Three councils have lost their appeal for a judicial review of the Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the need for planning permission when converting single dwellings into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). The need for planning permission was introduced in April 2010 by the last Labour Government after it had conducted a consultation with interested
Investors buying properties consisting of two or more flats could be spending far more than necessary if they don’t take advantage of a Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) relief introduced in the Finance Act 2011. The change rectified the situation whereby if an investor bought a property containing several flats from the same seller, the
Ministers have announced plans to boost the construction industry and help people to buy a new home. The two key measures are a £400m ‘GetBritainBuilding’ fund and a scheme in which the Government will provide indemnity for mortgages of up to 95% of the value of new houses. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, described the
The Government has announced a number of reforms to end unfair practices which it says have been holding back Britain’s pubs. The proposals have been put forward by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and are in response to the Select Committee’s Report on Pub Companies. They set out the details of a
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has warned that consumer landlords are still being presented with potentially unfair terms in contracts with some letting agents. The warning follows the enforcement case last year against Foxtons for breaching the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (UTCCR). Foxtons agreed to amend some of its terms concerning