Homes by the sea for sale in the UK – in pictures

Properties with a holiday feel, from a mini estate in Cornwall to a flat on Brighton seafront

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Nine top tips for selling your home if you have a pet Nottingham Estate Agents

Not every buyer will feel the same as you do about your beloved pet. OnTheMarket agent Aberdein Considine offers top tips on how to ensure potential buyers are not put off by the negatives which sometimes come with owning a pet. Minimise the negatives 1. Remember to repair any damage caused by pets, including carpets, […]

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Here's an idea that could earn the government £400bn in 25 years | Nils Pratley

A capital gains tax on primary residence – it may be politically toxic but has the virtue of fairness

The UK’s public finances are “on an unsustainable path”, the Office for Budget Responsibility said last week. Since it has been saying as much for years, even before Covid-19 provoked a surge in borrowing, the analysis was hardly a surprise. The difference now, however, is that the debt numbers are so large that the government is obliged to consider big, radical, long-term solutions.

Here’s one such idea, from Michael Johnson, a former banker and actuary, in a paper for the Social Market Foundation thinktank: introduce a capital gains tax on primary residences.

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England’s leasehold system is crumbling. Freeholders' fightback will be nasty | Patrick Collinson

There was good news this week for millions of homeowners. But it’s not time to celebrate yet

A report by the Law Commission published this week should have made uplifting reading for the 4.3 million homeowners in England and Wales trapped in our feudal leasehold system. It appeared to (finally) spell the end to many of the gruesome practices that have left people in despair, such as ludicrously expensive lease extensions, spiralling ground rents and absurd service charges. But there are billions of pounds at stake here – money that flows to rich freeholders, many of them aristocratic families or companies in the British Virgin Islands, for doing virtually nothing. And they will find one loophole after the next to hold on to their unearned wealth.

First, let’s look at the good news. The Law Commission was asked last year by the government to find solutions to the leasehold crisis. Its initial report, in January, set out reforms to the “enfranchisement” process. That’s where you either want to buy the freehold, or extend the, say, 75-year lease on your flat back up to 99 years.

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Deposit return: A guide for tenants and landlords Nottingham Estate Agents

Many a tenancy has ended in tears because of a lack of clarity about the all-important deposit, which can run to thousands of pounds. The introduction of Government-backed deposit protection schemes in 2007 was supposed to reduce the scope for such misunderstandings and, to an extent, has achieved that by introducing greater clarity into the […]

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How to deal with noisy neighbours Nottingham Estate Agents

It might be a yapping dog, loud music or an all-night party. Whatever the origin of the noise, the decibel level can be both disturbing and distressing. But what can you do about it? OnTheMarket offers tips for dealing with noisy neighbours. Most homeowners and tenants are confronted with the dilemma of noisy neighbours at […]

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Specieswatch: hedgehogs are well-loved but mysterious garden visitors

We know so little about the lives of these endearing animals, whose numbers are in decline in Britain

The European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, is said to be the gardener’s best friend; eating slugs, beetles and other unwelcome visitors to the vegetable patch. Whether this is true or not, the garden is the most likely place to find what is considered to be Britain’s favourite mammal, the species having fled from industrialised farmland to survive.

Related: Country diary: preparing the garden for a much-loved mammal

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