New statistics from the Financial Conduct Authority, analysed by a legal firm, show the clear disadvantage and worsening picture for single...
Archive
The times, they are indeed a-changin’. But what Dylan may not have appreciated, however, was how fast that change would be...
08 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Around half a million mortgage-holders are facing an imminent financial shock as their fixed deals end in the run-up to Christmas...
20 September 2023
From: Breaking News
The number of people taking out mortgages with terms of 35 years or more hit a high of 88,059 in 2022,...
25 July 2023
From: Breaking News
The majority of mortgage lenders have committed to showing more flexibility to struggling borrowers but the Government has confirmed that support...
27 June 2023
From: Breaking News
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 financial regulator has revised its own data on how many mortgage borrowers may face repayment difficulties as it calls on...
10 March 2023
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
Record numbers of buyers have taken out fixed rate mortgages to lock-in lower priced home loans before rates rise further, analysis...
14 September 2022
From: Breaking News
Lower income households and homebuyers could start seeing their mortgage options dwindle as interest rates rise and the cost of living...
09 September 2022
From: Breaking News
A new lender is preparing to enter the mortgage market with long-dated fixed rate mortgages in a move seen by some...
19 August 2022
From: Breaking News
Cybersecurity and cryptocurrencies have been identified among the main risks facing conveyancers. The latest Risk Agenda report from the Council for Licensed...
19 July 2022
From: Breaking News
The Bank of England has confirmed plans to withdraw the requirement for lenders to conduct interest rate stress tests on mortgage...
21 June 2022
From: Breaking News
A group of mortgage advisers has proposed a range of reforms to reduce barriers to home ownership for first time buyers. The...
20 June 2022
From: Breaking News
The stamp duty holiday last year has caused a surge of borrowers taking on mortgages with terms of more than 35...
14 April 2022
From: Breaking News
The Bank of England has issued a consultation on changing the affordability tests for large mortgages introduced in the wake of...
01 March 2022
From: Breaking News
Some agents say they have as many as one in 10 vendors taking their properties off the market and seeking to...
01 March 2022
From: Breaking News
The phrase ‘time is money’ is particularly pertinent for estate agents. Since the stamp duty holiday ended, the forecast drop in...
17 November 2021
From: Features
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
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
The end of a largely-forgotten mortgage initiative connected with the pandemic could end up derailing the current strong housing market, agents...
15 July 2021
From: Breaking News
The long running saga of insurance firms failing to honour agents’ Business Interruption claims appears to be making progress at last. A...
16 June 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 current crisis has led to many of us to re-evaluate our lives to ensure that we put ourselves in the...
06 May 2021
From: Sponsored Content
A new campaign to urge whistleblowers to come forward with evidence of wrongdoing has been launched by the Financial Conduct Authority. This...
26 March 2021
From: Breaking News
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
New guidance has been issued in a bid to allow agents to get the insurance payouts they expect from the Business...
10 March 2021
From: Breaking News
The Countrywide name is set to disappear from the stock market in a week’s time - and may soon be gone...
01 March 2021
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority is extending the ban on repossessions by two months until April 1, in light of the pandemic. The...
19 January 2021
From: Breaking News
The Supreme Court will give its judgment on the long-running Business Interruption Insurance case on Friday. In November a Supreme Court appeal...
13 January 2021
From: Breaking News
Start-up letting agents looking to enter the market are finding it increasingly difficult to set up in business as banks point...
19 December 2020
From: Features
The hundreds of estate and lettings agencies involved in various Business Interruption Insurance policies must wait even longer to find their...
17 December 2020
From: Breaking News
Agents anxious to know if they will receive a payout from their Business Interruption Insurance will have to wait still longer...
24 November 2020
From: Breaking News
A new report funded by high profile consumer champion Martin Lewis says the government must do more to help ‘mortgage prisoners’. These...
12 November 2020
From: Breaking News
The Business Interruption Insurance saga, involving hundreds of agencies awaiting pay-outs on policies, enters its next and final stage later this month. An...
04 November 2020
From: Breaking News
There’s one key takeaway for agents from the weekend’s announcements on the next England-wide lockdown - the housing market is staying...
02 November 2020
From: Breaking News
A security company says it is “disappointing” the estate agency industry is only around 55 per cent through preparations to cope...
09 October 2020
From: Breaking News
The many agents believed to be awaiting pay-outs on their Business Interruption Insurance will have some consolation in knowing that the...
30 September 2020
From: Breaking News
Despite the recent effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still much opportunity in the market for letting agents to grow...
19 September 2020
From: Features
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
The result of a test case over Business Interruption Insurance involving agents has been handed down by the High Court. It has...
15 September 2020
From: Breaking News
Agents involved in a test case over their Business Interruption insurance will know the result next Tuesday morning. The test case concluded...
10 September 2020
From: Breaking News
Letting agents are struggling to open new bank accounts and even large established letting agents with a long history of trading...
