Finance
The UK’s property tax take drops by almost £9bn y-o-y
Property taxes accounted for 11.8% of the country’s overall tax take in 2021, down from 12.4% a year earlier.
News
People
Tributes paid following death of ‘formidable’ estate agent
Fenn Wright has announced with “great sadness” that its former senior partner Roger Dennis died.
Agency
Jailed former estate agent charged with fraud
An ex-estate agent, who was last week sent to prison, has been charged with two counts of fraud.
Finance
Second home owners face extra bills as tax loophole set to close
Michael Gove, the Levelling up Secretary, is expected to announce new tax rules that will have a major impact on second home owners.
Compliance
Rogue landlord banned over ‘shocking’ state of property
The landlord has been barred from letting or managing properties for the next five years and will have his name added to the government's Rogue Landlord database.
Compliance
Updated Covid-19 guidance for estate agents
Updated guidance: Following the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the government says it has been necessary to re-introduce some measures to manage the virus.
Finance
House price growth set to ‘slow considerably’
Annual house price growth “defied expectations” in 2021, but values look set to slow in 2022.
People
Comings & Goings
Snippets of industry news: Moss Properties appoints new MD; Guy Harrison joins SmartSearch as CEO; Newton Fallowell founder retires
Other News
One in three sales fall through as market returns to ‘familiar conditions’
Some 34% of property sales in England and Wales fell through before completion in the final quarter of 2021 as the market returned to a far more usual level.
Law
Flat owners welcome cladding climbdown but ‘devil is in the detail’
Michael Gove is expected to announce today that leaseholders in buildings between 11 and 18 metres tall will no longer have to pay to replace dangerous cladding.
Agency
Agency selling properties for free rolls out across the UK
The hybrid agency, formerly Housesimple, aims to undercut traditional high street estate agents by offering vendors a free property sales service
Compliance
HMRC extends self-assessment deadline but there is a ‘sting in the tail’
The HMRC tax filing extension shows leniency in response to Covid-19 pressures.
Compliance
High profile conveyancing firm fined £232,500 over AML failings
London-based Mishcon de Reya has been issued with one of the biggest fines ever imposed by the regulator over several breaches relating to money laundering rules.
People
Comings & Goings
Snippets of industry news: Savills welcomes new head of office in Bath; Julie Philpot Residential unveils new director; The Ambitious Group names new sales director
Agency
Over three quarters of estate agents expect to be paperless by 2025
A new estate agency survey shows that 77% of respondents believe the process of buying and selling residential properties will be fully digital or online by 2025.
Compliance
Expert identifies tax legislation that you and your clients need to be aware of
Changes to stamp duty? Tim Walford-Fitzgerald, partner at UK accountancy firm HW Fisher, shares the major tax considerations you need to focus on as we head into 2022.
Politics
New landlord licence scheme approved for HMOs
New HMO scheme will be introduced in April 2022, with a three-month grace period for existing landlords.
Acquisitions
Build-to-Rent investment hit a record high of £4.1bn in 2021
With almost £2bn of BTR assets under offer, CBRE expect momentum in the market to continue into 2022 as the sector goes from strength to strength.
Other News
Green homes becoming far more popular with buyers
A growing focus on the environment appears to have struck a chord with the public, with the energy efficiency of a home now more important to many people - poll shows.
Other News
Busiest festive period on record for homemovers, data shows
There was a significant increase in buyer demand over the recent festive period when compared with the same period last year, according to new research.