Property prices fell last month, apart from, bizarrely, in N Ireland and Scotland. London’s worst, but had the biggest bubble rises, as we know. It seems, if you believe there might be such a thing, that this is part of our government’s master plan, as taxes on property, especially buy-to-lets, continue to rise. More stamp duty and CGT, less tax relief and now a purge on landlords who’ve forgotten to do tax returns. Obviously lower-hanging fruit for the taxman than rich exiles or lawyered-up Googles. But no help if you want to sell your house anytime soon.
“John Lewis foray into BTR could result in losses of £57m”
I did predict a while ago that Waitrose Homes rather than Waitrose Home Deliveries could be the future. John Lewis were probably the most benign big business to decide to go into the housing rental market, a move which could swing things away from the unpredictability of the mass of private landlords who dominate the sector.
