What's new?
Spring/summer 2021
RICS has released guidance in the form of our Beyond COVID-19 guides, available on isurv here:
- Beyond COVID-19: Data protection and reopening the property market
- Beyond COVID-19: Inspections and visits for non-domestic properties
Updates
Blockchain
Blockchain has been updated with recent figures relating to cryptocurrencies.
Commercial empty property rates
Commercial empty property rates was updated on the page Development of empty property rates. A new page on the effects of COVID-19 on empty property rates was also added.
Commercial property insurance
New content has been added to Commercial property insurance on the page Business interruption.
Dilapidations
The page on VAT in the Dilapidations section has been updated to reflect proposed new guidance issued by HMRC that compensation or ‘early termination payments’ should be treated as further consideration for VAT.
Leases
The Leases section was updated with reference to the recent case Sara & Hossein Asset Holdings Ltd v Blacks Outdoor Retail Ltd [2020] EWCA Civ 1521 (see Service charge). The page on COVID-19 legislation was also updated.
Mixed-use development
A minor addition was made to Mixed-use development underneath the heading COVID-19 and leases.
Property fraud in the commercial property sector (new section)
This new section on Property fraud in the commercial property sector looks at a range of different types of property fraud. For each, it breaks down what it looks like, the risks involved, how surveyors can protect themselves and and their business against it, and what to do if property fraud is suspected to have occurred. There is also useful practical advice on the different legal recourses available and their pros and cons.
Service charges case law
15 new case summaries have been added to Service charges case law from 2020 and early 2021.
Consultation drafts
See iConsult to review the latest RICS standards and guidance drafts.