As of October 1st, the government concession on SDLT rates brought in last year to stimulate housing market ended and the lowest SDLT band reverted back down to £125,000.

And yet as we report inside this edition the UK residential property market is in fairly rude health with high transaction numbers and increases in property values in all regions. Add into the equation that rents are rising in almost all regions, so the outlook for property investors does seem fairly positive.

The latest forecasts from Savills for the next four years point to the likelihood of a more subdued market in London but with stronger price forecast for the north of England. That should come as no surprise given the stretched house price to average earnings ratio in the south east of England which is still at a very high historic level.

However, it’s worth reflecting that in our lead article on page 15 Peter Hemple highlights that many international buyers from Asia are confident and not being deterred from buying here.