Estate agents working with international individuals can face a significant risk of encountering money laundering activities. The complex nature of cross-border...
Archive
24 August 2024
From: Features
The wife of a jailed banker has agreed to forfeit a house in Knightsbridge worth approximately £14m and a golf club...
07 August 2024
From: Breaking News
Propertymark and RICS are among industry bodies that have backed an open letter to the new Housing Secretary calling for the...
15 July 2024
From: Breaking News
Affordability concerns are prompting many first-time buyers to consider moving more than 30 miles on average from their preferred location to...
27 June 2024
From: Breaking News
And so we wait. The election, still only a week old and with almost five left to go, has served up main...
01 June 2024
From: Features
Estate agents were fined a total of more than £3m in the nine months to September 2023 for failing to register...
22 May 2024
From: Features
THE property sector has embraced technology and the enormous benefits that it can bring. Never was this more accurately demonstrated than during...
15 May 2024
From: Breaking News
Alto is rolling out free Property Valuation Reports for agents. The tool can be accessed directly from individual property record pages, and...
02 May 2024
From: Breaking News
There’s been a significant rise in the number of so-called Suspicious Activity Reports concerning money laundering and the agency industry. Suspicious Activity...
01 May 2024
From: Breaking News
The cost of housing continues to be a major concern to the majority of adults in the UK, according to the...
29 April 2024
From: Breaking News
Regulated firms across all sectors will be well aware of Know Your Customer (KYC) checks and their importance in combatting financial...
13 April 2024
From: Features
Fraud poses a significant challenge for residential conveyancers, with criminals often attempting to exploit the transaction process for money laundering purposes. The...
13 April 2024
From: Features
Financial crime within the property sector is on the rise and the stats are alarming. According to data from Apex Bridging,...
23 March 2024
From: Features
Digital compliance specialist SmartSearch can help estate agents comply quickly and efficiently Around one in five estate agents are not registered for...
24 February 2024
From: Features
Hamptons expands into Andorra with new partnership Hamptons has launched a partnership with Roc Propietats Estate Agents in Andorra that will include...
19 February 2024
From: Breaking News
There’s no question that trust is the bedrock of any longstanding client relationship. It is built on delivering on your promises...
03 February 2024
From: Features
The recent cyber attack on CTS left around 80 conveyancing firms across the country commercially paralysed as the harm to their...
19 December 2023
From: Breaking News
If you’ve paid even scant attention to Landlord Today or other trade titles, you’ll be familiar with the headlines about rogue...
04 November 2023
From: Features
Leading digital compliance firm SmartSearch has launched an innovative new solution to help professionals working within the UK property sector to...
30 September 2023
From: Features
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
For most people, buying a house or flat is the largest financial commitment they will ever make. Which is why many...
26 August 2023
From: Features
In recent years, the UK private rented sector has witnessed a significant increase in government regulation aimed at raising standards for...
12 August 2023
From: Features
Agents and other businesses are being encouraged back a new joint initiative from employee protection firm Peoplesafe and the Crimestoppers charity. The...
25 July 2023
From: Breaking News
According to research, the average cost of home insurance was £300 in 2022 – a record low. However, this could increase...
22 July 2023
From: Features
Tackling economic crime is part of the day job for estate agents. But how can the latest digital ID tools help...
12 July 2023
From: Features
Step right up and witness the extraordinary world of Estate Agents as they embrace the power of biometric checks, turning the...
28 June 2023
From: Features
Increasing numbers of estate agents are submitting suspicious activity reports (SARS) but questions are being raised about whether there should be...
15 June 2023
From: Breaking News
Amidst mounting regulatory pressure and the escalating threat of financial crime, property firms must embrace innovation to protect themselves and their...
13 May 2023
From: Features
Property fraud is a significant risk for agents, particularly as fake IDs become increasingly prevalent, and the economic climate remains challenging....
06 May 2023
From: Features
Recent research estimated that up to £100 billion is being stolen in the UK each year, with much of it due...
22 April 2023
From: Features
The majority of estate agents are in the dark about the Government’s Economic Crime Levy (ECL), when it was implemented or...
19 April 2023
From: Breaking News
The dreaded ‘C word’ – compliance – has been facing Estate Agents for years now and it’s not going anywhere. Looking ahead...
15 April 2023
From: Features
Agents of all sizes are being urged to make themselves aware of a new anti-money laundering (AML) charge that has come...
11 April 2023
From: Breaking News
Estate agents could be putting their clients’ personal details at risk by taking information such as addresses, bank account or passport details...
27 March 2023
From: Breaking News
Recent tragic deaths of women walking home alone, notably Sarah Everard, have highlighted the need to address gender inequality in the...
