Insights: Publications - December 2012

The Honeywood File(1) is a hilarious account of the catastrophes befalling the design, construction and agreement of the final account for a domestic residence. The book purports to be the architect’s file of correspondence with all parties. It was written in the 1920s and was ready for an updated version. This has now been provided […]

The UK Government has confirmed that in April 2013 it intends to introduce: an Annual Residential Property tax (ARPT), which will apply to companies, partnerships with a corporate partner, and collective investment schemes (all of which we refer to as Non Natural Persons (NNPs) in this note), whether UK resident or not, owning UK residential […]

Legal updates for those involved in the real estate industry.

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often, or so said the nation’s favourite Briton, Sir Winston Churchill. Advances in computer technology have dramatically changed the way we work and live. However, technologies in construction have fallen behind other industries. This may be because, unlike manufacturing, construction operations are rarely performed […]

We consider how the broad approach currently adopted by employment tribunals means employees abroad can argue their way into the UK’s jurisdiction. The government has recently committed £13m of funding to UK Trade & Investment to support British companies in their global trading efforts. While a vibrant international trade brings with it exciting business opportunities, […]

In a recent case the High Court held that where a company used a tiny percentage of a property for storage, this amounted to rateable occupation, triggering a new period of empty rates relief. The decision confirms that landlords may enter into lettings of six weeks or more to trigger a fresh period of empty […]