“Scaremongering” accusation by Labour

Kerb appeal

It would appear that Sadiq Khan from the Labour party  has attacked Knight Frank, a firm of estate agents, for apparently sending out printed material to homeowners, highlighting the “threat” of a mansion tax before the election, the shadow London minister and shadow justice secretary  accused the firm of  “scaremongering”, arguing that it was an attempt by a private company to influence the results of the election.

There has been a pre election pledge by Labour to impose a levy on all homes worth more than £2m to raise cash for the NHS,  conservatives are opposed to any higher value property tax.  It has been reported that the letter sent out by Knght Frank does not urge voters to choose any particular party but suggests people may be thinking about their financial position with the election coming up, and includes a report setting out the possible implications for high-value house prices.

Sadiq Khan a possible  frontrunner to be Labour’s London mayoral candidate, was also reported as saying  “Estate agents are one of few professions trusted less than politicians, and I am shocked that Knight Frank think it is acceptable to scaremonger like this.”

Knight Frank replied to the comments by saying they were simply providing voters with a factual assessment of what the mansion tax would do, they went on to say
there had been lots of inquiries from clients and members of the public about what the mansion tax might mean for them, they said “What we’ve put together is a document that tries to understand what the tax is and how it might work.” He also went on to say it was not a political campaign and the estate agent was neutral on the idea of a proposed tax”

 

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Breaking Property News 20/8/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Why Angela Rayner Housing Secretary is in the wrong job – again   A smile, bluster and vague soundbites will not solve the UK housing crisis  Thought Leadership by Andrew Stanton – CEO Proptech-PR  ‘I have been involved in the UK property industry since the mid 1980’s…
Read More
Breaking News

Buyers Looking Beyond London

London new-build demand plummets behind commuter belt as buyers look beyond the capital   Demand for new-build homes in Essex more than three times higher than in London, while Hertfordshire faces supply squeeze amid growing buyer appetite   The latest research by UK Property Development has revealed a growing divide between London’s new-build market and…
Read More
Finance

Top six tips for first-time buyers

Independent mortgage broker, Flagstone Financial, has outlined key advice for first-time buyers, pointing to flexible options as signs of an improving mortgage market.   With high loan-to-value lending (80–95%) becoming more widely available, the property ladder is more accessible than in recent years, and experts at Flagstone Financial, partner of the Beresfords Group, are advising…
Read More
to let sign 2025
Breaking News

England’s rental stock surges by as much as 86.6% in a year

Rental listings have almost doubled in Tyne and Wear since August 2025, with Greater Manchester and a host of other markets also recording double-digit growth   The latest research from Propoly has revealed that England’s rental listings have climbed by an average of 7.4% in the past year, led by an 86.6% increase in Tyne and…
Read More
Breaking News

One in five homebuyers have been ‘catfished’

The latest research from House Buyer Bureau has found that, with the rise of A.I, “homebuyer catfishing” is becoming an increasingly familiar experience for UK buyers, with one in five saying they viewed a property where the listing photos had been digitally enhanced to make the home appear better than it actually was. However, while the…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Only 31% of letting agents confident their onboarding process protects against tenancy fraud

The latest research from Propoly has revealed that just 31% of UK letting agents are absolutely confident that their tenant onboarding process protects against tenancy fraud, as lengthy onboarding times and delays with referencing continue to create challenges for the industry.   Propoly surveyed UK letting agents to understand how long tenant onboarding currently takes,…
Read More