25 March 2023
From: Features
SmartSearch, the UK’s leading provider of digital compliance, has published an agenda-setting whitepaper to highlight the anti-money laundering shortcomings and sanctions...
25 February 2023
From: Features
Agency software provider Reapit has achieved ISO 27001 certification for information security management. The certification means that Reapit has implemented one of...
23 January 2023
From: Breaking News
FCS Compliance and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have joined forces to present the first Rightmove anti-money laundering (AML) webinar of...
17 January 2023
From: Breaking News
A chartered surveyor has highlighted 15 ‘crimes against property’ in a new book that aims to prevent owners from damaging the...
20 December 2022
From: Breaking News
It has been another busy month for job moves in the estate agency sector. Here are some of the latest moves that...
30 November 2022
From: Breaking News
The Government’s mini budget on September 23 was anything but ‘mini’ with several major announcements one of the most significant of...
17 October 2022
From: Sponsored Content
If recent headlines are anything to go by, estate agents and the wider property industry are not just feeling the heavy...
15 October 2022
From: Features
You've finally found the perfect house. It's within your budget, has the desired number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and even comes...
13 October 2022
From: PropTech & Innovation
Estate agents selling rural homes have been urged to provide better levels of upfront information regarding homes in the countryside that...
11 October 2022
From: Breaking News
FCS Compliance has announced the latest in its anti-money laundering (AML) series of webinars with Rightmove. The latest is titled The Role...
06 October 2022
From: Breaking News
Agents are ‘wrongly’ relying on hard copies of identity documents to verify people’s identities in anti-money laundering (AML) checks, new research...
31 August 2022
From: Breaking News
As Britain’s housing boom continues, SDL Property Auctions has warned of ten ways new homeowners could be fined up to £5,000...
26 July 2022
From: Legislation & Compliance
If there’s one thing that received a boost as a result of Covid and lockdowns, it’s podcasts – which reached whole...
16 July 2022
From: Features
Anti-money laundering (AML) software provider SmartSearch is warning of a rise in financial crime, particularly targeting smaller property firms. A survey of...
15 July 2022
From: Breaking News
As another round of property firms is fined, named and shamed for breaching anti-money laundering rules, it feels like the road...
18 June 2022
From: Features
In this latest ‘Women in Property’ edition of the Natter, I check in with Collette Allen, who was recently appointed as...
28 May 2022
From: Features
Agents have pledged to keep a close eye on planning reforms amid a proposed overhaul announced in the Queen’s Speech yesterday. Prince...
11 May 2022
From: Breaking News
The Queen’s Speech has unveiled proposed overhauls on planning, consumer and economic crime laws that could all have an effect on...
10 May 2022
From: Breaking News
A ‘frightening’ number of respondents to a Rightmove online poll appear to be unaware of their anti-money laundering reporting requirements. The portal...
05 May 2022
From: Breaking News
A new Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, has been appointed by The Property Ombudsman Scheme. She will work alongside Property Ombudsman, Rebecca Marsh,...
21 April 2022
From: Breaking News
PayProp’s recent Rental Confidence Index survey polled property professionals about their biggest concerns for 2022. Unsurprisingly, new regulations were a top...
09 April 2022
From: Features
A legal expert has warned that everyone is theoretically at risk of committing a breach of sanctions against Russia - but...
16 March 2022
From: Breaking News
The UK government appears to have given sanctioned Russian property owners a get-out-of-jail card valid for six months. It’s been confirmed that...
10 March 2022
From: Breaking News
The Mayor of London is demanding ministers take sanctioning Russian oligarchs seriously by moving immediately to seize assets that can then...
08 March 2022
From: Breaking News
Almost exactly a decade ago I wrote a blog on the back of a spate on mainstream news stories about prime...
05 March 2022
From: Features
The government is considering seizing British property owned by Russian oligarchs on the sanctions list without paying compensation. The Financial Times says Housing...
03 March 2022
From: Breaking News
It is claimed by Propertymark that the government’s Economic Crime Bill - to be debated in the House of Commons today -...
01 March 2022
From: Breaking News
The outcome of the Ukraine crisis is far from certain, but one thing has become abundantly clear. The long-overdue Economic Crime...
26 February 2022
From: Features
If the UK and its allies have been played by Russia over the Ukraine ‘invasion’, and it’s beginning to look that...
19 February 2022
From: Features
The UK property industry has long been a target of fraudsters due to the low levels of transparency and the fact...
12 February 2022
From: Features
Housing ministers have lined up in recent days to support beleaguered Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Housing minister Chris Pincher, upon hearing of new...
