Archive

The UK Government should make better use of property taxes to deter foreign buyers, boost property supply and raise tax revenue,...

It was actor Charlies Sheen who said: ‘I have one speed. I have one gear. Go!’ The same might not be said...

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has repeated calls for Stamp Duty to be scrapped as politicians prepare for party conference...

Experts are warning that the weekend’s better than expected economic news could indirectly hurt the housing market. The UK economy grew by...

Property taxes collected in Scotland have risen nearly 50 per cent in just two years according to analysis of the latest...

The publication of inflation figures by the government tomorrow will be a Do-Or-Die moment for the housing market, it’s been claimed. At...

So much has changed in the world of property of late that it’s easy to be behind the times - and...

As the unending attack on landlords continues, many are succumbing to the pressures of increased taxes, interest rates rising, regulations becoming...

A financial adviser has hit out at the Bank of England, claiming homeowners and business should be furious about its interest...

A property group is the latest to call for a Stamp Duty overhaul in today's Budget. The National Association of Property Buyers’ (NAPB)...

Companies that own UK residential properties have under a month to revalue and tell HMRC if any are worth more than...

The growth of the short term rentals sector has helped to create an economy featuring several new types of jobs that...

The Scottish Government’s Budget this week is being described as an opportunity to help homebuyers and to make the country an...

Purplebricks’ activist investor Lecram Holdings has warned shareholders can’t afford to wait ‘while the business runs out of money’ in a...

Purplebricks chief executive Helena Marston insists the brand's turnaround plan is working after posting a half-year loss this morning and revealing...

The Northern Ireland Executive should seek devolved powers over Stamp Duty, Propertymark claims. The agency trade body has urged the Executive to...

I’ve just read an article saying that this is the time of the online estate agency. The time in question is, of...

The property sector braced itself for the chill wind of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement this week. His pre-Budget comment that he...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should be wary of placing a greater financial burden on homeowners in next weeks’s Autumn Statement, an agent...

And…breathe. For a while back there, the only certainty for the housing market was uncertainty. That isn’t to say the election of Rishi...

Scotland may face “serious labour shortages” due to its relatively high property buying taxes compared with in England, a leading agent...

The threshold for the Welsh version of stamp duty is set to rise, following on from the stamp duty cut for...

The worst cost-of-living crisis in generations is everywhere we look and agents – and the property industry more widely – are...

New Prime Minister Liz Truss has been urged to consider a tax overhaul to boost property supply. There have been plenty of...

A leading agent has called on the Scottish government to reduce property taxes rather than freezing rents if it wants to...

From housebuilding to planning laws and stamp duty reform, agents and property professionals were ready with plenty of suggestions for Liz...

Fewer than 20% of Scots homeowners paid more than 83% of all house purchase tax north of the border, according to...

Housing Secretary Greg Clark, who is also the Levelling Up Secretary, has been caught up in the storm surrounding Rishi Sunak...

A quarter of agents have indicated they may prefer Rishi Sunak as the next Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister –...

The Tory leadership debates have covered everything from taxes to trans rights but industry executives have lamented the lack of focus...

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

Right now, one topic seems to be dominating talk in the industry. Everywhere I go people tend to quiz me about...

Prime estate agent John D Wood & Co has marked 150 years in business by opening a new headquarters. It has moved...

There’s one message that’s come home to me loud and clear from my dealings with agents so far this year -...

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) has long been the bugbear of many property transactions. Even the very wealthy will lose interest...

A property expert has predicted that mortgage applicants are likely to find it 'much harder' to be approved for loans as...

John D Wood - which along with Hamptons is regarded as the prime end of the suite of agency brands now...

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

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a dramatic future income tax cut, changes to National Insurance thresholds and scrapping VAT on more...

If you want to sex-up the Chancellor’s financial statement scheduled for lunchtime on Wednesday, you’d call it a Budget or a...

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

Despite the latest Halifax house price index showing a 10.8 per cent annual rise, a leading housing market analyst is warning...

Almost exactly a decade ago I wrote a blog on the back of a spate on mainstream news stories about prime...

Peta Milne, founder of Instagram growth and PR service Monimo, and a content writer at Choices Estate Agents, recently sat down...

HM Revenue & Customs has been warned by financial experts that its latest crackdown on stamp duty abuse could make the...

London mayor Sadiq Khan says he supports the seizure of property assets connected to the allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The...

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

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...

With the drastic changes enacted on the industry over the past two years thanks to the pandemic and political events such...

