Archive

Late last week, Leeds Building Society announced that it would no longer lend on second homes to concentrate on first-time buyers...

When it comes to housing policy, the Conservative MPs have given their party a choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle DumDum. Rishi...

A property expert has warned against bans on second home sales and has suggested giving local buyers first refusal instead. It comes after...

There are whispers in Whitehall about plans to encourage pensioners to downsize with a stamp duty tax break. The move, first reported...

Propertymark has expressed hope that the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will help boost much needed agency supply. The trade body has...

The government last night revealed more details on its flagship Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill including letting local authorities double council...

The proportion of homes sold to landlords has hit a five-year high but buyers are paying above asking price due to...

Propertymark is urging restraint on the part of the Welsh Government as it moves to tackle what it sees as the...

The extreme shortage of properties for sale has fuelled the first rise in new homes sold off-plan since 2016.   In 2021 some...

This probably isn’t what wealthy buyers in one of the UK’s most expensive areas expected to hear, but a plea has...

A rural body in Wales has hit out at the Welsh Government’s proposals for draconian new taxes on second homes.  Earlier this...

A scheme to help people to get on the housing ladder in one of the UK’s most expensive local housing markets...

The Welsh Government has announced an increase to the maximum level of council tax premiums for second homes, as well as...

A bid to regulate second home ownership in part of the UK through changes to planning policy will add complexity and...

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, analyses the impact that the lack of available data is having on...

A campaigning MP is to meet with a government minister to discuss controls and disincentives for second homes. Former Liberal Democrat MP...

A famous environmental campaigner has sold his home to a local - because he feels second homes are “obscene and grotesque.” Green...

The majority of homeowners and homebuyers believe Stamp Duty Land Tax is outdated and needs reform. The mortgage lender Butterfield commissioned an...

A poll of Conservative voters shows strong majorities for higher taxes on second homes and empty properties, and tougher demands on...

Owners of second homes who abuse a tax loophole by claiming their often-empty properties are holiday lets will be forced to...

A wealth tax on overseas owners of UK homes could raise £5 billion a year to help local people buy their...

A pilot scheme has been announced to test ways of limiting second home ownership and reducing the impact additional properties have...

It appears almost certain that there will be limits imposed on the number and location of second homes in Wales, following...

There is pressure growing in Brighton for the city to hold a referendum giving residents the opportunity to ban new build...

A government report suggests that house prices are rising at three times the national rate in some rural and coastal areas...

A leading agency says the new normal likely to establish itself in the housing market after the end of the stamp...

The government has been warned that its much-talked about levelling up agenda is ‘doomed to fail’ without major reform of the...

Media reports over the weekend suggest the government is preparing a triple whammy - three measures which may reduce the number...

A prominent property consultancy is urging the government to ensure that holiday home owners pay more tax.  Colliers claims local authorities are...

The former leader of the Liberal Democrats is calling for a ban on family homes being used for holiday lets and...

At first sight it’s a tough ask to defend holiday homes when there’s evidence that many who want to buy can’t,...

The possible introduction of higher levels of Capital Gains Tax for the sale of buy to let, holiday homes or even...

The Stamp Duty holiday has been very beneficial for hundreds of thousands of buyers looking to take advantage of savings, even...

Independent agents come in all shapes, sizes and looks, many with their own USPs and little quirks. It is this variety...

One of the country’s leading politicians says a yet-to-be-revealed way of taxing property sales could be one way of helping homes...

The apparent plight of first time buyers hits the headlines frequently but new research shows that second steppers face a wide...

A first-time-buyer couple in a part of the country renowned for its second homes and shortage of stock has praised a...

Local elections rarely set the pulse racing and this year’s poll on Thursday faces a similar problem. But this time, it’s a...

A nationalist candidate in next month’s elections claims there is a second homes crisis which may create a “lost generation” of...

Stamp Duty receipts for the year to the end of February fell just six per cent despite the high profile SDLT...

Savills has upgraded its house price and transaction forecasts following the Budget - and prime London, especially the centre, is tipped to...

Labour says Chancellor Rishi Sunak “will give away half a billion pounds to second homeowners and landlords through the stamp duty...

One of the country’s most popular tourist destinations may ban the sale of new builds to second home buyers. The council in Padstow -...

An estate agency is being criticised for marketing properties as second homes in an area reportedly suffering a housing shortage. Local media...

The sudden end of the stamp duty holiday at the end of March could throw away the market gains achieved in...

There’s been a shock one per cent increase in the Welsh equivalent of stamp duty on second homes, coming into effect...

The secure Conservative victory in the 2019 General Election meant the property market in the sunlit uplands was set for a...

Average house prices in Wales have risen three per cent in the past year, despite multiple difficult lockdowns considered more severe...

One of the industry’s leading commentators says an unintended consequence of a possible Capital Gains Tax increase could be a bonus...

A report commissioned by the government suggests a doubling of Capital Gains Tax on profits from the sale of second homes. The government -...

Speculation is mounting that Capital Gains Tax could for the first time be applied to gains made when owners sell first...

