1st June 2026 is a significant day for UAE laws. Several important changes are coming into force, and if you live or work here, some of these will affect you directly.
This article is an easy-to-follow summary so you can keep up to date.
This article is designed to be a brief guide to the taxes that apply to UK property, all in one place. This is written specifically for the benefit of non-residents of the UK.
I have covered this topic before but tax rules change regularly and it is important that we keep up to date. This article is corect as at April 2026.
You may not be living in the UK, or be “UK resident for tax purposes” but that does not mean you do not have a liability to certain UK taxes.
There are various taxes that apply with in relation to the ownership of UK property and an overview of each of the main ones is set out below.
A few clients have contacted me to ask about whether their protection plans, their life insurance policies, are still valid considering the current situation in the UAE, and wider GCC.
In this article I explain the situation and give you some facts. Reassuring facts.
A change in UAE law affects expats who hold bank accounts, property, or other assets in the UAE.
I have written about the many reasons why you need a Will in the past (see 15 reasons here) but this is something new.
If you pass away without a registered Will, your assets are now classified as “unassigned.”
Imagine receiving news that can totally change your life in an instant.
No one knows what is around the corner. No one knows what will go wrong in their life, when illness will hit, when a breadwinner will die.
You can’t know what will go wrong but you can plan for it. You can be prepared for when life takes a wrong turn.
In the past three months alone, I have some across two cases where a parent has become very, very seriously ill. Both in their 40s. Too ill to work, probably not for many years, if they even survive. They have young children.
Now both families are in trouble as they have expenses and no, or significantly reduced, income. The last thing they need is money problems on top of everything else.
You do not want to be in this situation. And you don’t need to be if you take steps now.
This article has been superseded, Please see this revised one, published 21st April 2026
Need to Know: UK Property Taxes
To arrange a discussion about investing in UK property, taxation, or on any aspect of your personal financial planning, please email me at keren@holbornassets.com or use this contact form
Most meetings take place over Zoom which is great for everyone’s time management and sheer convenience.
I write articles such as this one as part of the holistic personal financial planning service and that I provide to expats in the UAE and wider GCC, and the general consumer, financial and legal information that I provide in The National newspaper, on radio, in other media, and on the Facebook group British Expats Dubai &UAE.
Serious topics, all the facts, friendly conversation.
Please take a look at the other useful articles on this website.
When you relocate from one country to another there is a great deal you need to think about. This includes the practical problems of shipping your possessions, finding a place to live, finding new schools for children, new employment and so on.
No doubt you will have lists of things to do but one area that is often overlooked is the financial side. It may not be exciting but you need to be aware of these issues to avoid any nasty surprise tax bills, especially in respect of UAE income or offshore investments.
Getting it right will save you money. Getting it wrong can be expensive.
I provide an exit planning service for people relocating to the UK and this professional service, with a personalised advice and a written report you can refer back to, can save you both money and headaches.
I also offer an advisory service for people moving to the UAE from the UK that covers steps you need to take regarding banks and HMRC, letting out a property, taxation, what to do about your investments and pensions, the local laws and rules, issues about inheritance and protecting assets when in the UAE, and a wide range of general information gained from 18 years of living here.
This updated article is about some of the topics that you need to consider when you leave the UAE to move to the UK:
Whether or not you make formal resolutions at the start of a year, I am willing to bet that you have certain hopes when it comes to your financial situation.
You may dream of retiring at age 55. Perhaps you want to buy a holiday home or an investment property? Do you want to take a year off to travel the world? Maybe you know you need to put a few things in place to get properly organised?
You need to take action to turn these hopes into reality.
Invariably we could all do a little better and a little focus rarely goes amiss. With that in mind here’s a list of 10 steps you can take to get yourself financially fitter in 2024.
Once again Jeremey Hunt, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, has delivered an Autumn Statement, this time with a claim that there would be 110 measures “to help grow the economy”. We will be the judge of that…
This article is a brief overview of some of the main points with particular reference to any cannouncements that have relevance to those living outside of the UK, and especially in the GCC.
The UK press will cover many points in detail but many of the points will not be directly relevant to expats so this article focuses on the points that will directly affect us.
Most expats have a need to move money between currencies and it makes sense to find a way to do this securely, easily and where you can save money.
You can do this easily, from your desk or sofa. Importantly, this is fully secure, properly regulated and in view of recent issues with some UAE companies, I only work with a currency broker with a good track record.
The online services offered by retail banks are rarely competitive and even if they do not charge a fee they make their profit on the poor rates of exchange offered.
There is a better way. Everyone wants to make savings so this is how you can make easy savings and get value for your hard-earned money.
