Almost a quarter of a million sales yet to complete before stamp duty deadline
Nearly a quarter of a million home buyers could be left with an unexpected tax bill if the temporary stamp duty holiday ends as planned on 31st March 2021, Yorkshire Building Society has estimated. The Government announced a temporary stamp duty freeze on property purchases up to £500,000 in July, which is set to come […]
Fire alarm standard extended to February 2022
The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government Committee has agreed to postpone the new regulations for fire and smoke alarm regulations which require all homes in Scotland to have interlinked smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for 12 months, following criticism of the timing of implementation due to the impact of Coronavirus. Click here to read the […]
Tenants get more help from private landlords than social landlords
Private landlords have been giving more help to tenants who cannot pay their rent as a result of Covid than those in the social sector – and that’s official. The English Housing Survey, just published, says that since the start of the pandemic six per cent of private renters had secured a reduction in their […]
Landlords urged to ‘come clean’ with undeclared rental income as HMRC scrutiny rises
Landlords and buy-to-let property investors who have undeclared rental income have been warned to seek advice and come clean with the taxman – or face stiff penalties. Shenward, a Yorkshire-based firm of chartered accountants and business advisors, has noticed that HMRC officials are pursuing individuals they believe may be underpaying income tax. Click this […]
Broken people and landlords raking in millions – scandal of Birmingham’s ‘goldmine’ hostels
“I worry the pressure is going to get to me, or I am going to stand up to someone and get myself killed,” says Oliver, his voice wavering. “I don’t know I will get out of here alive. I worry about that every day.” Click this link to read the full article.
Sub-zero: Will negative interest rates heat up the UK housing market?
There is a concern that the property market in England is already overheating because of the temporary lower SDLT rates and the “race for space” as many office workers realise that working from home may be coupled with more space if they move away from the inner cities or even the traditional commuter belt. But […]
Shock as government policy works! Why we need to keep the stamp duty holiday
The stamp duty holiday is working — actually really, really well. So, of course, the government plans to reverse it shortly. Governments tax things either to raise money to spend, or to discourage you from doing them. Click here to read the full article.
Is it time to allow tenants to keep pets?
This is a time of year when many people consider buying a pet as a present but for the millions of people in the private rented sector (PRS), this is not an option. Many landlords oppose the idea of allowing tenants to have pets as they fear their property will be damaged, may develop an […]
More Support Needed Landlords Tell Inquiry
Rather than concentrating on measures to block tenant evictions, Government focus should be on providing better support for the private rented sector, so as to help both landlords and tenants. This is what National Residential Landlords Association chief executive Ben Beadle told a Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s Inquiry into the Impact of […]
UK buy-to-let landlords admitting tax evasion underpaid an average of £4,500 last year
Buy-to-let landlords who have admitted to evading tax on their rental income underpaid an average of £4,480 in tax last year, up 72% from an average of £2,610 underpaid the year before. UHY Hacker Young, the national accountancy group, said it’s likely that landlords who have evaded larger amounts of tax are now beginning to […]