A tax and legal specialist says there’s been a huge rise in stamp duty refund cases between March and June -...

Another westcountry town may ban new-build homes being sold as holiday properties, even though the idea has backfired elsewhere. Fowey in Cornwall -...

After a challenging period for the UK property market, recovery is very much on the cards and the end to uncertainty...

Government figures suggest that the number of second homes in the UK has dropped two per cent in the eight year...

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...

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...

Pressure is building on the Conservative party to honour its previous commitment to reform stamp duty for British buyers and sellers...

Until now General Election pledges of stamp duty reforms were restricted to the Conservatives - but now a tax consultancy says...

A new study by the London School of Economics suggests that a high profile ban on the sale of new homes...

A tax expert is urging owners of second homes, as well as property investors and existing landlords, to seek independent financial...

In the run up to his appointment as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson suggested that he might cut Stamp Duty Land Tax...

A bid to ban the building of new homes for out-of-town buyers has backfired on a Cornish community - and now...

Winkworth has a new office in its network, in the fashionable Suffolk town of Southwold. Independent agency Halford Wetmore has been acquired...

Some 10 per cent of Britons now own a second home, a buy to let or an overseas property according to...

A new and comprehensive analysis of the housing market shows a jaw-dropping collapse in stamp duty revenue going to the Treasury...

Over the last few years, there have a number of changes to the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) regime, which have...

If former Chancellor George Osborne thought his 2014 stamp duty reform would produce more income for the government, it appears he...

A business rates tax break which benefits holiday home owners is to be reviewed by ministers, who have now launched a formal...

Landlords and letting agents might feel they’ve taken a bit of a battering from the government in recent years – and...

Data from the buying agency Black Brick reveals just how big an impact has been made by the additional homes stamp...

The buy-to-let sector, which has been under sustained pressure for a number of years now thanks to tax changes designed to...

There’s been a landslide vote to ban new-build second homes in another tourist hotspot. Some 90 per cent of those who voted...

What is the biggest challenge in estate agency today? At the risk of sounding flippant, selling houses! It’s a unique industry...

National estate agency Jackson-Stops claims that the 3% stamp duty surcharge on additional homes is still confusing buyers, despite being in...

Holiday home sales in one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations are holding up, despite stamp duty and the age...

Average asking price of newly-marketed property have jumped 1.5 per cent - or over £4,500 - in the past month, says...

Foxtons has this morning given details of a sharp fall in both profits and revenue, wirth sales significantly falling away and...

What a year it’s been! Back in 2016 we had Brexit, a new prime minister, Donald Trump’s election, and so when...

The housing industry has set out a list of demands in advance of the government’s hotly anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday.  Despite...

Winkworth, one of the largest estate agencies in London, has expanded with two new offices - although they are 235 and...

Analysis by the Nationwide suggests that the proportion of UK-wide stamp duty payments paid by purchasers in the south east of...

A think tank says the penalties now levied against second home owners - such as the stamp duty surcharge and phasing...

The two main political parties have squared up to each other over the issue of increasing council tax on second homes...

Being a leading world-class city comes at a price – they are the most expensive for occupiers and the most lucrative...

An organisation that calls itself the Cornish Republican Army - and which has claimed responsibility for starting a fire in one...

Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on June 8 took many by surprise. But estate agents have been broadly...

The Liberal Democrats have set a building target of 300,000 new homes a year, have pledged to scrap housing association Right...

Two more local referendums have, as expected, agreed neighbourhood plans which ban the sale of new-build homes to anyone other than...

Residents in two parts of Cornwall will vote tomorrow on whether to join the holiday resort of St Ives in banning...

I wrote last month about how the Government, in introducing a 3% stamp duty surcharge on second homes, had scored an...

In recent years the mortgage industry has gone through some testing times. Recession and regulation have led to more stringent lending...

A year ago, we were days away from the introduction of a 3% stamp duty surcharge on second homes – a...

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his first Budget this week pledging extra funding for the NHS, transport in the Midlands and the...

Looking ahead to the Spring Budget this week, the Chancellor Philip Hammond will be obliged to face up to the implications...

With tax relief changes, a rise in Stamp Duty for second homes and strict mortgage affordability checks now in place, it...

Over the past two decades, investing in buy-to-let has been a relatively easy way to make money, which is why so...

The government’s attitude of “Nanny knows best” has “squandered another opportunity” to make a real difference to the housing crisis, according...

1.For those who are not familiar with Properstar yet, how would you summarise your services? Properstar is an online portal that helps...

The rental market has had to face a raft of changes over the past year, including the introduction of the 3% stamp...

There is no doubt that 2016 managed to catch the world by surprise on more than one occassion.  But will 2017 be...

Following a strong start to 2016, particularly in the lower to middle range of the UK housing market, that lasted up...

The industry has reacted angrily to the Chancellor declining to change stamp duty despite pleas from agents and suppliers ahead of the Autumn...

It may still be too early to start compiling a Christmas wish list, but it is the right time to provide...

