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In response to the Chancellor's Summer Statement at Westminster, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Kate Forbes MSP, has said that the Scottish Government will raise the threshold for Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) from £145,000 to £250,000.
HM Land Registry has today, 9 July issued draft guidance on the introduction of e-signatures in order to tackle the issues that legal formalities have caused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recent case where a surveyor failed to identify serious remedial issues has highlighted the importance of using Propertymark’s Sales Protocol Toolkit to help minimise potential misconduct when selling a property.
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, launched today, 8 July, a new scheme to encourage business to keep furloughed workers providing a £1,000 one-off payment to UK employers for every employee they bring back from furlough, who remains in employment until the end of January 2021.
As part of today’s announcement by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, apprenticeships are to receive a huge boost from the UK Government's measures to grow jobs and strengthen the economy.
On the back of The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak’s, announcement today, 8 July, on the temporary overhaul of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), the higher rate for purchases of additional dwellings will still apply.
NAEA Propertymark is teaming up with award-winning international Proptech development programme REACH UK, to help a new UK cohort of developers provide future solutions to estate agents’ problems.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has unveiled plans to temporarily overhaul Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), as part of a range of plans to stimulate the economy during the COVID-19 crisis.
The UK Government has published Regulations for Leicester which clarify that agents do not need to cease viewings or close branches in areas of local lockdown.
HS2 has issued updated guidance and route maps for property owners in Phase 2a of the scheme, which runs from the West Midlands to Crewe.
Boris Johnson announced today, 30 June, an ambitious £5bn plan to boost the UK economy with a focus on infrastructure development. The funding will be used for building homes, public services, and transport links, and adds substance to his “build, build, build” pledge to change planning laws to prevent delays in large-scale building projects and deliver greener and faster homes.
The Government will open its Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRN) system from 1 July which has applications useful to agents on information searches.
As announced on 19 June, the Scottish Government’s phased exit plan has today, 29 June, moved into Phase Two which allows agents to open for business but under strict guidance.
Following the announcement on Friday 19 June of a partial reopening of the housing market in Wales from Monday 22 June, the Welsh Government has just released guidance for agents and landlords.
As the housing market reopened, estate agents recorded an average of five sales per branch, and demand for housing was seven per cent higher than recorded pre-lockdown.
The future of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) enforcement has yet to be decided in the UK-EU talks and agents should ensure their current processes are up to date to be ready for any changes to AML laws as a result of Brexit.
On Friday 19 June 2020, the UK Government published a Code of Practice to encourage commercial tenants and landlords to work together to protect viable businesses.
On Friday 19 June 2020, the UK Government announced that it will extend measures to prevent high street businesses facing eviction over the Summer.
As announced on 19 June, the Scottish Government’s phased exit plan has moved into Phase Two to be introduced in stages and guidance has now been published for agents. Whilst it’s not a return to normal, house moves will be permitted.
Following the announcement on Friday of a partial reopening of the housing market in Wales from today (Monday 22 June), the Welsh Government have released further information via FAQs which provides detail about the lifting of the five-mile travel restrictions for the property sector.
The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford has announced that there will be a partial reopening of the housing market in Wales from Monday 22 June 2020.
The Scottish Government has announced that Scotland will move to the second stage of the Coronavirus lockdown exit plan and this means a relaxation on restrictions on house moves from Monday 29 June 2020.
Propertymark urges all agencies to give their staff robust training on how to use the Sales Protocol Toolkit, as clients look to the market after lockdown.
Propertymark has responded to the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) proposed draft guidance on Pooled Client Accounts outlining that the banks' expectations of letting agents do not coincide with legal requirements for AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and the CMP (Client Money Protection) regulations.
The Executive Ministers announced today in their daily update on the COVID-19 emergency that sales and lettings activity can resume under strict guidelines from Monday 15 June.
Due to the restrictions placed on the housing market during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has recognised some people have been unable to sell a previous main residence to qualify for the three per cent higher rates of SDLT refund.
The Welsh Government has issued a notice to Propertymark on the continued closure of estate and lettings agencies and under the current health protection regulations, non-essential retail businesses remain closed.
From October 2020, Rebecca Marsh will take up the role of The Property Ombudsman, taking over from Katrine Sporle CBE, whose five-year contract comes to an end on 31 October.
The Scottish Government has responded to concerns raised by Propertymark on behalf of its members, following reports that some Scottish agents had been denied access to business support schemes when local authorities declared the grant is not available to their sector.
Some customers who are self-isolating because they are higher risk may face other challenges apart from the direct risk and impact of the virus, Agents are a key part of local communities and can provide housing and support to those in need.