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

Leaseholders in lower-rise blocks of flats will not have to take out loans to remove dangerous cladding under new government rules...

The UK is reported to have dropped down the league table of governments that secure vast amounts of income from property...

As we slide into Christmas, with the busiest levels of house buying since 2006 and activity still buoyant, I don’t think...

House prices will rise next year says Rightmove - but it warns that tax hikes will curb price rises, particularly later in...

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

A leading estate agency says the government may have to use stamp duty and council tax as incentives to persuade owners...

In the Autumn Budget on Wednesday 27 October, very few impending tax hikes were revealed by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak –...

Increasing house prices has encouraged HM Revenue and Customs to launch huge numbers of probes into Inheritance Tax payments. According to law...

House prices rose by the most in almost 15 years in September ahead of the end of the stamp duty holiday.  The...

A leading market commentator is warning that transactions and prices will fall without the stimulus of the stamp duty holiday. Karen Noye,...

By the time I next write this column, we’ll be just days before the next Budget and Autumn Statement. So I’ll...

As we move into the autumn of 2021, what the coming year has in store for estate agents is something we...

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has hinted for the second time that he is looking towards property to help fund his...

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

Lost in the noise of yesterday’s social care announcements, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has named October 27 as his next Budget Day...

An unexpected claim was made over the weekend - that the long-running stamp duty holiday was not, after all, behind the...

Agents and developers are creating full-size show home-style properties overseas in a bid to woo wealthy foreigners who cannot travel to...

HM Revenue & Customs is reported to be targeting recent home buyers after a slump in income from property taxes during...

A group of MPs has suggested the government consider a “proportional property tax” to replace the current council tax, in a...

Prices in prime central London grew by 0.3 per cent in the year to May - tiny rise but a significant...

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

For many, the funeral of HRH Prince Philip will be a solemn affair, while for some it will also be a...

Estate agents play a key role in identifying tax savings that can benefit all parties. If a purchaser can benefit from...

The government’s highly-anticipated Tax Day was just a damp squib.  That’s the view of leading analyst Anthony Codling, who says the almost complete...

Some 30 tax documents have been released by HM Treasury this afternoon - a mix of responses to past consultations, proposals...

It’s been revealed that some far reaching changes to property taxes may not be unveiled at Wednesday’s Budget and may wait...

With just two days to go, it's fair to say the property industry is eagerly awaiting Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget statement...

Propertymark has slammed government energy efficiency proposals as being “unrealistic, too simplistic and could deter people from moving home.” A formal consultation...

The government has given details of two new taxes to provide funds to address the cladding problem on high rise tower blocks...

There’s been a huge focus on both the stamp duty holiday and Help To Buy deadlines at the end of March...

Pressure is building for widespread property tax reform beyond short term issues regarding stamp duty. Many MPs in this week’s 65-minute special...

A group that last year floated the concept of a one-off wealth tax - which would include taxing main homes as...

Today’s the day when Parliament debates a possible extension to the stamp duty holiday beyond its March 31 cliff edge deadline...

Property commentator Phil Spencer says lockdown - which we know will now last for another six weeks at least, and possibly...

The Northern Research Group, which has the backing of over 50 Conservative MPs in the north of England, wants the Chancellor...

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering an extension to the current stamp duty holiday according to media reports today - and the...

Following a turbulent 2020 in which the property market and the professionals working within it excelled in the face of unprecedented...

Here’s hoping you managed to have as good a Christmas and New Year as Covid rules allowed. Journalism in early January is...

The next Budget will be held on March 3 next year - in time for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to change his...

The UK has topped the rankings for the highest property taxes as a percentage of overall taxation in the developed world...

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

Property tax rises and falling house prices look as if they are on the way according to the small print accompanying...

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has resisted changing any property taxes in the short term, but has used his Spending Review statement to...

Today sees the government’s Spending Review, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak taking centre stage as he presents a 12 month spending plan to...

A tax expert says that there is 'zero likelihood' of the government changing its mind on stamp duty changes for overseas...

It’s no surprise the mainstream news remains dominated by coronavirus - not so much the actual effect of it right now,...

Hefty increases in taxes on the purchase and sale of holiday homes and buy to let properties are expected in the...

A prominent industry figure says the current stamp duty holiday could effectively be a trap to lure in buyers who will...

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s stamp duty holiday means prime property in the UK now enjoys lower tax rates than most European countries. Buyers...