Archive

The number of property sales registered with HMRC rose in July but remains below pre-pandemic levels, official data shows. HMRC property transactions...

Spicerhaart is reigniting its acquisition strategy with a multi-million pound investment in its estate agency and lettings businesses after posting a...

Coventry Building Society has joined calls for Stamp Duty reform. The lender has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to address the controversial property...

Propertymark has issued a reminder to agents about anti-money laundering (AML) compliance as HMRC declared fines of more than £1.6m for...

Fewer sales than usual were registered by HMRC for June, official figures show. The latest property transactions statistics from the taxman - based on...

HMRC and the Treasury have been urged to improve guidance on anti-money laundering (AML). Agency trade body Propertymark has suggested that while...

Residential sales have returned to more than 90% of their pre-pandemic average, Savills claims. It comes as the latest HMRC property transaction...

House prices appear to have benefited from a Spring bounce but sales and mortgage approvals have struggled. It comes after a busy...

Estate agents were fined a total of more than £3m in the nine months to September 2023 for failing to register...

If you’re thinking about becoming an Estate Agency franchise or converting your existing estate agency business to a franchise, here we...

Estate agents and lettings agents have a legal obligation to protect themselves from money laundering and as such you must recognise...

For most of us, estate agents are key when it comes to the biggest sales and purchases of our lives. With the...

The new financial year is often an opportunity to get organised for the year ahead. For self-employed property professionals who are...

An anti-money laundering (AML) expert has queried why there is a reluctance among estate agents to accept and follow AML responsibilities. It...

Estate agents are hopeful for a busy spring market after official data showed a small rise in property sales in recent...

Agency staff owed money from the collapse of Douglas & Gordon last year will be repaid, the brand’s administrator has said,...

The ripple effect of a property sale that falls through is, without exception, one of the most frustrating and disappointing events...

Last year was not one for the faint hearted. Now, at last, the market appears to be experiencing a gradual uptick. Recent...

Agents would be happy to pay for regulation but the sector should be wary of costs, a Propertymark executive has told...

Mortgage approvals increased for the fourth consecutive month in a row during January but that hasn’t fed into official sales yet, data...

The administration of collapsed agency brand Douglas & Gordon has been extended by a year. Douglas & Gordon called in Grant Thornton...

When is a landlord a business, and when is (s)he not a business? I’m not referring to landlords who have gone down...

Digital compliance specialist SmartSearch can help estate agents comply quickly and efficiently Around one in five estate agents are not registered for...

Property sales fell for the fourth consecutive month in December and ended the year at 1.02m, HMRC data suggests. The latest property...

Calling all self-employed property professionals! With only one week to go until the 31 January self assessment deadline, the 3.8 million people...

Rightmove and FCS Compliance have launched the latest in their series of anti-money laundering (AML) webinars. The events are free for Rightmove...

Happy New Year and welcome to what’s looking like a busy - perhaps even hectic - 2024! I thought it worth running...

Average house prices ended 2023 down 1.8%, according to Nationwide. The lender’s December House Price Index, based on its own mortgage lending...

There are now less than 40 days until self-employed property professionals will need to submit their self-assessment tax return, and pay...

HMRC recorded the slowest October for property sales since 2021 last month. The latest property transaction figures from the taxman estimates that...

Swimming pools, both indoor and outdoor, his and her bathrooms, accommodation for staff, and endless tech-powered gadgets are just some of...

Estate agents are being reminded of their anti-money laundering (AML) responsibilities. It comes after HMRC has seen a rise in new applications...

By Jashoda Pindoria, Head of Self Assessment Operations, HMRC Self Assessment need not be daunting with HMRC’s simple steps on getting started....

The number of property sales recorded by HMRC is at its lowest level for almost a decade. New HMRC property transactions data...

A client account is essential to your lettings business, but the rules and regulations you need to follow to keep this...

Inheritance Tax receipts for April to September 2023 have soared to £3.9 billion, some £0.4 billion higher than the same period...

It's emerged that Homes England and HMRC have explored possible fraud within the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme. This formed part of...

House price growth fell to its lowest annual rate since 2012 in August, official data shows. The latest Land Registry House Price...

Property sales and mortgage approvals both fell annually in August, official data shows. Figures from HMRC show UK residential transactions were down...

It looks like more families are to be hit with inheritance tax in 2023/4 according to a new forecast.  Research from the...

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

Estate agency has changed. No longer is it required to sit in a high street office working the old way. Provide a...

As money laundering compliance marks its twentieth year, more and more estate agents are being fined for breaches of HMRC’s ID...

Agents insist the market is still moving – albeit among cash buyers – after HMRC data shows another dip in sales activity. HMRC’s...

The term mixed-tenure development usually refers to residential developments where different residential tenures are provided on the same site. Typically, tenure was...

For most people, buying a house or flat is the largest financial commitment they will ever make. Which is why many...

Over 20,000 UK agency branches have now registered with HMRC for anti-money laundering supervision. A new analysis from risk management platform Thirdfort...

The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) has said its multiple income streams will help it navigate the uncertain markets after it revealed...

HMRC has recorded the lowest level of UK property sales for the month of June since 2020. The latest property transaction data...

Propertymark has given its backing to simplifying how firms are regulated under anti-money laundering (AML) rules. The Treasury is currently consulting on...

