Can diversification help private schools navigate growing financial pressures and falling pupil numbers? In CoStar, Real Estate Partner, Sophie Henwood explores how schools are rethinking their estates to generate income, while highlighting the operational and legal constraints that mean diversification is far from a straightforward solution.

Independent schools considering closure or diversification following the VAT changes must navigate complex legal and commercial challenges. In Education Property Magazine, Partner, Sophie Henwood explores the challenges schools, investors and developers face – from lease restrictions and covenants to planning constraints – and why there is rarely a straightforward solution. As she notes, every property requires a bespoke approach.

Determining a building’s height under the Building Safety Act is rarely as straightforward as it seems. In their article, Partner, Sarah Rock and Trainee, Rosie Culshaw unpack the complexities of measuring height and counting storeys, highlighting the grey areas that can leave developers, landlords and asset managers uncertain about whether a building falls within scope.

The National Housing Bank is being positioned as more than a large-scale funding initiative, with real potential to reshape how SMEs access development finance. In Inside Housing, Partner, Neil Biswas explores how the NHB’s structure provides accessible, flexible finance to help smaller housebuilders overcome barriers and bring forward more sites.