Taxing fiasco for offshore investors

Tens of thousands of investors ignored the taxman’s amnesty on unpaid tax from offshore bank accounts, due to a communications fiasco and eye-watering bills.

This is the view of tax adviser Alan McCann, who believes most of the 400,000 UK investors affected did not know about the offer until after the June 22 deadline, or went into financial denial because of the ruinous cost of owning up.

Only 50,000 people took advantage of the amnesty which wrecked the Treasury’s bid to scoop hundreds of millions of pounds in tax, and left offshore account holders potentially at risk of crippling penalties.

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Housing quality and consumer rights to improve

New Build Inspections welcomes the OFT study into house building announced last week but has concerns.

The OFT study investigating the £20bn house building industry aims to improve consumer satisfaction and increase the number of new homes. However, most of the press attention has focussed on housing supply rather than the lack of consumer protection and decreasing customer satisfaction linked to poor quality standards.

Catriona Bright, Managing Director of New Build Inspections a company that checks the quality of new homes on behalf of consumers, commented: “Poor quality is an important part of the study that has been overshadowed thus far in the media by the housing supply issue. I am concerned that this will result in the OFT not getting the quantity of evidence they need from new build buyers as they are unlikely to be aware of this part of the study.�

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Advice for landlords when students leave property unoccupied during the holiday period

As students finish their exams or take a break for the summer holidays, many landlords have to cope with their property becoming unoccupied for a number months until the new term begins.

Even if the students have paid a retainer or the landlord has already found new tenants for next term, it isn’t just the lack of rent that can cause problems.

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Real Estate Signs

Can you imagine how much more effective your ‘for sale / ‘To Let ‘ signs would be if they were illuminated ?

Heat Marketing has and that’s why they are launching this innovative Marketing product direct to the property market.

Routinely used by Real Estate Agents in America and Australia Solar Power Signage is an integral part of successful property letting and property sales.

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OVENU WARNS LANDLORDS ON OVEN SAFETY

Ovenu, the UK’s leading professional oven valeting service, is warning landlords of the health and safety risks surrounding unclean ovens.

Kitchens can provide health risks to tenants and dirty ovens in particular are a key source of household fires. The 2002-2003 British Crime Survey of Fires in the Home revealed that the majority (62 per cent) of domestic fires start in the kitchen.

Of those that were started via a cooking accident, 35 per cent were caused by fat or oil catching fire and 28 per cent by grill pans.

Cleanliness and hygiene are often the biggest concerns facing tenants and many providers across the country should be aiming to raise the overall standard of their accommodation.

Landlords have a duty of care towards their tenants and those who are found guilty of letting unsafe and/or unclean houses could face prosecution. The innovative valeting process used by Ovenu could help protect landlords from this fate.

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Landlord Bashing - seems to be all around us right now.

The “Guardian� newspaper over the last two Saturdays has let its readers loose with a string of mostly anti buy-to-let letters - and London’s “Metro� free paper was at it too yesterday.

But landlords should take note because some of the Guardian letter writers’ comments were fair and needed making. In particular, their attack on absentee landlords who fail to maintain their properties and let tenants dump rubbish outside, thus destroying the look of a community was very valid.

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