Once upon a time there was a dutiful resident of the leafy and much cherished Hampstead Garden Suburb where the architectural integrity and Conservation Area is protected by the ‘iron grip’ of the New Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust with its vigilant wardens looking out for transgressions.

Anyone who ‘steps out of line’ is dealt with mercilessly.  Is it any wonder, that in the main, the Suburb has changed little since Dame Henrietta Barnett first founded it in the early 20th Century? Continue reading →

In the Autumn Statement of 2014 the coalition government, at the time, were absolutely correct to get rid of the ‘slab-sided’ Stamp Duty Calculator in favour of a more progressive version in order to solve the sales of properties at around each of the margins.

For instance, properties were not sold between £2million and £2.3million since there was a great advantage to keep the price below £2million threshold as the incremental cost beyond this was a great deterrent for the purchaser. (example: the tax on a property bought under the old system at £1,950,000 was £97,500 where as at £2,050,000 it was £143,000 an increase in £46,000 for an extra £100,000 in the purchase price,which reflects a 46% tax at the margin). Continue reading →