Archive

The Competition and Markets Authority has raised an unusual issue concerning Barratt’s £2.5 billion deal to buy rival house builder Redrow...

We all know what defines a successful community: not just a range of homes to address a range of requirements, but...

Borrowers are currently rolling off relatively favourable two-year fixed-rate deals agreed at the start of 2022, but the pain from higher...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has secured agreements from eight freeholders to remove “problematic ground rent” terms from leases. The competition...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into the UK’s largest housebuilders as it warns of “fundamental concerns”...

Happy New Year and welcome to what’s looking like a busy - perhaps even hectic - 2024! I thought it worth running...

Large language models, machine learning, artificial intelligence, artificial general intelligence, and 'the singularity' change everything, but there again, they change literally...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is seeking feedback on two ‘working papers’ that detail its assessment on the use of...

Estate agency has changed. No longer is it required to sit in a high street office working the old way. Provide a...

The term mixed-tenure development usually refers to residential developments where different residential tenures are provided on the same site. Typically, tenure was...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has highlighted land banks and planning blockages as potential areas for investigation. It comes as the...

Success with your chosen CRM solution should not be a one-and-done package. Once you team up with a stellar CRM provider,...

CRMs can be superheroes for your business, but not all of them possess the necessary powers to save the day. As...

By adopting a top-notch Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, you're not only opening doors to acquiring new customers and nurturing existing...

The competition watchdog is set to shine a spotlight on property, with investigations into the housebuilding market and a separate project...

Black mould associated with condensation is becoming an increasing problem for homes in the UK and following the tragic death of...

Lies, damned lies, and statistics this week. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I’m being bombarded...

Thousands more leaseholders are expected to see ground rents cut and some may even receive refunds. It forms part of the Competition...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has closed its investigation into alleged mis-selling of leasehold houses by Barratt Homes. It is the...

Dye & Durham says it could potentially appeal the decision by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) to effectively disallow its acquistion...

Agents and property professionals are travelling far and wide to raise money for charity, plus there is a new way to...

Property data company Dye & Durham has promised to “work collaboratively” with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after the watchdog...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has warned that it may block the merger of two property search firms as it...

Agency trade bodies have backed the “clarity” provided by Trading Standards after it deemed “price on application” listings unlawful. It comes as...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) deemed yesterday that the use of POA or “price on application”...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has deemed that the use of POA or “price on application”...

Fifteen businesses which had bought freeh­olds from housing developer Countryside have now given formal undertakings to remove terms that cause ground...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team has released background information on how it came to make changes to...

A probe by the Competition and Markets Authority has led housebuilder Taylor Wimpey to make changes for the benefit of leaseholders.  Taylor...

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has become the latest body to welcome the decision by Countryside Properties to scrap the requirement to pay...

One of the biggest campaign groups calling for leasehold reform has welcomed the action taken by the Competition and Markets Authority...

In what will be seen as the latest win for leaseholders across the UK, it’s been revealed that – following action...

New guidance has been issued by the Competitions and Markets Authority for whistleblowers who want to report anti-competitive practices by their...

The Competititon and Markets Authority says it’s to look into reviews on Google and Amazon, and see whether the online giants...

NAEA Propertymark says the news that two major players in the leasehold sector have reformed their activities must be just the...

The Competition and Markets Authority has struck a deal with house builders over leasehold abuses. Aviva has committed to remove certain terms...

Banking has gone through radical changes in the past few years, in step with technology and the sheer amount we can...

The Competition and Markets Authority says it has pushed Facebook into taking new action to combat fake reviews - an issue...

Two of Britain’s largest house builders have reacted sharply to calls by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick and the Competition and Markets...

The Competition and Markets Authority has written to two top house builders ordering them to change their leasehold terms. In September the...

With the Government announcement this week of another national lockdown across England amid the surging coronavirus infections, it once again puts...

In a dramatic New Year’s Eve statement on the London Stock Exchange, Countrywide has agreed the terms of a recommended offer...

Recent debate about urgent need for reform and better collaboration within the property industry, has once again come under the spotlight...

The Competitions and Markets Authority is to probe the proposed merger of two crowdfunding sites used by numerous property industry companies. Crowdcube...

Letting agents and landlords have faced huge change and uncertainty this year, with Covid-19 the major driver. But even before the...

New guidance spells out how leniency can be exercised on agencies or individuals who inform on anti-competition cartels of the kind that...

It’s been an unexpected year for the property market, shaped by the effects of the pandemic. We didn’t quite anticipate the...

The estate agency industry is still under the spotlight for possible illegal price fixing cartels according to the Competition and Markets...

NAEA Propertymark has thrown its weight behind a Competitions and Markets Authority investigation into whether consumer protection law has been broken...

The Competition and Markets Authority is today opening enforcement cases focusing on the sale of leasehold homes by four leading housebuilders. They...

One of the victims of a notorious estate agency price fixing cartel has spoken out against one of the offenders.  Christina Davis...

The Competition and Markets Authority - which yesterday announced it had disqualified two estate agency directors for their parts in a...

