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Latest letters
Staircase law: do your due diligence
Editor: In your recent build-to-rent (BTR) report, the requirement for new-build residential buildings over 18m to have a second staircase was presented as a challenge for developers and another hurdle to overcome, but perhaps not a deal-breaker.
WeWork woes do not reflect flex market sentiment
Editor: By the time WeWork officially filed for bankruptcy last month, it had started to feel like old news. The drip-feeding of WeWork’s woes over the past six months had already prepared the market for the inevitable.
Strike while the London iron is hot
Editor: Uma Rajah makes a compelling case for why ‘the capital always bounces back’ when it comes to prime central London (PCL) residential property. And the prime commercial market also now presents huge opportunities following the price corrections of the past 12 months.
WeWork’s failure was predictable but avoidable
Editor: The failure of WeWork, wounded by the hubris of its co-founder Adam Neumann and propped up by SoftBank until its losses were unsupportable, was entirely predictable to those of us old enough to recall Mark Dixon in his heyday building his vehicle, Regus.
Clarity on business rates is a must
Editor: High street retailers’ recent calls for a cut in business rates give an early indication of the pressures the chancellor faces ahead of this year’s Autumn Statement. With all eyes on the direction of inflation and whether it will continue to drive the uniform business rate (UBR) up, businesses ...
Chancellor can restore confidence in net zero goals
Editor: After the government’s disappointing U-turn on net zero, the Autumn Statement is a chance for it to reinvigorate investor confidence and voter trust that it has a suitably urgent plan for tackling climate change.
The open-ended fund model is outdated
Editor: Your recent front-page story asked: “Is it the end of the road for open-ended funds?” If that is the case, it has been a slow demise.
What do we need from a Leasehold Reform Bill?
Editor: At this stage in the electoral cycle, we need a Leasehold Reform Bill that is sufficiently comprehensive that it benefits leaseholders, while being sufficiently realistic that it can be passed before the next election.
Housing crisis: blame game unhelpful
Editor: There is a certain pantomime played out by politicians and the media when discussing housing policy, illustrated perfectly in the recent BBC programme Britain’s Housing Crisis: What Went Wrong?
What can BFS developers learn from BTR model?
Editor: There are inherent differences between build-for-sale (BFS) and build-to-rent (BTR) developments.
Privatisation may fix planning system
Editor: Britain’s planning system is saddling us with all kinds of social and economic problems and must take a large share of the blame for the housing crisis that is freezing a whole generation out of home ownership.
How will the next government tackle property issues?
Editor: There are several well-documented, interconnected issues affecting the UK property market: the affordability crisis; the imbalance between supply and demand; empty and derelict properties; the planning system; and sustainability.
