What a strange world we are living in presently. In the past, where inflation has taken hold, half a percent – increase or decrease – was considered de minimis in the scheme of things and hardly worth a mention. Today, it is heralded and chronicled as the biggest jump in 27 years.
While the best things in life may be free, it is an inviolable truth that the government will somehow find a way to make them taxable. While that may be the price we pay for representation (a much-debated topic since American colonists rebelled against British rule in the 1760s), not all taxes are equal. Or indeed fair. One of the most egregious examples is Stamp Duty, which is festering away under the epidermis of our beleaguered housing market. However, the good news is that there is a cure. Admittedly, you need several million swilling around in the piggy-bank to take advantage of this loophole, which up until now, has not been exposed.
If you rent instead of buy in the uber rental market, for say five years, the government will give you a rent-free tenancy for this period. Sounds implausible? Let me explain… Continue reading
“They don’t ring a bell at the top of the market, but if they did, the sound would be deafening!”
Up until recently, the residential property market, between £1million-£3million in the Capital, has been as busy as we have seen it in a very long time. Very few properties were coming on to the market for sale, and the stock selection was scarce at best; when a fresh new seller eventually appeared, there was a ‘bun fight’ between estate agents to nab the instruction. Continue reading