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KEYWORD "Enforcement" - 100 RESULTS
Now the election is over, the real work begins for agents

On balance, a stable new government with a large majority is good news for the sales market. Labour’s costed spending plans,...

06 July 2024

From: Features

Trading Standards: ‘Only most serious material information breaches will face action’

Enforcement of material information rules is being done through redress schemes rather than putting a strict deadline on compliance, James Munro,...

17 June 2024

From: Breaking News

After delays, departures and disruption, Renters (Reform) Bill finally runs out of steam

The Government’s controversial Renters (Reform) Bill has fallen victim to Rishi Sunak’s election announcement and has been shelved. The legislation – which...

25 May 2024

From: Features

Growing financial risk for 'go-it-alone' landlords

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

18 May 2024

From: Features

Agency regulation and enforcement will improve home sales - claim

Estate agency regulation is needed to help improve the homebuying and selling process, MPs have been told. The first hearing of the...

14 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Surge in agents’ Suspicious Activity Reports filed to National Crime Agency

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

London’s next Mayor should build more affordable homes and back landlords

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

30 April 2024

From: Breaking News

Industry Views - Airbnb Crackdown - this time it's not just Michael Gove...

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...

20 April 2024

From: Features

Material Information Guidance - A Critical View

In the first of a short series of articles, David Beaumont, managing director of Compliance Matters, casts a professional eye over...

23 March 2024

From: Features

Could ROPA rules finally materialise in leasehold reforms?

Estate agency regulations and minimum standards may finally see the light of day after Labour put forward amendments to the Government’s...

19 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Overseas property ownership register hits 30,000 milestone

The Register of Overseas Entities has hit the 30,000 registration milestone. The register, which is administered by Companies House, came into force...

03 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Tardy Renters (Reform) Bill is running against the clock

As the world marches relentlessly forward to 2024, the government’s flagship legislation for the private rented sector (PRS) remains in limbo. This...

30 December 2023

From: Features

Agents invited to one-of-a-kind industry compliance webinar

Propertymark is working with an Anti-Money Laundering service to stage a webinar for agents wanting to know more about compliance. At the...

10 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Licensing won't deter immoral agents - claim

Licensing of estate agents may raise the barrier to entry but it won’t stop those with poor morals, Fine & Country’s...

03 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Government ‘working with’ Trading Standards on conditional selling

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

11 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Upfront information is here and now - digital conveyancing is next!

Last week was the first ever National Conveyancing Week, which I hope registered with agents and perhaps you even took up...

08 April 2023

From: Features

Reader poll: Will ROPA rules improve agency standards?

Half of Estate Agent Today readers agree that industry regulations and minimum qualifications will improve standards in the sector but a...

30 January 2023

From: Breaking News

Government still ‘considering’ ROPA rules as MPs question timeframe

Conservative MPs are continuing to question when new estate agency regulations will come in as the Government sticks to its stock...

17 January 2023

From: Breaking News

Trade bodies unveil new LPE1 conveyancing form

Trade and representative bodies covering the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors, including the Conveyancing Association (CA), have launched...

09 January 2023

From: Breaking News

Propertymark unveils compliance service to help agents avoid fines

Propertymark has launched a new compliance service for its member agents. The offering, called Calm about Compliance, will see experienced auditors advise,...

14 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Boomin officially names liquidator amid £10m owed to creditors

Collapsed challenger portal Boomin has officially named its liquidator as company documents this morning outlined a deficiency of almost £10m in...

02 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Avoiding the threat of fines: what’s often missed in the AML process

HMRC has fined estate agents over £500,000 for anti-money laundering (AML) breaches in the past two months. Yet despite property managers...

26 November 2022

From: Features

Property Natter - day in the life of a NTSELAT policy manager

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

05 November 2022

From: Features

PropTech Today - why PropTech can be a blueprint for the new PM

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

07 September 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

Exclusive - what makes an agency industry leader tick 

People in prominent positions in the housing industry aren’t always perfect role models. After all, Chris Pincher was housing minister for...

09 July 2022

From: Features

Expert Analysis: How safe are homes 5 years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy?

It’s the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell fire tragedy, but are high rises any safer today than they were then? On 14th...

18 June 2022

From: Features

Property Natter: ‘the only way to bring about change is to be proactive’

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

Q&A: What do new material information rules mean for estate agents?

From the beginning of April, long-awaited rules from the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) came into effect....

23 April 2022

From: Features

Government still committed to introducing ROPA rules

The government has insisted it is still committed to introducing agency qualifications and minimum standards in the sector. It is almost three...

19 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency boss calls for ROPA exam clarity

The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) chief executive Gareth Samples has called for a steer on when the long-awaited Regulation of Property...

