Quarter Day – March 2016

Welcome to the March 2016 edition of our Quarter Day newsletter.

Fladgate LLP Quarter Day March 2016

• Higher rate SDLT for second homes and additional residential properties Are you buying a residential property?  On the day you complete the purchase, will you or your spouse own another residential property anywhere else in the world which is not being replaced with this purchase? [more]
• LMA insurance broker’s letter: a step in the right direction This quarter has seen the Loan Market Association (LMA) publish a template insurance broker’s letter in an attempt to streamline and improve the process of agreeing broker letters in LMA real estate finance transactions. [more]
• Empty Rates – No Longer Charitable? The relief from business rates available to charities has long made the letting of otherwise unused premises to them an attractive proposition for both landlords and charities alike. [more]
• SDLT on commercial and mixed property transactions Significant changes to the SDLT treatment of non-residential property (commercial and mixed property) were announced in the Budget on 16 March 2016. [more]
• UK residential landlords – significant tax changes may lie ahead  The Government has passed legislation which will increase UK tax bills for most individuals (whether UK resident for tax purposes or not) owning UK residential let property, where the property has been part financed through mortgage debt. [more]
• Interpreting the Electronic Communications Code April last year witnessed a very rare event in the world of the Electronic Communications Code: a court decision on the interpretation of a part of the Code. [more]

Updates for real estate professionals