Archive

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

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

Concerns around market appraisals and how offers are handled are likely to be the key industry complaints this year amid lower...

Managing tenant deposits is a crucial part of any letting agent’s responsibilities. Ensuring compliance with regulations and safeguarding both landlord and...

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

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

Artificial Intelligence is now a part of all our lives, but my attention was grabbed recently by an AI critique of...

You don’t have to simply accept things as they are when it comes to managing your client accounts. If your bank...

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

Property market commentators Russell Quirk and Charlie Lamdin have gone head-to—head in a long-awaited podcast to tackle their ongoing debate about...

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

There are several pros to cohabitation, and it’s always a wonderful experience when you’re handed your set of keys as a...

It may be a measure of the government’s incompetence in the area of housing that two recent major announcements were sorely...

The United Kingdom stands on the precipice of a historic overhaul in property ownership. With the King's speech unveiling the anticipated...

The role of a residential landlord has changed considerably over the years. What was once a relatively straightforward means of generating...

Trading Standards has insisted it is still on track to introduce parts B and C of material changes rules for property...

Hands-up who likes doing check-in reports? These start-of-tenancy reports may not be the most popular of activities for the letting agent...

As an Estate Agent it’s important to be able to interpret and understand the information that a Title Deed document presents...

Check out some of the latest charitable endeavours from agency and property brands this week. If you have a charitable event or...

The end of a tenancy can be busy and stressful. As the letting agent, you’ll have many plates spinning to move...

Estate agents have been urged to be wary of complaints around market appraisals and the handling of offers. The latest annual review...

Whether at home or abroad, here are some top tips to prevent homeowners from breaking common garden laws and rules this...

As the unending attack on landlords continues, many are succumbing to the pressures of increased taxes, interest rates rising, regulations becoming...

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

THE grounding of foreign travel during successive lockdowns meant many employers were saved from the stress of dealing with holiday requests...

As the first signs of spring begin to appear, we look at how letting agents and landlords can start the season...

As the first signs of spring begin to appear, we look at how letting agents and landlords can start the season...

Most letting agents are already carrying out inspections for check-in and check-out reports (hopefully). Some are going further and conducting interim...

An interest rate drop is top of the new year wish list among property professionals, a survey claims. A webinar poll among...

Property professionals, including agents, are being urged to make use of a dedicated small business banking dispute scheme before it closes...

Making predictions for the year ahead is notoriously difficult and leaves me open to having egg on my face, but I’m...

Property sales are being put at risk by failure to tackle infestations of bamboo, according to new warnings. Invasive plant removal firm...

Given their leading role in the recent upfront information revolution, interest in the work of the National Trading Standards Estate &...

Increasing numbers of complaints about agents are being resolved without formal investigation but issues are becoming more complex, The Property Ombudsman...

Letting agents and landlords who know how to avoid deposit disputes at the end of a tenancy can save time, money,...

A new Code of Practice for builders and an independent Ombudsman for consumers in the new-build sector went live this week. Customers...

The results are finally in, and to no-one’s surprise Liz Truss has been named the new leader of the Conservative Party...

Tenants are becoming more discerning – not just about the properties they choose to rent but who they rent from too. With...

The check-out report is a critical point in the tenancy and has the power to make the moving-out process run smoothly...

As temperatures rise and the holidays begin many of us will be looking to enjoy our gardens and make improvements to...

Interim rental inspections have taken a hit over the past two years and letting agents are now wading through their backlogs...

A wide range of upcoming legislative changes will affect the private rented sector. From new carbon monoxide alarm regulations to renters...

As the mass student exodus from rented accommodation begins throughout the UK, Richard Abbots of Inventory Hive offers advice on how...

After years of delays and upheaval, the Renters' Reform Bill finally appears to be back on the agenda, in an effort...

A new Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, has been appointed by The Property Ombudsman Scheme. She will work alongside Property Ombudsman, Rebecca Marsh,...

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

In this weekend feature, inventory expert and chair of the AIIC, Daniel Evans, sets out why rental reform changes will make...

Earlier this month, the government’s energy regulator Ofgem announced a record 54 percent increase to the energy bill price cap. Combined...

An estate agent has suggested on social media that people who buy a Greggs breakfast each day could save well over...

The international reviews service Trustpilot has batted away criticism from a property website that it ignores breaches of its guidelines. Last week,...

Property searches are not showing up some new road schemes because they are classified by local councils as planning consent for...

A long running dispute between reviews website allAgents and Purplebricks has come back to life - with a new twist. In 2017...

The Property Ombudsman should ban agents from using so-called exclusivity agreements on sales, claims a law firm.  Donal Blaney, founder of Griffin...