07 February 2022
From: Breaking News
The government’s new Levelling Up White Paper, revealed this morning includes a radical reshaping of the private rental sector. Section 21 eviction...
02 February 2022
From: Breaking News
Our Agents Do Charity column each Friday does a fantastic job of highlighting the amazing charitable work of agents up and...
29 January 2022
From: Features
Was Purplebricks right to delist a property from its website when it discovered the vendors - a Christian couple - were opposed...
28 January 2022
From: Breaking News
An hour-long webinar this week aims to inform agents how to deter property fraud by greater emphasis on compliance, due diligence...
25 January 2022
From: Breaking News
A warning has gone out to estate agents that “more and more” reports are being filed about cyber attacks on agencies...
12 January 2022
From: Breaking News
A new guide to help avoid property title fraud, where home ownership can be stolen, has been released by the Fraud...
15 December 2021
From: Breaking News
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on all aspects of our lives, but undoubtedly one major negative side effect...
11 December 2021
From: Features
Property fraud is on the rise and early in 2022 agents will have an opportunity to attend a webinar featuring a...
08 December 2021
From: Breaking News
I’ve worked in financial crime for the past seven years, beginning my career as a white collar crime litigator in a law firm. I know that the...
04 December 2021
From: Features
While the Christmas season is usually heralded by an influx of terrible Christmas adverts, the launch of Starbucks’ gingerbread lattes, Adam...
01 December 2021
From: Features
Agents must have a robust plan in place in case they are subjected to a ransomware cyber attack, says the Guild...
23 November 2021
From: Breaking News
Increasingly rigorous Money Laundering Directives have made regulations in the property industry more stringent than ever, and Estate Agents have a...
22 November 2021
From: Legislation & Compliance
Fears are growing that large estate agency groups may have to pay a mandatory levy towards the cost of anti-money laundering...
11 November 2021
From: Breaking News
The owner of an estate agency in Sussex has been jailed for five years for what a judge has called “an...
11 November 2021
From: Breaking News
A prominent law expert is claiming that a high profile case of property fraud, reported earlier this week, involved a “devastating...
05 November 2021
From: Breaking News
A BBC investigation has revealed that a man’s house was sold and his furnishings removed without his knowledge, in the latest...
02 November 2021
From: Breaking News
We have all heard the terrible forecasts and listened to Sir David Attenborough’s speeches on the environment and the “we still...
30 October 2021
From: Features
The Pandora Papers - the biggest ever leak of offshore data - has revealed that the UK’s property market is being...
30 October 2021
From: Features
Buyers are being warned about scams conning people out of hundreds of thousands of pounds. The Law Society of England and Wales...
25 October 2021
From: Breaking News
Disclaimer: This article is intended for information only and does not constitute legal advice. As part of its 2020 budget, the UK...
23 October 2021
From: Features
A burglar who ransacked an independent agency’s branch office and stole equipment worth almost £2,000 has escaped prison. Bilal Hemmi of Windsor...
07 October 2021
From: Breaking News
The independent QC leading a review into the governance scandal at the RICS says there was “no fraudulent or criminal misbehaviour”...
10 September 2021
From: Breaking News
Better AML solutions needed amid warnings of possible impacts of Afghanistan exit on financial crime
Regulators are warning the UK’s property, finance and legal sectors to be aware of the possible impacts of the exit from...
09 September 2021
From: Sponsored Content
An estate agent with stomach cancer faces a prison sentence after pleading guilty of defrauding an 80 year old pensioner out...
12 August 2021
From: Breaking News
Thirty-five years after London estate agent Suzy Lamplugh disappeared, the trust that bears her name is calling for action to address...
05 August 2021
From: Breaking News
The estate agent who accosted England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has been charged with common assault. Lewis Hughes, 23 and...
02 July 2021
From: Breaking News
The founder and managing director of FCS Compliance, Jerry Walters, has died suddenly. A statement from the company says he died during...
01 July 2021
From: Breaking News
The property market was expected to struggle to recover after the first lockdown, but, thanks to the stamp duty holiday and...
30 June 2021
From: Features
An assessment by a risk solutions firm shows that estate agents are on average just 53 per cent of the way...
25 May 2021
From: Breaking News
With property fraud on the rise and an ever-increasing number of transactions taking place in the lettings sector, having strict anti-money laundering...
22 May 2021
From: Features
The man behind the free-to-list portal Residential People says security across all portals should be tightened, with so-called Two Factor Authentication...
18 May 2021
From: Breaking News
A leading industry trade body is warning that remote-working agents and smaller independent agencies are particularly vulnerable to the growing threat...
14 May 2021
From: Breaking News
Brexit means that the UK’s anti-money laundering laws are no longer governed by the European Union (EU), but any estate agents...