This week’s top five stories:
1) Brokers demand action on Japanese knotweed
Brokers have reported an increase in cases held up by Japanese knotweed since the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors issued guidelines on it last year.
2) Advisers could face £1m fines in HMRC tax crackdown
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is launching a major new crackdown on tax avoidance targeting the advisers and promoters of avoidance schemes – and plans penalties of up to £1m.
3) Spanish holiday home owners hit by tax hike
Selling a property in some regions of Spain became more expensive this week following new tax hikes.
4) Ask the Experts: How will MMR change the broker market?
Our Ask the Experts column is your chance to put industry figures on the spot. In this edition Brad Fordham, sales director at Santander for Intermediaries, answers your question.
5) Forward guidance has backfired as rates bottom out – Ray Boulger
Ray Boulger has warned that the Bank of England’s forward guidance on interest rates has caused mortgage pricing to bottom out.
Here are some stories you may have missed:
Zero hours workers face mortgage struggle
Workers on zero hours contracts could struggle to take out a mortgage from the UK’s biggest lenders because they do not fit into regular criteria.
L&G build-to-rent plan could involve broker partners – Smith
Broker partners of Legal & General are likely to be involved in its plans to become a large-scale landlord.
Buy-to-let yields: the London investor’s story – Brian Hall
The buy-to-let market is very different in each part of the country and profitability varies across the country.
Funding market recovery signals cheaper mortgages ahead – CML
Borrowers can look forward to cheaper mortgages thanks to improved funding conditions for lenders, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has said.
Leeds, Nottingham and Southend crowned UK’s buy-to-let hotspots
Leeds, Nottingham and Southend-on-Sea are returning higher rental yields than any other UK cities, according to buy-to-let mortgage specialist TBMC.
