The Property Market Monthly Fact File - December 2012
The property market fact file is a collection of data compiled each month by our Chartered Surveyors and the propertysurveying.co.uk team; collating survey data, statistics, trends and information from the property market. This aims to help many persons with an interest in property gain an accurate view of what is happening in the UK property market as a whole.
To read the monthly fact file, click here.

C of A Overturns High Court Ruling - Stopping Council from Escaping Lease Commitments
Ref. Charles Terence Estates Ltd v Cornwall Council [2012] EWCA Civ 1439
A landmark judgement from the Court of Appeal will make it very difficult for Councils to escape troublesome and expensive lease agreements founded on fiduciary breaches.
To read the whole article, click here.

Landlord Compiles £1m Property Holdings… Whilst Claiming £73,500 in Benefits
Ref. Bristol Crown Court – Adrian Callen (defendant) – 22/11/2012 T20120789
A 57 year old man from Bedminster Down, Bristol, has been convicted of 9 counts of benefit fraud, relating to a £1m property portfolio he created whilst falsely claiming thousands of pounds worth of benefits…
To read the whole article, click here.

Controversial Housing Minister Wants 1,500 Square Miles of Open Land for Building In one of the most controversial political positions taken by a new Minister since the cabinet reshuffle in September, new Housing Minister Nick Boles MP has revealed his stance towards the ‘housing crisis’…He wants 1,500 square miles of new construction on England’s open spaces. We outline the policy and the reaction… To read the whole article, click here.

Editor’s Comment - Flooding and Development in 2012 Following on from Nick Boles MP’s comments on paving vast swathes of England’s green and pleasant land, our Editor discusses the implications to flooding in years to come, in the unpleasant context of thousands more homes affected by heavy rainfall in recent weeks… To read the whole article, click here.

Tiny Nominal Payout Awarded in £2.5m Castle Sale Case
Ref. Howard v Howard – Lawson [2012] EWCA Civ 6
The man who sued his own 78 year old father four times in eight years over the sale of their 13th Century Corby Castle estate in North Cumbria has now been defeated yet again in the courts, with £100,000 legal costs and his only victory from 22 allegations a £5.60 a year ground rent…..
To read the whole article, click here.

MP’s in Fresh Expenses ‘Omnishambles' Scandal
In the latest Parliamentary expenses ‘omnishambles’ 51MP’s have details of their expenses redacted, as Ipsa release information of some of those who are renting from colleagues at the taxpayers' expense whilst simultaneously letting out their own homes to supplement their own income.
To read the whole article, click here.

Housing Minister Mark Prisk Pledges Government Backing to the Nation’s “Lifeline Shops” Speaking to the Association of Convenience Stores, Mark Prisk MP, Minister for Housing, emphasised how important high street and local stores are to both the economy and to the fabric of society. We detail Government policies that are attempting to assist Britain’s stores and stem the tide of closures… To read the whole article, click here.

Energy Tariff Shifts Risk Leaving Vulnerable Customers out of Pocket
Thousands of vulnerable customers could be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket if moved from ‘social’ tariffs by energy firms.
To read the whole article, click here.

Why is it a Good Time to Own Woodland? Even though you will never be able to build on it, you can’t farm it and you couldn’t live (comfortably) on it, the prices of woodland are rising dramatically, fuelled by strong demand across Britain. But why would anyone want their own woodland and why are investors so keen on it? To read the whole article, click here.

Ash Dieback - Latest Epidemic to Infect British Trees Could Become a Costly H & S Risk The cost of making safe thousands of trees infected by Ash Dieback could run into the hundreds of millions, in the latest epidemic to hit Britain's much loved flora. Following the devestation created by 'Sudden Oak Death' and 'Dutch Elm Disease', many fear yet more tree death will irrevocably affect Britain's forests. To read the whole article, click here.

Avoiding Cowboys and Construction Nightmares
Recent studies by Which? Magazine show that only 52% of responders trust builders. So what can you do to avoid ‘cowboys’ and have your project completed to the expected standard, on time and at the right cost?
To read the whole article, click here.

And Finally....

In case you missed it…..
Congestion Survey Ironically Cancelled after Nine Mile Traffic Jam
In a feat of ironic u-turning impressive even for Local government, a traffic census by Norfolk County Council was this month cancelled after it caused a vast traffic jam. Unfortunately for Norfolk, it wasn’t their first calamitous census…
To read the whole article, click here.