The average anti-money laundering (AML) fine issued to estate agents for non-compliance so far during 2022/23 has already crept beyond the...

Success with your chosen CRM solution should not be a one-and-done package. Once you team up with a stellar CRM provider,...

Tackling economic crime is part of the day job for estate agents. But how can the latest digital ID tools help...

CRMs can be superheroes for your business, but not all of them possess the necessary powers to save the day. As...

The property market had its quietest May for sales excluding the pandemic for at least a decade, HMRC data suggests. Provisional seasonally-adjusted...

The hit to the economy from soaring mortgage rates will be equivalent to a 2p income tax hike, new analysis by...

CRM provider Street.co.uk has partnered with Smart Compliance to give agents access to its tools. With the integration of Smart Compliance into...

Anti-money laundering (AML) specialist FCS Compliance has unveiled the latest in its series of collaborative webinars with Rightmove. The next session on...

HMRC data showing more than £1m of anti-money laundering (AML) fines to estate and lettings agents should be a “wake-up call”...

Spicerhaart’s non-executive chairman John Spence has received a special achievement award after announcing his retirement from the board after more than...

Experienced agency owners mustn’t let their teams get carried away during the good times in the property market, senior industry executives...

They dropped like a stone - that’s the verdict on property sales from a leading business analyst. Sarah Coles of Hargreaves Lansdown...

Following publication of the Renter’s Reform Bill and the media coverage surrounding it, many agents and their landlords will understandably have...

The company behind Keller Williams' Evolve Market Centre - TBF Centres - has entered voluntary liqudation, Companies House documents show. It comes...

Property fraud is a significant risk for agents, particularly as fake IDs become increasingly prevalent, and the economic climate remains challenging....

Property sales slowed annually during March but appear to have bounced back on a monthly basis, according to HMRC estimates. It follows...

Landlords are exiting the market in droves. According to an accountancy firm who analysed HMRC data, 70,000 buy-to-let landlords left the sector...

Recent research estimated that up to £100 billion is being stolen in the UK each year, with much of it due...

A new product to help agents meet their anti-money laundering (AML) responsibilities has launched. Lifetime Legal has unveiled Smart Compliance, which advises...

The majority of estate agents are in the dark about the Government’s Economic Crime Levy (ECL), when it was implemented or...

The dreaded ‘C word’ – compliance – has been facing Estate Agents for years now and it’s not going anywhere. Looking ahead...

Agents of all sizes are being urged to make themselves aware of a new anti-money laundering (AML) charge that has come...

February marked the slowest month for residential transactions in almost a decade, HMRC data suggests. New HMRC transaction figures shows the taxman...

Companies that own UK residential properties have under a month to revalue and tell HMRC if any are worth more than...

Black mould associated with condensation is becoming an increasing problem for homes in the UK and following the tragic death of...

The level of property sales in the UK is declining, HMRC has suggested, after it revealed that transactions dipped for the...

Two of the biggest challenges facing the property industry right now are fraud and money laundering. The scale of these activities is...

Agents sold 14.7% fewer properties during 2022 amid the end of the Stamp Duty holiday and increased economic uncertainty, HMRC figures...

Agents are being urged to keep an eye on their HMRC Government Gateway Account to ensure they don’t miss messages and...

The average anti-money laundering (AML) fine issued to the estate agency sector for non-compliance has started to climb, reversing the previous...

Property sales are yet to decline amid higher mortgage rates and the cost of living crisis but there are signs of...

HMRC fined 24 estate agency and property businesses for anti-money laundering (AML) breaches between April and June 2022, new figures show. The...

As we move closer to the end of the year, we invariably begin to think of what 2023 will bring, how...

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

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

Property transactions dipped in October but remain above pre-pandemic levels, HMRC data shows. The latest property transactions report from the taxman -...

Aside from all the news surrounding the Autumn Statement this week, which will have a significant bearing on the property market...

Collapsed online agent Doorsteps owes more than half a million pounds to company creditors including Rightmove, HMRC and the Treasury, documents...

Most agents are falling foul of anti-money laundering (AML) rules by accident but the sector could face more compliance-related fines by...

With the ever-persistent compliance hurdles materialising within the property market, Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, speaks about how the use of...

Dozens of estate agents have been fined a combined total of £519,645 for failing to meet their obligations under anti-money laundering...

Property buyers aiming to reduce their Stamp Duty bill with “mixed-use” purchases are being warned that HMRC is sniffing out those...

UK property sales fell by around a third last month and were flat on a monthly basis, new figures show. HMRC’s latest...

Over the last few months, The Letting Partnership has seen an increase in calls from agents who are struggling to open...

If recent headlines are anything to go by, estate agents and the wider property industry are not just feeling the heavy...

Over the last five years, the Government has introduced a range of measures to regulate the property market, particularly in the...

Trade body Propertymark has revealed that it has opened compliance cases against a small number of members following the latest HMRC...

FCS Compliance has announced the latest in its anti-money laundering (AML) series of webinars with Rightmove.  The latest is titled The Role...

Agents and other property professionals have, perhaps unsurprisingly, reacted positively to rumours of a Stamp Duty cut. Prime Minister Liz Truss and...

Agents have been warned that they risk letting down their clients by denying the prospect of a housing market correction. Charlie Lamdin,...