Two estate agency directors have been disqualified by the Competition and Markets Authority after taking part in an illegal price fixing...

The Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into fake and misleading online reviews. The announcement from the watchdog does not...

A trade body has reported some council search departments to the government for refusing to provide email details and forcing search...

The Competitions and Markets Authority has started court proceedings seeking the disqualification of two estate agency directors over a price fixing...

Welcome to the weekly salute for agents and others in the industry fund-raising for good causes - and we know that...

There’s been a broad welcome from agents and other industry organisations for the latest report from the Competition and Markets Authority...

A new call has been issued this morning by the Competition and Markets Authority for estate agents to confess if their...

The Competition and Markets Authority says it wants to send “a strong signal” to the estate agency industry that price-fixing will...

The Competition and Markets Authority has released a 135 page document giving explicit details of its latest agency cartel investigation. This includes...

There have been two developments on the controversial subject of online reviews. One concerns the online agency Emoov, which three months ago...

The public are being asked to inform the authorities if they know of agents operating fee-fixing cartels. The request - from the...

The Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally found that four agencies broke competition law by taking part in a price fixing...

The Competition and Markets Authority has formally launched an investigation into the sale of leasehold properties - including possible mis-selling. This follows...

A firm supporting leaseholders across the UK says the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority probe should “punish” what it calls “rip off...

So far in our contribution to the campaign to replace leasehold with commonhold we have outlined the stories of some of...

The National Association of Estate Agents has welcomed the commitment by the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the mis-selling of...

Proceedings against an estate agent at the centre of a fees cartel case have been dropped following his agreement not to stand as...

The leasehold system has created many unsellable and unmortgageable homes and should change, MPs say. The all-party Housing, Communities and Local Government...

The Competition and Markets Authority has this afternoon taken the latest step in the lengthy case of an estate agency cartel. This revolves...

Few can deny that with announcements from MPs and an announcement from Purplebricks, that it’s been an extraordinary week.  While it may...

Strutt & Parker says the housing crisis - in the shape of too few homes and their stubbornly high prices -...

The government policies and enforcement plans for anti-money laundering measures are set to take centre stage at next month’s annual conference...

Estate agency Strutt & Parker says that despite Brexit and the economic and political uncertainty accompanying it, house prices in the...

The Competition and Markets Authority is stepping up its campaign to identify and prosecute companies behind cartels - and it’s offering...

The Competitions and Markets Authority says the result of its latest probe into estate agencies’ possible infringement of the Competition Act...

As our minds turn to autumn, here’s a reminder that Estate Agent Today is on hand to help with your agency’s...

A disciplinary investigation by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has blown the lid on the infamous fee-fixing cartel scandal involving estate...

The World Cup may be entertaining us for the next few weeks but whatever England’s fate may be, one thing is...

As we move towards another Bank Holiday Weekend, there is no shortage of phenomenal fundraising efforts from those in our industry.  If...

Two estate agency directors have been disqualified over a cartel scandal which resulted in five agencies being fined over £370,000 for...

The Competition and Markets Authority, which is believed to be actively investigating estate agents’ alleged infringement of the Competitions Act, is...

It is thought likely that there will be no new update on the investigation into agents’ alleged infringement of the Competitions...

The Competitions and Markets Authority is investigating a suspect infringement of the Competition Act 1998 by estate agents. Few details have been...

It’s been a big week for property news - controversies surrounding Purplebricks, merger discussions between big franchise operators, and another government...

The Competition and Markets Authority has set out precisely what agents and other companies can and cannot do in the event...

The housing market may appear sluggish at best in many areas but data from Rightmove suggests it’s now quicker to sell...

The decision by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to fine five estate agents for engaging in a price fixing cartel has...

The Competition and Markets Authority - which yesterday released details of an infamous cartel case involving estate agencies - has now...

The Competition and Markets Authority has for the first time published details of the findings against a group of six estate...

When a tenant failed to pay any rent after the first month his tenancy last year, the landlord did not expect...

The Competition and Markets Authority has released the full wording on its decision to give the go-ahead to ZPG’s acquisition of Expert...

The Competition and Markets Authority has released a set of recommendations on how conveyancing, and other legal services, could be made...

Expert Agent says it is pleased the uncertainty surrounding its takeover had ended but suggests the Competition and Markets Authority’s announcement...

ZPG, owner of digital platforms including Zoopla, uSwitch, PrimeLocation, Hometrack and Property Software Group, has been cleared by the Competition and...

A research report compiled by Strutt & Parker in partnership with Octopus Healthcare has revealed what the baby boomer generation expects...

The housing industry has responded with shock, joy, and jitters, after Theresa May’s snap general election went catastrophically wrong, leaving her...

The Competitions and Markets Authority has released more details of its ‘calling-in’ of the acquisition of Expert Agent by Zoopla Property...

The Competitions and Markets Authority is reviewing the acquisition of Expert Agent by ZPG, parent company of Zoopla and PrimeLocation. A statement...