Here we go again – Help To Buy looks likely to be extended
Government leaks to mainstream and building trade media suggest the controversial Help To Buy scheme will be extended beyond its end-of-2020 deadline.
Government leaks to mainstream and building trade media suggest the controversial Help To Buy scheme will be extended beyond its end-of-2020 deadline.
HM Land Registry is now accepting witnessed electronic signatures on documents for the transfer of ownership of property, the creation of leases, and on securing mortgages.
Agents have almost unanimously been reporting a big surge in business since the reopening of the housing market, but new figures from HM Revenue & Customs suggest there is still some way to go before normal volumes are seen.
The mortgage arm of a regional property portal has launched pre-approval software which it claims will significantly speed up the initial stages of the mortgage application process.
Today could be the final nail in the coffin for the High Street, which has been slowly withering away for the last 2/3 decades, firstly due to increasing losses to out of town shopping malls, then increasing loss of business to online stores and finally the lockdown. Matters have been… Read More »Government set to finally kill off the High Street
It’s a big day for leasehold reform today with the Law Commission due to publish three residential leasehold and commonhold reports. They will be formally launched at an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform taking place at 10am. The Commission’s brief, given to it by the Ministry of… Read More »Big day for Leasehold reform as Law Commission issues reports
There’s more confirmation this morning that the housing market is enjoying a short-term bounce – and that’s before the effect of yesterday’s stamp duty initiatives. The latest market snapshot from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, out today, shows a net balance of 61 per cent of its monthly survey… Read More »RICS figures confirm short-term bounce but supply is very low
As you may well be aware, the Chancellor has just raised the threshold for Stamp duty to £500,000 until the 31st March 2021. Whilst this is better than nothing, there is an urgent need for far more drastic measures. Over the last 2/3 decades, we have seen the property… Read More »Chancellor introduced stamp duty holiday
Agents have spoken out angrily against any uncertainty in the market caused by government leaks about future stamp duty changes. In recent days many national newspapers have reported that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will tomorrow reveal the principles of a stamp duty change – either a six month holiday, or selected… Read More »Stamp Duty dithering could kill the market, warn angry agents
One of the possible stamp duty options floated by Chancellor Rishi Sunak could mean 89 per cent of sales would be duty-free. “Temporarily removing stamp duty for homes up to £500,000 for six months will cost the Treasury £1.3 billion” says the portal’s director of research and insight, Richard Donnell. A… Read More »Almost 90% of sales could have zero stamp duty says Zoopla