Archive

There’s been a broadly warm response from much of the property industry to Labour’s manifesto, but a call for more detail...

Trade and representative bodies representing the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors, including the Conveyancing Association, have launched the...

Almost one in five vendors admit to having failed to disclose disputes with neighbours to prospective buyers when selling their home,...

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

Iamproperty has launched what it calls “a new solution” to help agents deal with new Material Information rules. The supplier’s new Enhanced...

Agents are being urged to increase their efforts when it comes to checking documents to avoid potential claims. Paul Offley, compliance officer...

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

A year-long pilot of using upfront material Information by conveyancer Thomas Legal and search provider Conveyancing Data Services, a part of...

The issue of conditional selling in estate agency has hit Westminster. There have been several reports in recent months about agents requiring...

Trade and representative bodies representing the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors have launched the fourth iteration of the...

News of a potential takeover gave Purplebricks’ share price a boost yesterday. Its share price rose 15.5% in a day after Estate...

Purplebricks has confirmed that it has been in discussions with online agency rival Strike regarding a potential takeover offer. As reported by...

Online agency brand Strike is believed to be considering a bid for beleaguered rival Purplebricks. A source close to the talks has...

Leeds Building Society has pledged to honour any mortgage offers and support borrowers during this period of market uncertainty. It comes as...

Trading Standards has indicated that non-compliant listings will eventually be rejected from portals as it urges agents to use their “professional...

Agents are being reminded that they still have an obligation to provide all material information as the sector awaits Part B...

Why the urgency? Because the appetite is strong. Research by the Conveyancing Association reports that 98% of consumers are overwhelmingly in...

Estate agents use property technology each and every day for residential property transactions, but is there more they can do with...

Next month will see new rules around upfront Material Information for property sales and lettings come into force in the UK...

Millions of people use online property portals every year to conduct their property search, whether it be for sales or for...

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”...

Yesterday afternoon, Helena Marston was finally confirmed as Purplebricks new CEO after all the due diligence checks that are required for...

Following a series of unexplained delays, Helena Marston has now finally been confirmed as the new chief executive of beleaguered agency...

Agents and conveyancers have signed up to a new buyers’s and seller’s property information form that is described as having been...

They say that in fashion, if you wait for long enough, clothes that are hanging at the back of your wardrobe...

PropTech solutions have continued to ingratiate themselves in both the forefront of an agency within advertising mediums and in the backend...

Those aficionados of the Sound of Music will recognise the tag line above. It came to my mind when thinking about...

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...

Of the many industry buzzwords, I suspect “upfront information” was up there as one of the most widely used in 2021....

Industry figures have come out in favour of the long-term programme of new compulsory information to be contained on property listings. From...

Trading Standards and the government have jointly announced compulsory new data which must appear on property listings. A property's council tax band or...

A petition is being started, urging the government to ban the payment of referral fees to estate agents. It’s reported to have...

Despite the progress made in so many areas, particularly in terms of leasehold reform – although we are calling upon the...

New figures from HM Treasury have revealed that businesses, including a number of major agencies, have returned £1.3 billion in furlough...

The estate agents’ trade body has set out three ways conveyancers can further help the sales process. Propertymark has made the suggestions...

HM Revenue & Customs is reported to be targeting recent home buyers after a slump in income from property taxes during...

In this week’s In Conversation Today, we have another industry big-hitter and one of the most high-profile female leaders in property...

Ben Ridgway gives his views on the current market, material information and PropTech for agents. What is your current view of the...

At first sight it’s a tough ask to defend holiday homes when there’s evidence that many who want to buy can’t,...

The Trading Standards agency team has outlined to Estate Agent Today the process it will follow to improve what it calls...

The controversial demands of Trading Standards for more “material information” to be provided upfront in property details have been criticised by...

National Trading Standards wants agents, portals and industry groups to come up with ways to provide basic essential material information ‘upfront’.  The National...

A new campaign to urge whistleblowers to come forward with evidence of wrongdoing has been launched by the Financial Conduct Authority. This...

An industry group charged with trying to make house buying simpler and quicker says it’s made a breakthrough on ‘upfront’ information...

The controversy over the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements in the world of property resurfaced over the weekend in a BBC programme. A...

It’s now more than a year since the government offered an additional £4 million to councils to combat rogue landlords. At the...

