A charity deals with property in a number of ways.
A charity may own or rent properties to house their operations. A charity may also hold land to support its charitable purposes. Or a charity can own and manage properties as investments and also benefit from property as a donation or a legacy.
There are strict laws around the disposal of land and property belonging to a charity, as stipulated under the Charities Act 2006.
HMRC creates property taskforce
HMRC is targeting VAT evasion on properties. Colin Laidlaw explains its intentions.
Charities could be responsible for 'orphan' pensions liabilities, born from unconnected organisations. David Davidson offers his advice to prevent an outcome as seen in the Wedgwood case.
Charities should beware of property leasing for tax avoidance
Property owners should make sure they are fully aware of the facts when entering the world of charity relief renting, writes Nick Ivey.
The Kennel Club is to accept a payment of £12m to vacate its Mayfair headquarters and move a few doors down the road to make way for property developers.
The Royal Horticultural Society has raised £18m from the lease of its Lawrence Hall and Conference Centre, and will embark on a fundraising campaign to raise a further £9m ahead of the most extensive programme of investment in its 207-year history.
The Charity Commission is examining over 700 cases where shop owners may be reducing their business rates liabilities by paying charities to sign tenancies for empty shops.
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations has teamed up with the Unity Trust Bank to offer Scottish charities the chance to build third sector business centres.
Age UK Hertfordshire is preparing to take Watford Borough Council to the local authorities ombudsman in a bid to protect its reputation after receiving a £500,000 dilapidations bill for two properties it occupied.
Australian retail megalith the Westfield Group has entered into "exclusive arrangements" with the Whitgift Foundation to explore the redevelopment of the Whitgift Shopping Centre in Croydon, where the Foundation owns the freehold.
Social care charity Avalon Group has obtained a £400,000 commercial mortgage from Barclays Corporate to buy a new head office worth £570,000.
The Charities Property Fund has aquired five new properties for almost £60m in quarter three, bringing its Net Asset Value to £456m.
A Sussex village hall due to host a talk by BNP leader Nick Griffin on Sunday cancelled the event after council bosses threatened to remove its rates relief if the meeting went ahead.
Umbrella organisations fighting to maintain the six-month period in which to register their interest in buying community assets as part of the Localism Bill are celebrating success after the publication of the Bill following the House of Lords report stage.
Housing and social care charity MHA has taken over the leases for 18 former Southern Cross care homes, while Mencap has taken over seven.
NCVO has said the government is “receptive” to the idea of targeting any capital injection into the economy towards community building and land projects.
HMRC has withdrawn proposals to charge VAT on design and build composite changes, a change which the Charity Tax Group claims would have cost some charities hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The Charity Tax Group is hoping to hear this month whether HMRC has changed its mind about proposed changes to VAT rules on building work which experts have warned could be “very costly” to the sector.
Acevo is to move into the same building as NCVO next summer, but denies it is the first step towards a merger of the two umbrella bodies.
VAT on charitable buildings
HMRC has recently issued extensive guidance on how changing the use of charitable and residential property can affect eligibility for zero-rating or entitlement to VAT recovery. Richard Wild explains.
HMRC proposes to amend its policy on design and build structures
Socrates Socratous outlines new HMRC proposals for VAT on building work which could be costly for charities.
The government has indicated its intention to remove red tape from ‘meanwhile leases’, the use of empty buildings on a temporary basis.
The chief executives of nine sector organisations have written to Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles urging him not to cave in to pressure to reduce the six-month window for allowing civil society groups to register their interest in buying community assets.
Green energy company Freetricity has unveiled a £500m fund to install solar panels on the roofs of buildings, and is offering charities access to the first £100m.
The NCVO is building a fourth floor on the top of its King’s Cross headquarters to develop a sector ‘hub’ that will accommodate other charities.
HSBC's chief economist has predicted that interest rates will stay at 0.5 per cent for the rest of the year.
The Charities Property Fund has acquired four new properties bringing its net asset value to £418m in the first quarter of 2011.
The private property industry has signalled its opposition to the Right to Buy proposals contained in the Localism Bill and has implored the government to insert “safeguards” to stop communities making vexatious claims on properties.
The Church Commissioners for England have come under fire from their own clergy over its decision to sell 1,630 affordable homes in south London.
Insight from the key thinkers at the Charity Investment Forum 2011.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has ruled out lengthening the window of opportunity for civil society organisations to take advantage of the right to buy community assets, stating that six months should be sufficient time to submit a bid.
