The concept of charging UK capital gains tax on the disposal of UK residential property owned by non-UK residents was first mooted in George Osborne’s 2013 Autumn Statement.

The initial consultation regarding this capital gains charge was published on 28th March 2014, and closes on 20th June 2014. Once the responses have been digested, we expect draft legislation will be produced for further consultation.

From today it will take longer for a British buyer to get a mortgage with the introduction of the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) and some claim it will also be harder. There have been lots of headlines suggesting that applicants will be quizzed on what they spend on eating out, and even on hair cuts.

If you're thinking about buying a holiday home on the Algarve, then talk to the team at Ideal Homes Portugal.

We offer tailored viewing trips so you can experience the sunshine and beaches of our beautiful coast for yourself. Enquire on any of our properties for more details.

With Rightmove reporting today that price growth in London is now filtering out to surrounding areas in the south of England and therefore taking asking prices to record highs, it is perhaps time that experts will start talking more about a real estate bubble.

Figures for this year’s first two months confirm an upward shift in the property market in Portugal, according to data from the Association of Professionals and Real Estate Companies of Portugal – APEMIP.

The overall demand for real estate has risen 30% over the same period for 2013.

Algarve property website Meravista has conducted an extensive analysis of Russian buying trends. They have produced a report which exposes the truth about what, where and why Russians are investing in European property and highlights what Portugal and other countries could be doing to increase their market share.

Over the last few years the last place to go for financial assistance would have been the bank, especially Portuguese banks! However the tide is turning, and things are getting easier.

For clients looking to purchase their home in the sun, cash has been king since the start of the recession in 2008 as banks were not in a position to lend to overseas clients, and in part this contributed to the fall in prices.