Latest letters
Is scrapping FHL yet another an attack on landlords?
2024-03-13T17:30:00+00:00By Rebecca Wilkinson
The biggest headline-grabbing announcement from the Spring Budget as far as the property sector is concerned is the scrapping of the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) regime. FHL provides those who hire out furnished properties as holiday lets with various tax advantages.
Why Help to Buy must be resurrected
2024-03-13T17:29:00+00:00By Vernon Pethard
While the chancellor delivered several welcome tax cuts in the Spring Budget, there was a disappointing absence of support pledged for prospective homebuyers.
Attitudes to safety must change now
2024-03-07T00:00:00+00:00
Editor: If the property sector handled disasters like Grenfell as seriously as the airline industry takes its disasters, we would not have witnessed the horrific fatal fire in Valencia last month.
Construction industry can own digital transformation
2024-03-07T00:00:00+00:00
Editor: Contrary to popular belief, a recent report has shown that the UK construction industry has been among the best at digital adoption. However, this has started to grind to a halt as a quarter (28%) of businesses in the sector believe digital transformation is easy for them to achieve.
Inflexible offices simply won’t cut it
2024-02-29T00:00:00+00:00
Editor: In Nottingham and across the Midlands, we have seen some huge companies downsize and move into serviced office accommodation. They are doing so largely to cut costs, but the trend is also a reflection of a much-changed working environment in which employees prize greater flexibility.
How ‘hotelification’ breathes new life into high streets
2024-02-29T00:00:00+00:00
Editor: As hospitality specialist architects and interior designers, we found last week’s edition of Property Week extremely relevant. Studio Moren is the team developing the Great Tower Street property in the City of London for Dominus.
Retail sector concerns are overblown
2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00
Editor: The 3.9% drop revealed in the latest Office for National Statistics retail sales volume report for non-food stores sparked panic in the headlines. Commentators and analysts rushed to outline the chaos on the high streets, with doom-mongering soundbites and accelerated calls for Bank of England rate cuts.
Will the Budget bring clarity on stamp duty reliefs?
2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00
Editor: Speculation is already rife about the possibility of tax cuts in the Spring Budget. So far, income tax and inheritance tax have been the focus, but from a property perspective, possible reductions in the headline stamp duty land tax (SDLT) rates remain a popular theme.
Asset managers need the right tools to maintain quality offices
2024-01-08T10:51:00+00:00By Oli Farago
I agree with the trepidation expressed in Property Week’s recent article ‘Storm clouds are gathering over the office market’.
Net zero progress is moving far too slowly
2023-12-18T16:18:00+00:00
I found the recent UKGBC and RICS reports, released on Built Environment Day at COP28, to be apt testaments to the current state and sentiment for net zero in the industry.
Don’t forget affordable later living
2023-12-18T13:42:00+00:00By Juraj Marko
Increased investment in affordable homes has made for welcome reading recently, including Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) launching its first affordable housing investment to back London Square Group and Square Roots.
Which sectors will debt providers be backing in 2024?
2023-12-18T13:38:00+00:00By Daniel Austin
Editor: While the lead-up to the autumn election will perhaps hinder progress, we are likely to see a boost in productivity in Q4 alongside a fall in interest rates.