP John Stevenson is the latest to throw his weight behind switching the burden of stamp duty from the buyer...
09 October 2017
From: Breaking News
Like many of Labour’s recent policy proposals, its call for rent controls leaves more questions than answers. There has been widespread criticism...
07 October 2017
From: Features
The Conservative party, in a press statement released to clarify comments made by Theresa May, says the government’s proposed extra £2...
05 October 2017
From: Breaking News
England faces a growing gulf between new build completions and new households being added to the population according to a new...
04 October 2017
From: Breaking News
A Conservative council in London says it is to be the first local authority in the UK to levy a voluntary...