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New tax free savings vehicles launched for first time UK buyers
Would be first time buyers in the UK can now take advantage of a new financial product that allows them to save for a deposit on a home tax free. The government’s Help to Buy ISA launched today and means that people can save £200 each month, up to a maximum of £12,000, and the government will provide a 25% bonus on the interest and contributions, up to a maximum of £3,000, when the saver purchases a property. According to Mark Hayward, managing director of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), it will provide a boost to first time buyers hoping to make the climb onto the property ladder. ‘It seems as though first time buyers are at the top of the government’s agenda following the further helpful initiatives announced during last week’s Autumn Statement which means that we might finally begin to see first time buyers cutting through the market. But he pointed out that although the Help to Buy ISA is a starting point for first time buyers and it will help them on the way to raising a deposit, there’s another major reason why they are feeling pushed out of the market and that is not enough homes to buy. ‘This is the lack of housing, specifically affordable housing available to all house buyers whether that be first time buyers, all the way to last time buyers. In order to help first time buyers find their feet in the market in the long term, the issue of supply needs to be addressed,’ explained Hayward. ‘Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement that he’ll be building 200,000 new starter homes is a good place to start, but until the wheels are put into motion, we just won’t see a substantial change for first time buyers,’ he added. Dave Bexon, Group sales and marketing director for Redrow Homes, welcomed the launch as raising a deposit is regularly cited as one of the biggest barriers to home ownership for young people. ‘This pioneering scheme should encourage a generation of renters to save for a down payment on a home, with the knowledge that the hard earned money they set aside will be topped up with a contribution from the Government,’ he said. ‘We're confident this assistance will encourage more would be home owners into the market which, longer term, is also key to helping to stimulate movement at all levels of the market,’ he added. He also pointed out that the existing Help to Buy equity loans continue to provide a valuable boost to purchasers of new build homes, enabling people to buy with just a 5% deposit with an equity loan of 20% from the Government, which is interest free for five years. Mortgage advisor Andrew Mannion, of RSC New Homes, one of several mortgage experts who offer advice to Redrow purchasers, also welcomed the introduction. ‘We feel that this scheme will be useful as it will boost a customer's deposit which,… Continue reading
Conveyancer jailed for fraud over stamp duty scam
A warning has gone out to property industry professionals in the UK to make sure they carry out correct Stamp Duty returns after a conveyancer was jailed for stealing money paid by his clients. Anthony Maragh, 57, from Harrow in London, consistently undervalued his clients’ properties so that less stamp duty land tax was paid to Revenue and Customs (HMRC) while he kept the difference. He swindled his clients and HMRC out of almost £352,500 in stamp duty land tax between 2008 and 2013. Tax investigators found that he lied on paperwork to undervalue his clients' properties meaning the amount of tax owed was reduced. But he charged them the full amount and kept the difference. He under declared the stamp duty land tax due on 43 property transactions, transferring £297,000 directly from the solicitor's company accounts into his personal bank account. He also spent a further £55,000 directly from the Client Account on collectable antique Chinese gold bonds. ‘As a conveyancer, Maragh knew only too well that he was breaking the law and what the consequences of his actions would be,’ said Martin Brown, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC. ‘He abused the trust of his clients, stealing money that had been paid by them in good faith to meet their tax liabilities, to line his own pockets. Maragh thought that his scheme would go undetected, but he was wrong and is now behind bars with his reputation and career in tatters,’ he added. Anyone with information on suspected tax fraud should contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000. Maragh was sentenced to three years and four months in prison and confiscation proceedings to recover the proceeds of crime are underway. ‘This was repeated offending and an abuse of position and trust with a large number of victims exposed to risk,’ said Her Honour Judge Poulet in court. Continue reading
Continued low interest rates boosting UK property sales
Home sales in the UK have exceeded 100,000 per month for a fifth month in a row with buyers attracted by low interest rates and attractive mortgage products. The latest official transaction data from HMRC shows that the provisional seasonally adjusted UK property transaction count for October 2015 was 105,490 residential and 10,160 non-residential transactions. The seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of residential property transactions decreased by 0.2% between September 2015 and October 2015. This month’s seasonally adjusted figure is 6.3% higher compared with the same month last year. The data also shows that the number of non-adjusted residential transactions was 2.6% higher than in October 2014. Peter Rollings, chief executive officer of Marsh & Parsons, pointed out that October marks the fifth consecutive month that home sales have cleared 100,000, putting activity in a whole other league to the first half of 2015. ‘There has been a slight correction on a monthly basis, but we’re still head and shoulders above a year ago, as buyers ride high on the wave of low interest rates and attractive mortgage products,’ he said. He also pointed out that in London, supply and demand are moving in different directions. ‘We’ve seen the number of available properties for sale fall 5% during the third quarter of 2015 compared to a 4% boost in buyers over the same period,’ he explained. Continue reading
