Property Investment

A group of MPs are planning to set up an All Party Parliamentary Group to help British investors who are facing legal action by a Cyprus bank.

Terry Smith has criticised Nick Clegg's "brain dead" idea to allow parents to use their pension to help their children on the "over-priced" property ladder.

Aviva Investors has proposed the closure of its Global Listed Real Estate Securities business, including the Global REIT fund run by Paul Van De Vaart, as it has "insufficient scale".

Secondary property has long been considered riskier than its prime counterparts, but now Michael Hardman, fund manager of the Longcross Property Investment fund, wants to dispel the myth.

Many people who have SIPPs already meet the minimum income requirement through other pensions such as historic final salary schemes. This can be a real benefit for those who need some extra income but want to preserve death benefits.

FIVE THINGS

Business secretary Vince Cable has signalled that the Liberal Democrats are willing to scrap the 50p tax rate, in exchange for a "mansion tax" on high value property.

A trial date for the recovery of assets of Joe Ezaz, the former senior partner of a law firm who is accused of misappopriating €9.8m of investors' cash in the Stirling Mortimer Global Property fund, has been set.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is tightening its oversight of commercial property lending in a move which could increase the cost of loans significantly.

Ken Rayner, investment director of Rayner Spencer Mills, discusses the outlook for the property sector and identifies six star performers.