11 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Trading Standards reminds agents to update SSTC listings amid legal debate

Trading Standards has advised agents to update listings once they reach the "sold subject to contract" (SSTC) stage. It comes after legal...

05 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Upfront Information - Light at the end of the Tunnel? 

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

02 April 2022

From: Features

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

The Coming ‘Budget’ - What’s In Store For Agents?

If you want to sex-up the Chancellor’s financial statement scheduled for lunchtime on Wednesday, you’d call it a Budget or a...

19 March 2022

From: Features

Will The Lights Go On Again In Central London?

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

Government may seize homes of key Russians without compensation

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

Law to reveal foreign owners may apply 20 years retrospectively

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

Lawyer says some agents can’t cope with more regulation

A leading property lawyer says some agents will struggle to meet the demand for more ‘material information’ put forward by Trading...

23 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Purplebricks reviews dispute takes new twist four years on

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

08 February 2022

From: Breaking News

How to prepare for lettings in 2022 and beyond using PropTech

In this guest feature, James Dilgul, Head of Marketing at Fixflo, the market-leading repairs and maintenance management software provider, looks at how...

22 January 2022

From: Features

HMRC consulting on new Stamp Duty threat to property sales

A leading accountant is warning of a possible stamp duty change affecting residential property this year. HMRC is currently consulting on a...

10 January 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

Fears grow that agencies may have to pay new Economic Crimes Levy

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

Pressure builds for agents to be licensed with mandatory training

Pressure appears to be building for the recommendations of the Regulation of Property Agents working party finally to be implemented. It’s now...

26 October 2021

From: Breaking News

Rental Sector Enforcement - time to pull our fingers out

Within weeks the focus of the industry will be on the White Paper to be issued on rental reform before Christmas. Let’s...

16 October 2021

From: Features

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

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

PropTech Today: pros and cons of a tech-led approach to compliance

The growing number of lettings sector rules is a hotly debated issue, while the sales sector has been seeing its own...

01 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Shock intervention by Trading Standards in 'charging for viewing' row

The controversial proposal by a PropTech start up to charge potential viewers of properties to let or for sale has been...

10 August 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

Crackdown on agents’ boards as code of conduct is torn up

A council cracking down on the increase of illegally positioned estate agent boards. Agents are required, under Planning and Highways legislation to...

04 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Property marketing - keeping personal data protected

After a recent incident involving an Estate Agent based in Devon in which a property virtual tour they published revealed a...

25 May 2021

From: Sponsored Content

Q&A with Jerry Walters – why the AML clock is ticking for letting agents

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

Politicians told: Do your bit for homes, owners, buyers, renters

The new Mayor of London, to be decided in an election tomorrow, has just received a six point set of demands...

05 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Free anti-money laundering training for Rightmove member agents

The anti-money laundering compliance service that is now part of data company LonRes is holding a training session for Rightmove member...

04 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Vote, Vote, Vote - Housing and the 2021 Local Elections

Local elections rarely set the pulse racing and this year’s poll on Thursday faces a similar problem. But this time, it’s a...

01 May 2021

From: Features

The reality of RoPA – an alternative view on estate agency regulation

We have more regulations controlling the sector than ever before and we have more ‘regulators’ involved in controlling the sector than...

01 May 2021

From: Features

Virtual viewings and personal data – what do agents need to know?

If someone broke into your house and took a video of lots of personal information, like photos of family and pets,...

17 April 2021

From: Features

No short-term lets regulation for now - what could this mean for the PRS?

Licensing of the short-term lets sector in Scotland was due to be introduced next month. However, it was recently announced that...

03 April 2021

From: Features

Have tenants in arrears? You need to be aware of this new law

From 4 May 2021, your agency could be blocked from charging late fees, compounding interest on missing rent and taking any...

20 March 2021

From: Features

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

In Conversation – Data Sharing with LonRes chief Anthony Payne

In this week’s In Conversation Today, I speak with Anthony Payne, Managing Director and co-founder of LonRes, a data and network...

04 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Fraudster agent escapes prison after scamming insurance company

An agent working for a Countrywide brand in Lancashire has been given a suspended jail sentence after being found guilty of...

23 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Why automation could improve enforcement of PRS regulation

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

13 February 2021

From: Features

Exclusive - Agents' training and licensing latest from the chair of RoPA

First off, hello and welcome to this new series – appearing in Estate Agent Today’s Breaking News section each month –...

10 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Are you prepared for a seasonal upswing in missed rental payments?

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

02 December 2020

From: Features

Stamp duty clampdown revealed by HMRC and advertising watchdog

HM Revenue and Customs and the Advertising Standards Authority are working together to cut out misleading marketing by promoters of stamp...

