x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
KEYWORD "CMA" - 102 RESULTS
Regulator tells property firms to sort out local problems - or else…

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

09 August 2024

From: Breaking News

What is needed to create genuine communities?

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

20 July 2024

From: Features

How Much Will Mortgage Rate Hikes Affect the UK Housing Market?

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

30 March 2024

From: Features

Competition watchdog frees 500 households from doubling ground rents

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

14 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog: ‘Significant intervention’ needed in housebuilding market

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

27 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Buckle Up! It's Going To Be A Busy 2024

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

15 January 2024

From: Breaking News

PropTech Today - Balancing AI innovation with the human touch

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

29 November 2023

From: Breaking News

CMA seeks feedback on landbanking and planning analysis

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

16 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Join the future of estate agency, today.

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

12 September 2023

From: Sponsored Content

What is ‘mixed tenure’ and why are mixed tenure developments built?

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

30 August 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Competition watchdog highlights areas for housing investigation

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

29 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Levelling up: how a quality CRM provider helps your agency grow

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

17 July 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Unlocking success: capabilities an ideal CRM toolbox should offer

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

11 July 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Accelerating growth: the key advantages of implementing a CRM

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

05 July 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Competition watchdog turns attention to housing market

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

01 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Condensation mould – a black mark for property

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

24 February 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Property Natter - Incoming! It’s hard work to figure out the housing market

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

11 February 2023

From: Features

Competition watchdog secures ground rent reductions for leaseholders

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

25 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Watchdog drops investigation into builder’s leasehold sales

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

17 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Dye & Durham considers possible appeal against CMA merger decision

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

04 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity - travelling far and wide

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

27 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Property data company hits back amid watchdog's merger concerns

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

19 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog blocks property data merger

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

18 May 2022

From: Breaking News

POA: So how many agency listings could be 'unlawful?'

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

06 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Trading Standards: Why POA listings are unlawful

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

05 May 2022

From: Breaking News

 ‘Price on application’ in property listings deemed unlawful

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

04 May 2022

From: Breaking News

More leaseholders freed from doubling ground rents

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

21 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Revealed - why Trading Standards wants changes to property listings

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

24 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Breakthrough in ground rents and leasehold controversy

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

23 December 2021

From: Breaking News

ALEP welcomes ground rents action as Countryside scraps unfair lease terms 

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...

17 September 2021

From: Breaking News

National Leasehold Campaign backs latest CMA action on ground rents

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

16 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Leasehold victory – leaseholders with Countryside freed from costly terms

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

15 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Agency whistleblowers receive new guidance from watchdog

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

19 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Fake estate agency reviews: Watchdog probes Google and Amazon

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

28 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Ground Rent refunds: Agents demand rest of industry must follow suit

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

24 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Ground rent refunds after watchdog strikes leasehold deal

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

23 June 2021

From: Breaking News

How Open Banking will transform the lettings industry

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

29 May 2021

From: Features

Fake Reviews: Watchdog pushes Facebook into action

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

12 April 2021

From: Breaking News

Ground rent scandal: Housebuilders bite back after attack by watchdog

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

22 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Leasehold scandal: Top house builders ordered to change contracts

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

19 March 2021

From: Breaking News

2021 will not hold back Agents who are prepared to adapt

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

08 January 2021

From: Sponsored Content

Connells buys Countrywide - deal to be completed in New Year

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

31 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents can do more to speed up transactions by adopting technology

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

04 December 2020

From: Sponsored Content

Watchdog to probe merger of popular agency crowdfunding sites

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

13 November 2020

From: Breaking News

How can Open Banking benefit landlords and letting agents?

