Nottingham Letting Agent Property Blog

Britain's biggest estate agent, Countrywide thinks the Stamp Duty system is outdated and unfair, and should be permanently axed for homes costing less than £250,000. It is urging the government to review this current policy in order to help stimulate property sales. Last month there were just 57,000 housing transactions which is the second lowest level since 1995, showing the housing market is still well and truly in the doldrums.Stamp duty can place a significant burden on first-time buyers struggling to raise a large enough deposit in order to qualify for a loan. It is also hitting those people who would...

The Right to Build system is designed to cut red tape for property projects, and to place the power to grant planning permission back into the hands of communities, according to Housing Minister Grant Schapps. He is making £17 million available to help get building projects off the drawing board, and is offering a bonus of up to £2,000 for those able to get their plans in by the end of March next year. Under this new system communities will be able to approve local developments, bypassing the need to go through the normal planning application process. The proposals will still...