‘Pressure now on’ UK government to follow Welsh lead
Will the UK government follow the Welsh lead on stamp duty and introduce a new tax hike on second homes in England?
Marc da Silva
Rishi Sunak urged to extend stamp duty holiday
A study shows that extending the stamp duty holiday could net the Treasury an extra £139m a year.
New estate agency enquiry volumes unseasonably high
New vendor, buyer and tenant enquiry volumes are all up year-on-year.
Sturgeon urged to lead by example and extend LBTT holiday
The Scottish government could make a marked distinction between Scotland and the rest of the UK by extending the LBTT holiday beyond the existing 31 March deadline.
Urgent action needed to address mounting tenant debt
The NRLA is renewing its call for a financial package to help struggling renters to pay off arrears built since lockdown measures began.
New Tier 4 rules on buying, selling, moving home, and tradespeople
Around 16 million people in London, the south-east and east of England have been placed under Tier 4 restrictions closely resembling November's lockdown.
MPs demand a list of furlough firms to prevent fraud
The Commons Public Accounts Committee has expressed concerns relating to what it describes as “opportunistic fraud”.
EweMove says it is on track to achieve significant growth
The hybrid has hailed the first part of an ambitious recruitment plan a big success.
Extra £62bn of housing sales agreed this year
The post-lockdown mini-boom has fuelled a sharp rise in property sales.
Letting agents urged to take on apprentices
Government grants, such as the recently launched Kickstart Scheme, are available to businesses.
THG acquires Buzzrecruit
The Humphrey Group aims to become a leading property recruiter.
Agents going the distance for the British Heart Foundation
Kevin Scrupps, director of Pygott & Crone, is hoping to persuade more people in the estate agency industry to take part and support the British Heart Foundation.
Almost a third of buyers will pull out if they miss SDLT deadline
The government has confirmed that it “does not plan” to extend the temporary relief offered to property buyers via the stamp duty holiday.
Zoopla urges agents ‘to keep their branches open’ over the festive season
Zoopla is preparing to unveil a major new ten-week marketing campaign, set to go live on Monday.
Private landlords ‘have done everything they can to support renters’
Ben Beadle, of the NRLA, says that many private landlords have gone above and beyond to support renters affected by the pandemic.
Comings and Goings
Connells Group appoints Paul Quelch; Christopher Brown joins Property Master; RVG makes three senior appointments.
Manning Stainton backs Boomin despite ‘caution and scepticism’
Farrell Heyworth has also signed up to the new platform.
New report suggests money laundering ‘is rising’
The publication of the report fires a warning shot to estate and letting agents.
New £1.9bn Birmingham Smithfield development gets go-ahead
The new scheme will feature more than 2,000 homes around a new public square.