Rayner urged to reform landlord fees in Renters’ Rights Bill Property Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been urged to reform high landlords’ fees in the upcoming Renters’ Rights Bill to help balance the market. In a letter to the Housing Secretary, lettings and property management agent Hello Neighbour said that landlords were being charged £2bn in London alone in “excessive fees”. These fees are related to exit [...]
How thriving, free-market Hong Kong came under the boot of communist China Opinion What began on this day in 1843 ended in a strange form of decolonisation. The UK handed over a territory to China, not by popular demand, but to abide by international treaties, knowing that to the other side such agreements were worthless, says Eliot Wilson If you have any real memory of the handover of [...]
A non-dom tax U-turn could revive prime London property Opinion Prime property in areas like Mayfair and Belgravia is currently going for as little as £1,800 per square foot, but reversing inheritance tax on global assets could re-establish London’s appeal to the world’s rich, says Edward Matthews Reports that Rachel Reeves is considering reversing the requirement for overseas high net worth individuals (HNWI) to pay [...]
‘Way too cheap’ – Tax experts question Reform’s £250K non-dom plan June 23, 2025 Reform UK’s new ‘Robin Hood’-style non-dom policy has been given a cool reception by top UK tax experts, who have branded it as “too cheap” and warned it could even cost the UK £34bn in lost tax revenue. Nigel Farage’s party, which currently tops the opinion polls, unveiled plans for a £250,000 flat tax regime [...]
London broker upgrades landlord GPE on expected surge in prime office rents June 12, 2025 London broker Peel Hunt has upgraded the target share price for West End property giant Great Portland Estates (GPE) as high demand for best-in-class office space is set to push up prices. GPE’s share price was 342p as of the close on June 11, but Peel Hunt brokers have set a target price of 375p. [...]
Bargain Britain: UK firms under siege by foreign takeovers June 12, 2025 The London Stock Exchange has suffered a bruising week as private equity firms and foreign giants continue to snap up British bargains. Markets were hit with a double blow on Wednesday after Canadian consultancy giant acquired engineering firm Ricardo and KKR returned with a final bid for GP Landlord Assura. Assura has recommended a cash [...]
AIM to shed billions as market projected to shrink by a fifth May 28, 2025 London’s junior stock market is set to deepen its listing crisis as it heads towards its 30th birthday. The alternative investment market (AIM) is projected to have £12.3bn of market capitalisation, after 61 companies announced plans to ditch their listing. A combination of mergers, private equity takeovers, delistings in favour of private securities venues and [...]
Oxford Street rebounds to pre-pandemic occupancy as firms bet on shops May 27, 2025 Shop vacancies on Oxford Street have fallen below one per cent for the first time since the pandemic as brands compete for best-in-class retail space. Overall shop vacancies on Oxford Street fell to 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the first time the figure has fallen below one per cent since [...]
Labour’s tax policies are hitting the companies they need to build homes May 23, 2025 Construction plant-hire companies are fundamental to delivering the government’s pledge to build 1.5m homes, but they tend to be family businesses – the very kind that are being worst hit by changes to NICs and Business Property Relief, says Steven Mulholland The latest Homes England figures might look promising – more homes completed, more sites started, and [...]
Mid-week office working back to pre-pandemic levels, says British Land May 22, 2025 Property giant British Land has said that mid-week occupancy in central London offices has returned to its pre-pandemic level, more than five years after the start of the work-from-home mandate. It said that lack of high-quality office space has contributed to record rents in the sector. “Return to the office is in full swing… the [...]