A First-tier Tribunal has upheld a buyer’s treatment of a Hampstead flat block acquisition as mixed use for SDLT purposes, after finding that land occupied by an electrical substation did not form part of the dwelling’s grounds. The decision preserved a £341,750 SDLT saving and turned on the separate commercial function and leasehold status of the substation land.
The Upper Tribunal found that the First-tier Tribunal made legal errors when assessing whether a tenancy was not on a commercial basis under regulation 9(1)(a) of the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006. The decision emphasises that the correct test is the statutory wording itself, with proper fact-finding and weighing of relevant factors, rather than comparisons to a hypothetical commercial landlord.
The article argues that many letting agencies are investing in AI and PropTech too quickly, without first having clear processes or a properly designed operating model. Sally Lawson says automation can amplify existing weaknesses, especially as firms respond to tighter margins and the compliance demands associated with the Renters’ Rights Act.
A scaffolding contractor has been fined £20,000 after a worker was fatally struck by a falling metal board during dismantling work in Belfast. The investigation found the company failed to properly control the exclusion zone around the scaffold, allowing a person not directly involved in the work to be within the danger area.
The Office for National Statistics has published official UK producer price inflation statistics for June 2027, covering both manufacturing input and output prices and quarterly service price estimates for April to June 2027. The extract describes the scope of the release rather than providing the underlying figures.
HG Construction has been appointed to deliver the £225m Red Bank Riverside phase of FEC’s Victoria North scheme in Manchester. The contract covers four buildings and 900 homes, including a 34-storey build-to-rent tower, with some elements due to start soon and the tallest building awaiting Gateway 2 sign-off.
The Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber refused permission to appeal in a case concerning the First-tier Tribunal’s jurisdiction under section 166 of the Data Protection Act 2018. The ruling reviews existing case law and confirms the limited scope of the FTT’s powers in this area.
The Environment Agency has updated its Climate Change Agreements Operations Manual to reflect the launch of a new CCA scheme in January 2026. The revisions include new target methodology, facility-level reporting, updated compliance and eligibility review processes, revised reporting tools, and removal of outdated guidance and templates.
The Planning Inspectorate explains the role of National Policy Statements (NPSs) in setting the framework for decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects. The page has been updated to reflect the revised Ports NPS and the designation of the Water Resources Infrastructure NPS, alongside references to the current energy, transport and waste-related statements.
Anglian Water has been fined £1.6m after repeated sewage pollution incidents affected the River Brain in Essex over a six-week period in 2022. The Environment Agency said the pollution resulted from organisational failure, a faulty valve and missed warning signs, with untreated sewage discharged outside the company’s environmental permit.
