The Register of Persons holding a Controlled Interest in Land (RCI) was introduced on 1 April 2022 as part of the Scottish Government's strategy for increasing transparency of land and property control in Scotland.

The perceived problem it was created to solve was that while a person could be registered at Registers of Scotland as the “owner” or “tenant” of land, another person could be the one actually making the decisions in relation to the property.

Can the UK create a globally competitive battery supply chain that supports economic prosperity and the net zero transition?

Following a public consultation, the UK government has recently published its first Battery Strategy. The purpose of the Strategy is to lay the foundations for future development of the UK’s battery industry. 

Cyber security is an ever-evolving area of concern. Organisations must maintain robust defences against potential cyber-attacks that could aim to disrupt projects, commit financial crimes, or steal sensitive data. 

To ensure that they are taking all required steps to mitigate against breaches of their networks and systems, organisations must carry out cyber security risk assessments. That is especially true when there are obligations imposed by data protection legislation or because an organisation is operating in high-risk sectors.

At the start of 2023, I wrote an article that identified key factors likely to affect the Aberdeen property market in the year ahead. Activity and investment in the energy sector, buyer confidence in the residential market and progress towards energy transition were all expected to impact the local market.

It is becoming increasingly common for retail parks to have electric vehicle charging points installed in their customer car parks.

From a landlord's perspective, it is a great way to generate additional income from their property as well as potentially encouraging use of the car park and driving footfall.

However, there can be some potential pitfalls for a landlord in letting to any electrical vehicle (EV) charging operator.

Following our recent updates on the Visitor Levy Bill consultation, in this article we now put a spotlight on additional levies being discussed by the Scottish Government and councils relating to cruise ships, motorhomes, and camping. Proposed legislation would allow councils to tax those staying overnight, operating in much the same manner as the Visitor Levy would.

What is The Procurement Act 2023?

The Procurement Act 2023 (the Act), which received Royal Assent 26 October 2023, is one of the UK government's flagship pieces of legislation following the UK’s exit from the EU.

You don’t have to look too hard for examples of countries where systems of rent controls have been tried and found wanting.

It’s been just over a month since the Scottish Parliament approved legislation to extend the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 from 30 September 2023 to 31 March 2024.

On the same day the extension took effect, private residential letting agents were drawing breath as Q3 2023 closed to mark yet another quarter of double-digit rent increases in a busy year for the Scottish private residential letting market.