Real Estate

The shopping centres market: an overview

This infographic provides an overview of the shopping centres market, from transaction volumes and deal values to changing trends shaping the shopping centre experience.

03 April 2013

Law Commission Consultation on rights to light

The Law Commission should be applauded in their attempt to introduce greater certainty in this vital area of law.

11 March 2013

The importance of proper service

The landlord's statutory duty in relation to giving consent applies when the tenant has "served" on the landlord a written application for consent.

11 March 2013

New permitted development rights to make best use of underused buildings

New permitted development rights will allow office space to be converted into homes without the need for planning permission.

11 March 2013

Costly Omission

Landlords must take care to ensure they comply with statutory obligations to provide information to assured shorthold tenants for deposits.

08 March 2013

Community infrastructure levy- key points

Community infrastructure levy may significantly impact on development costs.

08 March 2013

Draft Finance Bill 2013: clarifying the March 2012 Budget

The draft Finance Bill 2013 provided much needed clarity to the consultation which begain in March 2012.

25 January 2013

Real Estate

Grant of lease can be a TOGC - HMRC reverses its position

HMRC now accepts that the grant of a long lease subject to existing leases is capable of being a transfer of a going concern (TOGC) for VAT purposes, provided that the lessor's retained interest is small enough not to disturb the substance of the transaction, being the transfer of the lessor's property letting business to the lessee.  In practice the retained interest must have a value of no more than 1% of the value of the property immediately before the transfer in order to be regarded as small. An example would be the grant of a long lease, commercially equivalent to a freehold, at a nominal ground rent. This is a very welcome development and we hope it will be followed by similar TOGC extension to lease surrenders.

23 November 2012

Newham's Licensing Scheme: A trap for rogue landlords or a rod for the back?

The London Borough of Newham has unveiled a scheme requiring all private residential landlords to obtain a licence by the end of the year.

23 October 2012

Real Estate

The bedrock of a fast web connection brings possibility for smart homes of the future

It's the coldest day of a crisp British winter and you're stuck late in the office. Nobody's home but you've set the central heating to come on in five minutes' time. Energy is expensive enough as it is without needing to heat an empty house.

18 October 2012

Real Estate Residential

Article – Attracting Institutional Investors to the Residential Market

The Government published in August 2012 the Montague report to consider whether there is significant potential for institutional investment in the private rental market. 

10 October 2012

Residential Real Estate

Residential Real Estate: Your Guide to Investing in the UK

03 October 2012

Planning

New Rules on home extensions: market boost or trouble at home?

As part its continuing attempts to kick-start the housing economy, the Government has announced that planning rules will be relaxed to allow homeowners to build bigger extensions without the need for planning permission.

19 September 2012

Construction

Spanish companies are mapping out the way forward

Mecca, birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the holiest place in Islam, attracts more than four million pilgrims every year from all over the world. But as the number of pilgrims increased every year, the road from Medina to Mecca became more crowded. Something was needed to release the pressure on the road and to get people in and out of gridlocked Mecca at greater speed.

12 September 2012

Tips for the overseas investor buying Residential Real Estate in the UK

The UK Residential Real Estate system is unique. It offers transparency, a secure way of holding an asset and clear rules on ownership

13 July 2012