Archive

Local authority searches are taking up to 60 days in some parts of the country - holding up the sales process. Analysis...

The Housing Scotland Bill must be changed to reflect reality. Following a recent report by the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) which...

Humberts, one of the UK’s oldest agency brands, has announced plans for its first international expansion with the opening of a...

You won’t need me to tell you, but transactions are taking a l-o-n-g time right now. Figures from a digital information service...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has appointed Victor Olowe as the chair of its new Valuation Assurance Committee (VAC).  Olowe...

Councils are warning agents to abide by the rules following complaints from residents and businesses about the positions of For Sale...

Most households in England today are ‘under-occupying’ their homes, according to the think tank the Resolution Foundation. And it says there doesn’t...

A building society is calling for stamp duty reforms to incentivise downsizing. A statement from the Suffolk Building Society says it believes...

Some 74% of developers believe that the government setting targets for councils would be the key to unlocking planning issues faced...

At last! Well, they say small is beautiful and, if you’re in the property sector right now, you’d better believe it! The...

We welcome the thrust of the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement this week on planning reform.  In particular, we support the return of...

The first councils are finally being signed up to a new logbook partnership between the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA) and the...

All councils in England will be given new, mandatory housebuilding targets under planning reforms unveiled by the Government yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister...

A recent appeal decision which allowed housing development on the Hertfordshire Green Belt highlights the need for greater flexibility on locational...

The new Government’s plan to ‘Get Britain Building’ is ambitious, to say the least.    And it is central to their mission, not...

It's more than a week since we saw the removal vans enter Downing St and Labour’s promise to hit the ground...

Like a breath of fresh air, we now have a government that actually appears to be governing. OK, it’s only 10 days...

Commercial property has historically been viewed as the more profitable asset class but more recently, residential property values have taken over....

Conveyancers are failing to do post-completion work properly and promptly, an industry regulator has warned. The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has...

In the later stages of an election when the Conservatives’ best chance of success is forcing an own goal by Labour,...

Building and development plans Recently, Carter Jonas has marketed development sites which have attracted multiple bids, higher offers than had been anticipated...

A Labour frontbencher has failed to explain why the party has no plans to reform council tax based, in most cases,...

A political party is pledging that if elected it will make every home in the UK have an EPC rating of...

You may not have realised, but yesterday, the new government’s housing policy was agreed. No, I’m not talking about the new ‘Freedom...

In the second of their Election Wishlist series, Leaders Romans Group turn the spotlight on the Private Rented Sector (PRS). Here, National...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has pledged not to raise Stamp Duty as part of a Family Home Tax Guarantee. Writing in the Daily...

And so we wait. The election, still only a week old and with almost five left to go, has served up main...

Property supply has hit its highest level for eight years, Zoopla data shows. The latest Zoopla House Price Index shows the average...

So we’ve been sent the ‘Save The Date’ card - it’s July 4. Now all we need is the invitation to the...

Housing minister Jacob Young recently scotched rumours that the property portal proposed in the Renters (Reform) Bill would remove the need...

The task of obtaining material information is more difficult than it appears for estate agents, Rightmove has warned. The portal revealed in...

Home-buying and property part exchange service Spring has partnered with developer McCarthy Stone. The partnership will enable Spring to offer its part...

A landmark ruling on the affect of Japanese knotweed on property values has been overturned, which could have implications for home...

You don’t have to be a mind-reader to believe there will be a large majority Labour government by the end of...

An influential consumer body is demanding a complete overhaul of Energy Performance Certificates. Which? says that with millions of households across the...

Propertymark, the leading membership body for property agents has written to London Mayor candidates highlighting proposals to tackle the unique housing...

Thousands of people will be invited to take part in new research to help provide information on why one particularly badly...

A property industry group has called for a reduction in the discounts available for council tenants buying their own home, after...

It’s tempting to think that Michael Gove’s proposed clampdown on Airbnb-style short lets is a uniquely British form of small-mindedness, part...

Councils across England could make an additional £540m a year in council tax on empty homes after new rules came into...

Southwark, Barnet, Camden, Croydon and Newham are the top five London boroughs with the highest number of vacant properties amid a...

In this, the second of a three-part series, David Beaumont continues his critique of the new Material Information Guidance. There are 21...

If you want to hear of a tale for our industry’s times - featuring housing shortages, planning disputes, rampant  inflation and...

Fine & Country has launched its second radio advert campaign.  The premium estate agent’s latest adverts will focus on its ‘Dare To...

Last week the Government published new housing data which has largely gone unreported.  The vacuum was probably linked to the Budget, and...

The Government has given local authorities powers to double the council tax charged on long-term empty homes after 12 months. The time...

It’s time to abolish what is colloquially called Landlord Licensing. If you’re a casual reader and perhaps not in our industry, a...

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

A senior estate agent has described the Government’s pledge to compel councils to cut red tape in favour of development as...

Building on brownfield sites may not be the silver bullet it is made out to be, the government has been warned. Housing...

