Apr 28, 2021 | Newsletter
Yorkshire Building Society last week (17 March) became the first major lender to relaunch 95% mortgages for first-time buyers. Low-deposit mortgages disappeared almost entirely last spring due to the pandemic, but there are signs that 2021 could be a much better year...
Apr 26, 2021 | Newsletter
Rishi Sunak has used the Budget to extend the stamp duty holiday until the end of June. The tax break, which the Chancellor introduced in July 2020, was brought in to help boost the housing market, which had been suffering due to the pandemic. It had been due to end...
Apr 24, 2021 | Newsletter
Some self-employed workers will have to start paying tax differently next month, as IR35 changes come into force. The private sector reform was due to take place in April last year but was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The move will affect both contractors...
Apr 22, 2021 | Newsletter
The pensions lifetime allowance will be frozen at its existing level until April 2026, in a move that effectively decreases its value when inflation is taken into account. The Chancellor last week said the lifetime allowance would remain at its current £1,073,100 for...
Apr 20, 2021 | Newsletter
House prices in the UK edged downwards in February but are predicted to hit record highs again after the stamp duty holiday was extended by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the Budget. The average price of a home in the UK last month was £251,697, a marginal 0.1% drop...
Apr 18, 2021 | Newsletter
This time last year, markets were in the grip of the coronavirus crisis. Stock markets were suffering losses and central banks were embarking on aggressive interest rate cuts and other stimulus measures to steady the financial system. It all sent bond prices...
Apr 16, 2021 | Newsletter
Inheritance tax bills can be managed by the effective use of Wills, which can ensure assets are passed onto the correct beneficiaries and that the correct amounts are paid. Many experts in the estate planning field encourage families to create Wills as soon as...
Apr 14, 2021 | Newsletter
The Chancellor said action was necessary to begin fixing the public finances, which have been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. Rishi Sunak kept the promise in the Conservative Party 2019 manifesto not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT. But he...
Apr 12, 2021 | Newsletter
New guidance has been released aimed at reducing the number of wall safety surveys being requested by banks and building societies on blocks of flats. Thousands of flat owners have been unable to sell or re-mortgage because they cannot get the checks done. The Royal...
Apr 10, 2021 | Newsletter
When the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced his budget last week, he talked about the government’s goal of turning generation rent into “generation buy”. The measures he outlined to help would-be homebuyers had been heavily trailed – an extension to the stamp duty...
