Archive

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

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

In his third and final article in this 3-part series, David Beaumont looks at the legal statues of Material Information Guidance. ...

Introduced to Parliament in May, the Renters (Reform) Bill seeks to improve the private rental sector for both tenants and landlords....

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

According to the recent industry research report ‘Back to the Future’ from tmgroup, mio and CDS 40% of property transaction delays...

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

As regular readers will know, I like to use this column to shout out about the independent agents who are the...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team has released background information on how it came to make changes to...

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

Increasingly rigorous Money Laundering Directives have made regulations in the property industry more stringent than ever, and Estate Agents have a...

A company supplying data to conveyancers and other property professionals warns that Japanese Knotweed is a bigger headache than usual this summer. A wet and frosty spring,...

With property fraud on the rise and an ever-increasing number of transactions taking place in the lettings sector, having strict anti-money laundering...

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...

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

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

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

Being a letting agent today means keeping up to date with the long list of rules and regulations governing how a...

Estate agencies have been named by HM Revenue & Customs for breaching anti-money laundering regulations. The list of those breaching the rules...

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

Since June 1, under The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, landlords in England have been...

The Fifth Money Laundering Directive becomes law in the UK on January 10 2020, strengthening the responsibilities placed on private companies...

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

We know that the tenant fee ban has cost letting agents dearly, with an estimated loss of £300 million paid to...

The Information Commissioner’s Office has fined a London estate agency £80,000 for leaving 18,610 customers' personal data exposed for almost two years. The security...

The government has published proposals for far-reaching changes to the way estate and letting agents are regulated, trained and licensed. The proposals...

The UK property market can be seen by criminals as an effective vehicle to conceal the proceeds of economic crime. Criminally...

Low risk letting is everyone’s aim, but unless legitimate guidelines are followed it’s difficult to know if a tenant will prove...

The huge £215,000 fine levied on Countrywide for failing to abide by anti-money laundering procedures is a demonstration that estate agents...

It’s been revealed that Countrywide has been hit with a £215,000 fine as part of a swoop by HMRC cracking down...

Estate agents have been warned that underestimating their legal obligations when it comes to anti-money laundering (AML) could see an increase...

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

Japanese Knotweed remains a major problem for a property sale - and that’s despite a recent study suggesting that the growth...

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

A magazine which earlier this year claimed that two big corporates pressured customers to use their preferred mortgage brokers has now...

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

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

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

Stephanie Slater died last week, aged 50. Whilst she died from cancer (tragically, only 11 days after diagnosis), it’s the events...

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

There is a substantial amount of misunderstanding over this question, which needs clarifying.   In general terms, the Money Laundering Regulations require...

There is widespread misunderstanding within agency concerning money laundering obligations.  The first thing to note is that contrary to popular belief the...

“Estate Agents have been highlighted by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) as under reporting relative to their vulnerability to money...

With a raft of new legislation introduced recently now will be the ideal time to think about whether staff are up...

The National Association of Estate Agents admits that “take up has been low” in its bid to persuade each member agent to...