With the exception of lockdown, new home registrations have bumped along consistently for the last 15 years. But things are changing...

UK property professionals should look to Norway when assessing how to improve the home buying process, a housing minister has claimed. Speaking...

After months of negative messaging and anti-development sentiment, espoused both nationally by the Government, and locally during May’s local election campaigning,...

The news in September that Birmingham City Council (‘Europe’s largest local authority’) had been forced to issue a Section 114 notice...

Property brand and auctioneer Bond Wolfe has recorded total sales revenues of more than £178 million for 2023. The auctions division raised...

The Government has published long-awaited reforms to its National Planning Policy Framework, confirming that local housebuilding targets will be advisory rather...

The Scottish Government’s Budget has been described as a “missed opportunity.” The update yesterday from Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison, outlined a...

The 2023 Autumn Budget, amongst its considerable 110 growth measures, contained an important announcement for the property sphere, with £3 million...

Propertymark has backed the launch of the Government’s £80m brownfield regeneration scheme. Councils across England can now bid for a share of...

Anti-money laundering platform (AML) Credas Technologies has launched a material information function, helping estate agents to get ahead of the latest...

I think we can all agree that the National Trading Standards Material Information reforms are a good thing for the property...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has published the long-awaited Parts B and C of material information...

Alto has unveiled a new integration with Bridge AI – a system designed to streamline communication with applicants through their preferred...

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has urged members to check their client files to see if they may have been...

It was actor Charlies Sheen who said: ‘I have one speed. I have one gear. Go!’ The same might not be said...

The Autumn Statement ended up being silent on Stamp Duty reforms and direct housing market stimulus but there were some nuggets...

Propertymark has expressed its opposition to Scottish Government plans to increase council tax premiums on second homes. Speaking to the Scottish Parliament’s...

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

Three members of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners take a brief look at some of the trials and tribulations awaiting...

The majority of agents back parts B and C of material information rules but more guidance is needed on where to...

If you’ve paid even scant attention to Landlord Today or other trade titles, you’ll be familiar with the headlines about rogue...

By Neil Cobbold Recent data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show that 24,260 households served a valid Section...

Paul Johnson, Head of Corporate Sales at Leaders Romans Group (LRG) Commercial property has historically been viewed as the more profitable asset...

By Alan Siggins, indoor ventilation expert and Managing Director of Airflow. Whilst the UK’s focus on Net Zero and green efforts may...

Utility management platform Muuvo has announced a new partnership and technical integration with online agency Yopa. A dashboard has been created exclusively...

What a waste. Islington council announced in recent days that it will buy back 310 ex-council houses this winter, to add to...

A Labour council has revealed that it’s bought 15 open market homes, beefed up  their energy efficiency and will use them...

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC)  was this week due to conclude its consultation on proposed changes to...

Funny how time flies faster as you get older and I’m reminded that next week, (23rd September, to be precise) it...

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has welcomed two new non-executive directors to its independent board. Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards...

Agency software provider Alto has announced a new partnership with home setup provider Just Move In. Customers of the Zoopla-backed firm will...

And suddenly it’s autumn. It’s just six weeks before the clocks change, days are getting shorter and - the real sign...

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

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has repeated calls for Stamp Duty to be scrapped as politicians prepare for party conference...

It was a genuine pleasure to read this week about Yorkshire estate agent Ian Bradbury who clocked up 40 years selling...

After months of negative messaging and anti-development sentiment, espoused both nationally by the Government, and locally during recent local election campaigning,...

The process from a Local Plan allocation to a digger on site typically stretches beyond the length of a five-year political...

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has warned it is receiving “too many complaints” about breaches of undertakings by solicitors. The regulator...

The chairman of the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA) has queried the relevance of a new Government-backed property group focused on digital...

Like most parts of the UK, the one I live in has a bit of a beef about parking. More precisely,...

A recent poll of 11,000 private renters by SpareRooom reveals that 81% spend more than 30% of their take-home pay on...

It’s not a sentence that I thought I would be writing, but Housing Secretary Michael Gove has indeed finally done something...

MPs have cast doubt on the Government’s ability to achieve its target of 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-2020s...

An agency brand has partnered with Sticklepath Parish Council to promote safer driving and lower speed limits. Stevens Estate Agents in Okehampton...

More than half of prospective homebuyers looking for a new location to move to want to be within a 20-minute walk...

The latest material information rules will be introduced this Autumn, the industry regulator has revealed. Speaking at the Propertymark One Conference in...

Just one agent was expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) redress scheme in the latest quarter. TPO has revealed that Price Point...

Two former housing ministers have criticised the Government for scrapping housebuilding targets. The Government officially watered-down proposals for mandatory local housebuilding targets...

Labour says it will reform how land is valued under Compulsory Purchase Order powers in a bid to increase house building...

At the recent Home Buying & Selling Group UFI Roadshow in London, it was gratifying to note that panel members and...