Category Archives: Property

The HM Revenues and Customs are to begin investigating 1,200 people who may have exploited a loophole in the law to avoid paying stamp duty on the purchase of a home.

It is estimated that this loophole may have cost the government over £35 million in tax revenue.

There has been a growing number of internet sites who are offering guidance on avoiding tax duty. Some are also claiming that there is a loophole in the law which enables people to avoid paying stamp duty and are offering tax planning and mitigation schemes for a…

A project to install solar panels onto the roofs of approximately 22,000 social housing and council homes may be put on hold due to funding problems.

The project, which has been pioneered by Empower Communities, relies on the feed in tariff from the government. This allows people who generate their own electricity from a renewable energy installation to claim a payment for the electricity they generate, even if they use it.

The feed in tariff was first introduced in April 2010 and the government have since received a large number of applications for the help. It was designed to encourage…

Households with a low income could potentially miss out on a £120 discount from their home energy bills due to funding limits imposed by energy companies.

The Warm Home Discount was introduced earlier this year as a replacement for some existing social tariffs to help people facing fuel poverty. It is expected that approximately 600,000 pensioners will benefit from the discount this year.

Pensioners automatically qualify for the Warm Home Discount if they receive the Guaranteed element of their Pension Credit entitlement. The government will issue a letter to those who qualify to explain their entitlement…

The Spanish government have announced that they are reducing the VAT on new properties from 8% to 4% in an attempt to stimulate the property market.

In a recent survey by Aon, Spain has been identified as the most popular location for people who are considering retiring abroad. With an estimated 57% of British people who would like to retire abroad, the halving of VAT for new Spanish properties may help to make the country a more desirable location for potential emigrants.

With its European Economic Area (EEA) status and the pension rights that come with it, the low cost…