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

05 November 2020

From: PropTech & Innovation

Agents offered ‘leniency options’ to confess about industry cartels

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

05 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Keeping the property market moving

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

27 October 2020

From: Sponsored Content

New warning to estate agents over illegal price-fixing

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

11 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents back investigation into “unfair sales tactics” over leasehold

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

07 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Watchdog launches probe into unfair sales tactics of leasehold homes

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

04 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Victim of notorious agency price fixing hits out at lack of refund

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

01 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Another agency chief targeted by CMA for future disqualification

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

16 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Disgraced agency directors disqualified after price-fixing scandal

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

15 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Watchdog launches probe into fake and misleading online reviews

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

22 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Searches: councils slammed as dangerous over face-to-face visits

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

16 April 2020

From: Breaking News

Agency cartel scandal - watchdog wants agent directors disqualified

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

31 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity - fund-raising continues despite the challenge

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

13 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Industry welcome for clampdown on developers’ leasehold sales

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

02 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents asked to confess if their firm has been price-fixing

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

25 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Watchdog issues “strong signal” to rogue agents who price-fix

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

24 January 2020

From: Breaking News

CMA releases cartel agents’ investigation details

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

23 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Emoov online review row deepens as CMA probes wider problem

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

09 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Public asked to inform on other fee-fixing estate agents

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

18 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Four agencies acted illegally in fee price cartel, says watchdog

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

13 June 2019

From: Breaking News

CMA launches investigation into sale of leasehold properties

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

11 June 2019

From: Breaking News

‘Punish rip-off culprits’ - CMA urged to be aggressive on leasehold abuse

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

24 May 2019

From: Breaking News

Commonhold in action – one small builder’s attempts to change the system

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

18 May 2019

From: Features

Agents welcome CMA probe into 'mis-selling' of leasehold properties

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

17 May 2019

From: Breaking News

Proceedings against ‘fees cartel’ agent dropped after he accepts disqualification

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

30 April 2019

From: Breaking News

Agents back call for CMA probe into possible leasehold ‘mis-selling’

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

19 March 2019

From: Breaking News

CMA wants two ‘cartel’ agency directors disqualified

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

27 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity - and it's been a remarkable week…

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

22 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Agency warns: high house prices and housing shortage hurting business

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

05 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Cartels and anti-money laundering take centre stage at NAEA event

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

22 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Good and bad news: house prices up in 2019, but not in central London

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

12 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Huge cash reward for estate agents who blow the whistle on price-fixing

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

24 October 2018

From: Breaking News

A new scandal? Investigation into estate agents likely to report in New Year

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

08 October 2018

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity: let us know what you are planning for Autumn...

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

17 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Agents' fees cartel : investigation blows the lid on how it was planned

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

20 July 2018

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity - end-to-end stuff for good causes...

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

15 June 2018

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity - on foot, by raffle and caked in mud

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

25 May 2018

From: Breaking News

Estate agency directors are disqualified over cartels scandal

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

10 April 2018

From: Breaking News

CMA urges people to report unfair cartels that cheat customers

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

22 March 2018

From: Breaking News

Six months before CMA update on agents' alleged Competitions Act breach

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

06 March 2018

From: Breaking News

Competition and Markets Authority opens investigation into estate agencies

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

02 March 2018

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity - our salute to the industry's heroes

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

20 October 2017

From: Breaking News

Fee-fixing: CMA sets out what agencies can and cannot do and say

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

10 October 2017

From: Breaking News

Homes that sell do so quicker than in 2012, says Rightmove

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

10 October 2017

From: Breaking News

Warning: Don’t fall foul of competition rules after CMA fines

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

07 October 2017

From: Features

'Cartels Hotline' launched on back of disgraced agencies' case

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

19 September 2017

From: Breaking News

CMA releases details of estate agents' cartel scheme

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

18 September 2017

From: Breaking News

Vetting tenants to ensure they are all they seem

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

26 August 2017

From: Features

CMA reveals details of go-ahead for ZPG/Expert Agent merger

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

25 July 2017

From: Breaking News

Regulators call for conveyancing to become more competitive, transparent

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

03 July 2017

From: Breaking News

Expert Agent 'relieved' ZPG acquisition uncertainty is over

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

30 June 2017

From: Breaking News

Competition authority clears ZPG acquisition of Expert Agent

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

29 June 2017

From: Breaking News

Baby boomers bemoan lack of suitable downsizing properties

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

13 June 2017

From: Breaking News

Housing industry reacts to shock general election result

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

10 June 2017

From: Features

CMA releases details of ZPG/Expert Agent enforcement order

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

03 April 2017

From: Breaking News

ZPG's acquisition of Expert Agent called in by Competition and Markets Authority

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

31 March 2017

From: Breaking News

MovePal MovePal MovePal