More Comment – Page 516
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CommentBest buys for the taxpayer
Now we’re all Keynesians again, public money is going to be spent on stimulating demand. But in the case of social housing, what should it actually buy? Nick Raynsford has some suggestions
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Fancy a 40% discount on a house? Then just wait, says the futures market
The futures market has downgraded it expectations for house prices which now points to a fall in cash terms of more than 40% from the peak in August last year to the bottom of the market in 2011.According to Tradition Future HPI an average house measured by the Halifax index ...
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IMF sees major decline in UK economic prospects
The prospects for the global economy are declining so fast that it has prompted the updating of an IMF forecast released just last month.The prospects for the UK now look decidedly gloomier to the IMF, which has revised its forecast of 0.1% fall in GDP to a fall of 1.3% ...
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Company collapses add to construction industry woes
The financial stress within construction firms caused by the credit crunch is made stark in the latest official insolvency figures. And the problems facing the sector are being increased as property firms collapse in massively swelling numbers.Between July and September this year there was an increase of almost two thirds ...
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CommentRomania: land of opportunity
Europe’s fastest growing economy is an excellent place to seek refuge from Britain’s wintery economy. So, here’s a quick guide to the legal landscape
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CommentGetting paid: If the mountain won't come...
Here’s a clever way of getting your claim paid: go straight to those who owe the payer money. Unfortunately, it can be a little tricky to navigate
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Contractors' insolvency: Clean break
If your contractor becomes insolvent, you may need to terminate its engagement and finish the job some other way. But how do you make sure it doesn’t get messy?
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CommentUAE legal series: A few peculiarities
A contract is a contract pretty much wherever you are, but in Dubai there are one or two little points to bear in mind before you sign one, says Elise Gillians
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CommentA no-brainer
So you want to build your project for less money, risk, stress, hassle and time? Well, there’s a simple way to do everyone a favour, says Peter Kilby
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CommentBuilding buys a pint … for Whitelaw Turkington
Chosen venue: The Prince of Wales, Kennington, South London Ambience: Cosy cricket lovers’ pub near Paddy Ashdown’s home Topics: Credit crunch denial, meeting Jonathan Ross, tartan vs plaid ...
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CommentMy digital life: Philip Turner
This architect carries his love of cycling into the digital world, to track down bike parts, get technical information and watch the Tour de France. That doesn’t leave much time for Facebook or his phone
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CommentPut on a happy face
What’s the best way to keep cheerful through the downturn? A quick game of golf, a few fireworks and then a glass of bubbly back at the in-office bar sounds good to me
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Lebanese labour
The first time I picked up Building magazine in Dubai, I was extremely impressed … until I came across this comment (Building Gulf supplement, October, page 32): “Unless you employ cheaper labourers from India, Asia and the Lebanon, you won’t be competitive in the marketplace.”
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Electricity vs biomass
Why is electricity given such a negative loading in the Code for Sustainable Homes?
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Dreaming of a warm Christmas
Well, it’s a freezing morning here at Wolseley head office and Rob “look at the size of my bonus” Marchbank has just held a business review meeting for the benefit of the staff left here (we lost 73 last month).
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CommentThe vision thing
“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. The challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime.” So said Barack Obama as he became president-elect of the United States of America on Wednesday.
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CommentDangerous defects
The CaseBirmingham Development Company (“Birmingham”) was a property developer. Birmingham developed a site next to land owned by Michael Jacob Tyler (“Tyler”). Tyler had a factory on his land. During the development demolition of the gable wall of the building on Birmingham's site exposed part of the flank wall of ...
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CommentBuilding demolished to avoid empty property tax
A landowner explains to drivers on the A40 how Gordon Brown's new tax on empty property forced it to demolish its building