22 August 2020
From: Features
Agents are awaiting the outcome of a test case regarding Business Interruption Insurance, which may determine whether they receive thousands of...
31 July 2020
From: Breaking News
An eight day court hearing kicks off this morning as the Financial Conduct Authority begins a test case regarding Business Interruption...
20 July 2020
From: Breaking News
More details have been released about a test case being brought by the Financial Conduct Authority about the ongoing Business Interruption...
11 June 2020
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority has published new draft guidance for lenders which will set out options available to their customers in the extended...
26 May 2020
From: Breaking News
There’s been a cautious welcome for the extension to the current mortgage holiday scheme, due to run out for ‘early adopters’...
22 May 2020
From: Breaking News
The City regulator which is bringing a test case over insurance firms refusing to honour Business Interruption policies wants policyholders including...
18 May 2020
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority is reported to be considering offering homeowners up to 12 month’s mortgage holidays. Currently 1.2m mortgage payment holidays...
12 May 2020
From: Breaking News
The scandal over Business Interruption Insurance policies is hotting up, with class actions being discussed against insurance firms and the Financial Conduct Authority announcing...
01 May 2020
From: Breaking News
New temporary rules have thrown a lifeline to troubled agencies like Countrywide and Purplebricks which may need to raise additional funds...
09 April 2020
From: Breaking News
Much like PropTech, Open Banking has been used as a buzzword in recent years. However, when it comes to the rental...
04 April 2020
From: Features
Yet another one of the giants of our industry, Hunters, says it’s taking “appropriate measures” to safeguard the firm in the...
31 March 2020
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority has released new guidance which clears up some of the uncertainties surrounding the mortgage holidays announced last...
25 March 2020
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued a shock warning that mortgage borrowers who purchased properties through the Help To Buy scheme...
19 February 2020
From: Breaking News
In the field of conveyancing, there’s a new dynamic at play. And that dynamic is customer-driven and customer-focused, using digital technology...
22 January 2020
From: Features
Rightmove’s half year figures this morning continue to show strong growth in profits and revenue - but there are the first...
26 July 2019
From: Breaking News
Specialist providers catering for the over-50s has welcomed a move by high-end estate agency Knight Frank to move into equity release. Commenting...
11 July 2019
From: Breaking News
There was a time when the mere mention of the financial services industry brought with it scorn and mistrust. The issues arising...
13 April 2019
From: Features
Mortgage brokers are claiming that “a big number” of buyers are being cajoled into using estate agents’ in-house brokers. The Financial Conduct...
02 April 2019
From: Breaking News
Mortgage prisoners - borrowers unable to switch lenders despite being up-to-date with payments - may have an escape route in sight...
27 March 2019
From: Breaking News
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
There’s been a warm welcome from the property and consumer sectors for a suggestion that the Financial Conduct Authority may be...
14 January 2019
From: Breaking News
Whatever one thinks about online estate agencies, it’s a cause of genuine sadness when people lose their jobs - close proximity...
08 December 2018
From: Features
Shock figures out this morning show that a staggering £15.4 billion of annual interest is being paid by mortgage borrowers sitting...
22 November 2018
From: Breaking News
A website that lists private sale properties and calls itself “the all in one property marketplace” has valued itself on a...
21 November 2018
From: Breaking News
Since January 2018, nine of the UK’s biggest banks have allowed competitors direct access to customer data as part of the...
25 July 2018
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority says house buyers need more help to find the best priced and most appropriate mortgage deal for their...
09 May 2018
From: Breaking News
An online platform has been launched with the aim of allowing first time buyers to seek crowdfunding to raise enough cash...
21 September 2017
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority says it is to review lenders offering solely interest-only mortgages to home owners. In its business plan for...
21 April 2017
From: Breaking News
In recent years the mortgage industry has gone through some testing times. Recession and regulation have led to more stringent lending...
08 April 2017
From: Features
The Financial Conduct Authority is to investigate mortgage competition, including the introduction of clients to lenders by estate agents. It’s part of...
13 December 2016
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority is consulting on new guidance to lenders on how to measure and treat the repayment of arrears...
20 October 2016
From: Breaking News
This week, tech startup Habito claims to have launched the world's first artificially intelligent 'digital mortgage adviser'. The robo-adviser takes into account...
16 September 2016
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority is to encourage lenders to give would-be buyers more choice in the mortgages available. In the Responsible Lending...
17 May 2016
From: Breaking News
Newspapers and other journalists’ outlets are reporting that rooms in care homes are being offered to purchase as buy to let...
14 December 2015
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority is remaining tight-lipped as to whether its newly-announced assessment of MMR will lead to easier access to...
08 September 2015
From: Breaking News
The Financial Conduct Authority says it is to hold a review of the mortgage market after last year’s controversial MMR to...