A newspaper claims that thousands of customers’ financial details held by Foxtons Group are being freely accessed on the so-called dark...

To kick off 2021, we have a Q&A with one of the most high-profile – and, it has to be said,...

A study of 2,000 home owners shows that over a third have felt pressured by an agent into use its in-house mortgage...

The Property Ombudsman has joined calls for greater disclosure of referral fees by agents.  The issue has become a hot topic in...

The Boomin portal, which incentivises agents to cross-sell and benefit from referral fees, is to receive advice on fee disclosure from...

Conveyancers have considered whether the long-standing ‘caveat emptor’ or buyer beware principle in a property purchase should be replaced by ‘vendor...

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

Housing Minister Christopher Pincher announced that the introduction of the Renters' Reform Bill will be delayed for an indefinite period due...

Agents spend their whole careers telling vendors and landlords why they will be able to achieve a better sale price or...

We all know that people can’t move to a new house without going through the Conveyancing process. However, with that said,...

Customers must be told about third party referral fees when buying or selling a home says the National Trading Standards Estate...

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has encouraged people to complain if they are unhappy about working conditions and thousands of complaints...

One of the most experienced British estate agents says the new portal Boomin - expected to launch next month, October -...

At a recent Conveyancing Association webinar focused on the provision of upfront information in the property sale process, there was a...

Beleaguered Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is under growing pressure to explain his part in a planning decision - now deemed illegal...

Since my last column in April, one could argue that very little has changed for agents in terms of the market...

Both Countrywide and LSL Property Services have submitted early online paperwork to The Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, an independent body...

There’s something of a conspiracy of silence over the problem of short lets. That is a stark claim but many siren voices...

It is possible that agents and their business partners in the conveyancing, mortgage and survey industries could be obliged to have...

A leasehold reform campaigner claims estate agents face “growing calls to be held accountable for mis-selling leasehold properties.” Louie Burns, managing director...

Troubled London estate agency Foxtons says it has rewritten its remuneration policy for its senior management following a shareholder revolt at...

It may well seem that the government is pre-occupied with one issue, and one issue alone. While preparations for Brexit take up a...

When it comes to major issues confronting housing, and in particular the direction that the government would like to take the...

The director of strategy at the Council for Licensed Conveyancers says “the onus is very much on estate agents” to respond...

The National Association of Estate Agents has led the support for stricter new guidelines on transparency for referral fees. The clampdown means agents...

Our latest case study come from a recent news item to have hit the industry and national press. A disgruntled tenant is claiming...

You know the shiver you get when the portal reps call you out of the blue? That cold sweat in the...

You will perhaps have seen recently that the Government has decided to boost funding to the regulator, the National Trading Standards...

At first sight, to suggest this is a good time for an agency business to go for an IPO - that...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team and two of the three industry redress organisations have launched a survey to measure the...

Is there really any true value to an estate agent in our current climate? Will there be a role for traditional agents...

Coming into force on May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 -...

  More details have emerged of the government’s proposals to enhance estate agency regulation, regulate referral fees, offer guides for buyers and...

When it comes to property, ‘Japanese knotweed’ are the two words most homeowners and prospective buyers do not want to hear.  With...

A ‘secret’ proposal called Project UHA was put to a hand-picked group of agents on Friday with speculation suggesting it centres...

Japanese knotweed, the invasive plant brought over to Britain in the Victorian era, threatens millions of pounds worth of property transactions...

The Daily Mail and other papers are reporting that a buyer is suing an estate agent who allegedly failed to tell...

An early Gold member of OnTheMarket is making a last-ditch bid to stop its parent company, Agents’ Mutual, from floating on...

Savills is remaining silent on the issues surrounding the apparent filing of a High Court order that may oblige the agency...

After a roller-coaster day on the Stock Exchange yesterday, Purplebricks has sought to defend itself against further possible share price losses...

A firm is warning of “a wave of litigation from home owners who were given inadequate advice from their solicitors or...

As a service provider to both Estate Agents and Conveyancing Solicitors from one platform, ETSOS sits in a fairly unique position...

Running a business is not easy, but sometimes it becomes harder because we are expected to modify our behaviour due to...

Earlier this week we passed the official deadline for letting agents to fully publicise their fees as well as providing evidence of...