Buy-to-let tax changes: A perfect storm for landlords and tenants March 11, 2016 Upcoming tax changes have ignited debate about the role private landlords should play in meeting the UK’s housing needs. Focus has fallen on buy-to-let but, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, among others, has noted, landlords are taxed much less favourably than home owners. Following last year’s Autumn Statement, which outlined plans for an additional [...]
Do you live in these areas paying the most income tax in Britain? May 2, 2016 Residents of Elmbridge in Surrey, dubbed the Beverly Hills of Britain, are paying more income tax than any spot in the country, new research reveals. Home to high profile celebrities such as Elton John and sports star Andy Murray, those living in the area are paying £17,800 in income tax each year, on average, and five [...]
London business bosses come out against mansion tax policy April 28, 2015 Over half of London business leaders are opposed to a so-called mansion tax, according to a new survey. ComRes conducted a poll of more than 500 London business leaders for the London Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). It found that 52 per cent of them are against an additional tax on properties valued [...]
Grosvenor’s bet on calling top of London luxury market pays off April 28, 2015 GROSVENOR Group, the property firm owned by the Duke of Westminster, enjoyed its highest total return last year since the start of the financial crisis after calling the top of the London luxury market and selling huge swathes of property. The company, which has owned most of London’s upscale Mayfair and Belgravia districts since 1677, [...]
Communities in the sky: Architects are embracing a very capitalist utopian dream June 25, 2015 Architects are returning to the utopian idea of housing projects as selfcontained communities where residents are able to interact in social spaces. Only this time it’s a very capitalist dream Here’s how most of us choose our homes: we pick an area we can afford, perhaps somewhere with a good school for the kids, [...]
Merchant Terrace in Ravenscourt Park proves good things come in small packages March 11, 2016 Building new homes takes years; that’s why it’s more important for a developer to know where the market is going than where it’s at. With rumours of oversupply at the top end of the market in some areas and a bubble blooming on the horizon, it’s perhaps wise to think small. And that’s something London [...]
John Lewis boss talks about “the Midlands Engine” and why Birmingham is the next major economic hub March 15, 2016 John Lewis boss Andy Street says Brum is booming, as he talks up the city in Cannes. Andy Street may be better known as managing director of one of the UK's biggest department stores John Lewis, but the Brummie born and bred was in Cannes donning a different cap today, promoting his home town as [...]
Top interiors tips for turning your dreary rental property into a cosy home sweet home February 3, 2016 Whether you’re renting in the city for work or you’re not quite ready to climb on to the property ladder, your rental property still needs to feel like home. Most, however, look pretty, well, beige so here are some tips from interior design and property experts on how to put your stamp on a property [...]
Mansion tax, shmansion tax: This £24m Notting Hill home sold just before the General Election May 29, 2015 Property types may have been worried about the looming spectre of a mansion tax during the run-up to the General Election – but that concern clearly didn't stretch to one billionaire buyer, who forked out £24m on a house in Notting Hill. An "unmodernised" end-of-terrace home on Kensington Park Gardens, which comes complete with eight [...]
Focus On Croydon: The affordable South London hotspot that’s getting a £1bn facelift January 8, 2016 If there’s one thing we learnt from the London property market in 2015, it was not to underestimate the outer boroughs. Some of the largest house price growth increases were to be found in these supposed backwaters. Growth in places like Haringey and Hillingdon far outstripped traditionally prime areas like Kensington & Chelsea and Camden, [...]