It’s official – Osborne’s outrageous Stamp Duty hikes are costing the UK £1billion per annum!

Posted on February 4, 2019

The ‘reasons’ underpinning the former Chancellor’s draconian hikes on Stamp Duty in the autumn Budget of 2014 are widely known. Now, we can see that the full devastating and distorting effects on the Residential Property Market have come to pass, particularly in London. Quelle surprise!

Pour yourself a strong fortifying beverage before reading on

You’d better pour yourself a strong fortifying beverage before reading on. With prices down by 25% and activity deflated by a disastrous 70%, certain sectors of the market are practically gridlocked. Frustratingly, this DIY recession is self-imposed, costing the Treasury and UK taxpayer £1billion per annum and rising.
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Who’s in favour of home buying reservation agreements?

Posted on January 31, 2019

The government has announced that it will trial ‘reservation agreements’ this year. Although this is an admirable move, it is not clear as to how these will work in practice.

The principle is sound, in that buyer and seller both need ‘skin in the game’, when they have agreed on a deal and the conveyancing work is processed through their respective solicitors. Read more →

Where do we go after the Commons defeat?

Posted on January 16, 2019

Is the Commons defeat a sophisticated Machiavellian two-part strategy or a case of the Keystone Cops?

It is difficult to fathom whether the unprecedented defeat in the Commons is part of a Machiavellian two-part plan or an unseemly ‘scuttling of the good ship Brexit.’ Read more →