A solicitor has asked how the ban on the sale of new-build apartments and houses to holiday home buyers in a...

London agency Stirling Ackroyd is the latest to call for reforms to stamp duty, with a claim that prices for the most expensive...

The result of a referendum in a tourist hotspot seeking a ban on the sale of new-build flats and houses to...

A key decision that may have far-reaching implications for the sale of holiday homes has been delayed by a High Court...

Next week sees a court case which will decide whether there will have to be a re-run of the ‘second homes...

The Welsh Government has announced that from April 2018, Stamp Duty Land Tax will be replaced with a Land Transaction Tax.  The...

The highest number of second homes in UK local authority areas exist not in the south west, the Lake District or...

Average house prices across the UK increased by 0.6 per cent in August, taking the annual rate of growth to 5.6...

Knight Frank is warning that it will “take time” for the three per cent stamp duty surcharge to be absorbed into...

There is likely to be an October court date set for a judicial review into a ban on new-build houses and...

The morning after the EU referendum, and Westminster, Britain, Europe and the world were left in shock at the news that...

A report says agents in the Cornish holiday home haven of St Ives admit the local market has been hit by...

Foxtons is reviewing its programme of branch openings in London because of the slowdown in the capital's housing market. In figures released...

House prices in Scotland rose 0.9 per cent in May, taking the average value to £172,119 - still down on a...

With a number of agent partner programmes available nationwide, estate agents can often increase business by offering sales by auction, especially...

With the new Formula One season now well underway, we delve into the fast lane to take you on a whirlwind...

Countrywide says it is too early to say whether the stamp duty surcharge introduced in the spring has had any significant...

An estate agency chief operating in an area where there are high levels of holiday home ownership has stood up for...

While buy-to-let lenders brace themselves for further interventions as part of proposals currently being drawn up by the Prudential Regulation Authority...

A judicial review into the process surrounding the controversial 'second homes referendum' in St Ives means the result could, in theory,...

The National Association of Estate Agents has quantified what the industry has known for some weeks - there has been a...

Yesterday George Osborne delivered his eighth budget as chancellor, announcing an extra £3.5 billion in spending cuts by 2019-20. The Office for...

In today's budget, the Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced a number of measures which will impact the property industry.  The Chancellor confirmed...

Later today chancellor George Osborne will make his latest budget speech. The announcement is expected to confirm the details of the 3%...

JLL says the stamp duty surcharge on buy to let properties and second homes has obliged it to downgrade its forecast...

An estate agent has spoken out about the threat of ‘abandoned sales’ if a completion bottleneck prevents purchases of properties going...

Agents have reacted cautiously to a surprisingly-high 2.5 per cent increase in house prices - in just one month - announced...

The Chartered Institute of Taxation has called on government to introduce an exemption from the stamp duty surcharge for parents buying...

Scotland’s Land & Building Transaction Tax - its more radical replacement for stamp duty which still applies throughout the rest of...

A consumer group which supports the principle of a stamp duty surcharge on second homes and buy to let properties has...

There is less than a week to go before formal consultation ends on the introduction of the so-called stamp duty surcharge...

Prime Minister David Cameron has dismissed out of hand appeals and comments from Estate Agent Today readers to reconsider the recent...

A major estate agency is demanding urgent clarification on a three per cent tax levy - a ‘mini-me’ version of the...

My suspicion in my December Industry Views column that the Chancellor, George Osborne, holds certain types of property owners in contempt...

Today is the last chance for Estate Agent Today readers to have their concerns about proposed stamp duty increases and recent...

Estate Agent Today readers are being given the rare opportunity to have their concerns about proposed stamp duty increases and recent...

There is just four weeks left for the official consultation period set by the government over its controversial proposal to levy...

Controversy is growing over the government’s surprise consultation period for its proposal to levy a three per cent stamp duty surcharge...

The government chose Christmas Bank Holiday Monday to launch its formal consultation on the ‘additional properties’ stamp duty surcharge, first announced...

The Scottish finance minister John Swinney is to introduce a three per cent surcharge on the full purchase price above £40,000...

Prime Central London’s residential values have risen 4.3 per cent over the past 12 months and now average £2.3m per property...

The director of two major agencies says George Osborne’s stamp duty surcharge and stock at an “historically low level” will force...

Countrywide says the current malaise in the central London housing market is not, as many agents and commentators suggest, simply down...

The Treasury has admitted that stamp duty ‘take’ is expected to soar from £11.2 billion this year to £17.8 billion in...

Estate agents and accountants are investigating whether there are legal ways of circumnavigating the three per cent stamp duty surcharge that...

There’s been shock and anger from agents - especially those in London - at the surprise news of an additional three...

George Osborne has announced a shock additional 3.0 per cent stamp duty on second homes and buy to let properties. Details are...

The government is reported to be considering a policy of capping prices of some homes in the countryside to ensure they...

It is to the credit of our political parties - and our own industry’s lobbying - that so many housing-related matters...

The Liberal Democrats want local authorities to have the power to charge 200 per cent council tax on second homes. Party leader...