30 November 2020

From: Breaking News

PRS regulation - could more authorities follow the lead of Westminster?

Back in September, Westminster Council launched a new strategy to help 'protect tenants' and 'ensure they live in good-quality and well-managed...

28 November 2020

From: Features

Agent threatened with prosecution for opening office to the public

An unidentified estate agency has been threatened with prosecution by a local council after opening its office to the public during...

12 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Renters' Reform Bill delay - what does it mean for the lettings market?

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

31 October 2020

From: Features

Safety in agents’ offices: understanding the law on whistleblowing

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

26 September 2020

From: Features

Confirmed: Agents WILL have to wear masks in branch offices

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that all retail staff will be obliged to wear masks when working - and it's now...

22 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Anti-Money Laundering: FCA criticised over lack of enforcement

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been criticised for its lack of enforcement of anti-money laundering (AML) legislation so far in...

18 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

Record number of property firms suffer ‘Red Flag’ financial distress

There’s a record number of property industry companies, including agencies, in financial distress according to the latest Red Flag alert monitor. The...

27 July 2020

From: Breaking News

Still trusting Trustpilot? Joe Lycett shows how reviews can be gamed

Arguments over the alleged gaming of reviews by and for some estate agencies have waged ferociously in recent years, and now...

02 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents Beware: definitive government guidance on buying and selling

The government has at last issued extensive advice on home moving and the activities of estate agents during the continuing Coronavirus crisis. This...

27 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Tenant Engagement

There is no doubt that the BBC News article in early February caused something of a stir within the Deposit Free...

12 March 2020

From: Sponsored Content

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

Trading Standards to probe house raffle problems

Future complaints about property raffles by individual home owners seeking to avoid estate agency fees will in future be handled by...

28 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Short lets - should there be selective bans?

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

22 February 2020

From: Features

Why is compliance a growing issue for letting agents?

It’s been clear for a while that the additional regulation landlords and agents are facing has helped professionalise the private rental...

30 November 2019

From: Features

Home Logbooks, Property MOTs and agent regulation demanded by NAEA

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents have issued their manifesto for next month’s General...

05 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Why regulation is good for the deposit replacement sector

Since I started working with Zero Deposit for me the market leader in deposit replacement alternatives, the most common question I am...

19 October 2019

From: Features

LonRes snaps up anti-money laundering training and compliance service

London-focussed business-to-business deal data service LonRes has acquired an anti-money laundering compliance consultancy specialising in residential and commercial property. Financial Crime Services,...

01 October 2019

From: Breaking News

New industry regulations: clarity and speed are vital

A leading figure in the PropTech sector says clarity and speed are vital to ensure agencies can adequately prepare for a...

22 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Beyond the headlines - What the new regulator really means

The industry press has given substantial space to recommendations from the Regulation of Property Agents, the government’s working party which has...

20 July 2019

From: Features

Incoming – a summer of change for estate and letting agents

You may be right in thinking that Brexit has dominated the thinking of the government in the last three years. However,...

22 June 2019

From: Features

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

A moving tide of regulation making its way towards estate agents

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

01 June 2019

From: Features

The man who polices the agency industry - an exclusive interview

It’s clear that some agents are not fans of Trading Standards officers, described in the comments sections of the trade press...

27 April 2019

From: Features

New industry Trading Standards team has just 14 to cover sales and lettings

Estate Agent Today has been given details of the new National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agents Team - the body...

23 April 2019

From: Breaking News

New regulatory body for agents: will it have resources to do the job?

The jury appears to be out on whether the new enforcement body for estate and lettings agents will be resourced sufficiently...

18 April 2019

From: Breaking News

New body to police estate and lettings agents, taking over from NTSEAT

A new team has been set up to police all estate and letting agency legislation including the upcoming tenants' fees ban. The...

17 April 2019

From: Breaking News

The government must stop using agents to carry out their dirty work

I don’t believe it’s unfair to state that our government, indeed, the entire political establishment is in some turmoil at the...

16 March 2019

From: Features

Stop indulging councils over rental licensing and local schemes

It’s time, surely, for government to crackdown not just on rogue agents and landlords but on rogue councils that confuse the...

09 March 2019

From: Features

Agents Behaving Badly? Accusations fly over listings and boards

A slew of allegations have been made against agents and sometimes even by agents, over alleged misdemeanours over property listings as...

08 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Bye Bye Boards? Council considers blanket ban on all For Sale/To Let signs

A London council is considering a borough-wide ban on agents’ boards of all kinds. Labour-controlled Camden already has a ban for a...

15 February 2019

From: Breaking News

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