The most senior Trading Standards officer policing the agency industry says he hopes the public will ask about referral fees in...

In this weekend feature, inventory expert and chair of the AIIC, Daniel Evans, sets out what a really good inventory should...

Will he stay or will he go? You don’t need me to say who ‘he’ is - it’s the only story...

A law firm is warning that one of the key risks facing that industry this year revolves around professional negligence claims against...

Purplebricks has this morning said that a newspaper report over the weekend, claiming part of the business is to be sold...

A British estate agent working in Florida has been shot dead while preparing to show a property. Sara Trost, 40, was from...

Purplebricks chief marketing officer Ben Carter is quitting the company; he was appointed late last year. Carter tweeted this afternoon: “Some personal...

The Dispute Service has been selected to operate the New Homes Ombudsman scheme, following what has been called ”a fiercely competitive...

I am often guilty of this myself, where I think I am the bees’ knees in all walks of life; whether I...

In this thought leadership article, Videosign CEO Steven Tallant looks at electronic signatures and conveyancing and whether the time is nigh for the...

Almost a million tenants have built up rent arrears since March 2020, according to research by National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)....

The Property Ombudsman says there’s been a big increase in enquiries to its service in recent months, despite the pandemic.  In its...

Working from home used to get a bad rap. With the phrase mocked as ‘shirking from home’, homeworkers were often seen...

The row over whether agents should be allowed to vet people who view properties on the basis of their wealth has...

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

On 28 April 2021, Fixflo ran the first in a series of quarterly legal update webinars with David Smith, Partner at...

The TDS annual review 2020 indicates that deposit disputes have remained low over the last year, at around 1%. This is...

Two property directors have been banned from holding company office for a total of 25 years after abusing £7.7m taken from...

The acquisition of Countrywide by Connells might just be the deal of the century in the British estate agency industry. That’s the...

Knowing adjudication terms and phrases can make all the difference in a deposit dispute. The DPS has been helping landlords and letting...

Estate agents might be expert at advising on buying and selling properties on their books but when it comes to buying...

Purplebricks has been rated as only the 10th best online agency in the country in a controversial new league table. The list...

There's good news for thousands of estate agencies awaiting pay outs under Business Interruption Insurance schemes. The agents are amongst 370,000 businesses whose...

The hundreds of estate and lettings agencies involved in various Business Interruption Insurance policies must wait even longer to find their...

Down valuations could leave some surveyors liable to professional negligence claims, a law firm says. Nelsons law firm says down valuations have...

Deposit disputes can be time-consuming and difficult for all parties involved whether it be a letting agent, landlord, or tenant. Although at...

If this year has taught us anything, it's that estate agents need their software provider and specifically their CRM, to help...

It’s that time of year again. Black Friday has been and gone and the run-up to Christmas is well and truly...

Purplebricks founder Michael Bruce has batted away a stinging attack on him made by allAgents, a review website. allAgents has set up...

Tenants, landlords, agents, and house buyers all breathed a sigh of relief on Halloween when the government announced that home moves...

As we embark on another nationwide lockdown, the team at SDL Auctions are keen to help agents ride the storm, beat...

Tenancy deposit disputes are messy and often frustrating for all involved. While the number of formal disputes remains low, the pandemic...

The Business Interruption Insurance saga, involving hundreds of agencies awaiting pay-outs on policies, enters its next and final stage later this month. An...

Clear communication and common-sense actions by landlords, letting agents and students at the start of a tenancy can drastically improve the...

The announcement of the Renters’ Reform Bill in the Queen’s speech last December caused a collective groan across the country from...

Ed Mead has joined a growing chorus demanding government action on the cladding crisis. He is one of the industry’s leading figures from...

An eight day court hearing kicks off this morning as the Financial Conduct Authority begins a test case regarding Business Interruption...

More details have been released about a test case being brought by the Financial Conduct Authority about the ongoing Business Interruption...

The managing director of a Winkworth branch is threatening to report a senior member of a nearby Countrywide office to the...

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

The City regulator which is bringing a test case over insurance firms refusing to honour Business Interruption policies wants policyholders including...

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman.  The figures refer...

There could be a wave of legal disputes as off-plan buyers seek to get out of purchase deals after the lockdown...

The scandal over Business Interruption Insurance policies is hotting up, with class actions being discussed against insurance firms and the Financial Conduct Authority announcing...

The Property Ombudsman is advising agents to use virtual viewings only as a filtering process with offers being agreed only ‘subject...

Agents and in some cases their brokers continue to do battle with insurers in a bid to secure pay-outs on their...

There’s a warning today that the housing market could face a wave of legal disputes if buyers of off-plan new builds...