Archive

Homeowners need greater protection from poor quality housing amid the Government’s plans for 1.5m new homes, an industry body claims. That’s the...

Homeowners are becoming more concerned about property fraud, research suggests. A freedom of information request has shown a 26% increase in the number...

Throughout the general election campaign, the Green Belt was central to the debate about the housing crisis. The new Labour government...

NOBODY does pomp and ceremony like us Brits and, wow, it was on full display in Westminster last week. Despite the prestige...

The new Government’s plan to ‘Get Britain Building’ is ambitious, to say the least.    And it is central to their mission, not...

Heidi Shackell, chief executive officer at The Lettings Hub said: “The General Election, called in May, halted progress of the Renters'...

Buyers are being urged to be on alert about being gazumped amid a rise in the practice. The HomeOwners Alliance has highlighted...

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday confirmed a date for the General Election. Voters will go the polls on 4 July, meaning the...

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

There’s a very important first step that needs to be taken in resolving the housing crisis: we need a greater understanding...

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

Sky News is reporting that up to 30 Conservative MPs are threatening to rebel against the government’s approach to ground rents...

A coalition of organisations representing consumers, financial institutions and energy suppliers has written to the Department for Energy Security and Net...

Inflation has eased to 3.2% down from 3.4%, official figures from the Office for National Statistics show, the lowest level since...

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

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

SPRING cleaning is an annual ritual for many households, but firms in the property sector would do well to spend some...

The increased focus on upfront material information could push up estate agency professional indemnity (PI) requirements, an industry trainer has warned. Michael...

North Berwick in East Lothian, has been named the best place to live in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live...

One of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders has reduced its upper age limit in a blow for home buyers . Halifax is...

Propertymark updates Property Information QuestionnairePropertymark has updated its Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) in light of the latest part B and C...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into the UK’s largest housebuilders as it warns of “fundamental concerns”...

Increasing numbers of mortgage lenders are pulling decent deals as swap rates rise. Santander has become the latest high street lender to...

Propertymark has launched a new working relationship with the Belvoir Group to help further improve standards and enhance financial protection for...

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

The benefits for letting agents to outsource their client accounting is well documented, however with an increasing number of options available,...

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

Estate and letting agents are being urged to take data protection rules more seriously. It comes as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)...

The Able Agent has launched a Consumer Protection Regulations (CPR) guidance short course to support agents amid new Trading Standards material...

A new product has launched that protects homeowners from the growing threat of property-related frauds. Title Guardian is an app that monitors...

I think we can all agree that the National Trading Standards Material Information reforms are a good thing for the property...

Long-awaited guidance on material information in property listings was revealed yesterday but policing of the rules won’t be any different, it...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has published the long-awaited Parts B and C of material information...

The Guild of Property Professionals is urging estate agents across the UK to be on high alert as cyberattacks targeting the...

The long-awaited Leasehold and Freehold Bill is set to be unveiled in Parliament today. The Bill aims to make it cheaper and...

Rightmove has launched a course for estate and letting agents to help them understand and remain compliant with the Consumer Protection...

Mortgage rates could be set to finally fall below 5%, brokers claim. The pricing of home loans has rocketed this year amid high...

On Halloween eve, Safestyle decided to give everyone a real fright and announced the company had gone into administration. This has...

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

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

Spicerhaart has boosted its senior team with the appointment of a new managing director within its estate agency division.  Tommy Taylor is...

Estate agency group My Property Box has launched a financial services arm to provide clients with a one-stop shop. Having gained the...

Twenty-minute neighbourhoods, 15-minute cities, low traffic neighbourhoods, walkable neighbourhoods: these concepts are suddenly everywhere. They boil down to a simple idea:...

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

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has welcomed two new non-executive directors to its independent board. Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards...

And suddenly it’s autumn. It’s just six weeks before the clocks change, days are getting shorter and - the real sign...

By Dawson Scott, CTO of Reapit. As the Chief Technology Officer of Reapit, I have always held the view that the privacy,...

Propertymark has written to the Government to ask why attempts to protect leaseholders are being ignored. It comes as the Earl of...

Agents are being urged to take extra care when dealing with sales on behalf of someone who lacks mental capacity. Kate Stockdale,...

Agents and other businesses are being encouraged back a new joint initiative from employee protection firm Peoplesafe and the Crimestoppers charity. The...

According to research, the average cost of home insurance was £300 in 2022 – a record low. However, this could increase...

It’s not a sentence that I thought I would be writing, but Housing Secretary Michael Gove has indeed finally done something...

Essex property group Beresfords has honoured its staff during the brand’s summer awards. The party’s coveted Employee Of the Year; Best Sales...

Fortune favours the brave, as the saying goes. So, when you consider how upfront material information can and does make the...

An estate agent is urging people selling their flats to have building safety documentation in place before putting the property on...

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

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

The Building Safety Act will cause further delays to the home moving process, a senior industry executive has warned. Rob Hailstone, chief...

The founders of three-branch Berkshire-based agency Hat and Home has expanded into mortgage broking. Keeping with the hat theme, the brand’s co-founders...

Not every story about our industry makes me smile but I was delighted to read in the trade press about someone...

Letting agents are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to opening a client account and getting Client...

The Conveyancing Association has launched a guidance document for firms that addresses the Building Safety Act and Building Safety (Leaseholder Protection)...

The UK is on its rear - fact. Whilst many were breathing a sigh of relief after surviving a global pandemic,...

A senior peer has vowed to do more to ensure that leaseholders excluded from new building safety regulations get the support...

A Propertymark-supported amendment that aimed to bolster support for leaseholders in unsafe buildings failed to gain approval in the House of...

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

LSL has sold its mortgage, protection, and general insurance brokerage firms Embrace and First2Protect. The brands have been sold to Pivotal Growth,...

The long-awaited Regulation of Property Agents (ROPA) rules will still be introduced but most probably in a different form, it has...

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

The Home Buying and Selling Group (HBSG) has announced a new update to the Leasehold Property Enquiries (LPE1) form, which it...

In November, research conducted by The Housing Forum's Futures Network unearthed concern with the potential to meet the requirements set out...

The property industry may be going to great effort to digitise and improve the process of buying and selling a home...

Agency trade body Propertymark has backed calls for greater leaseholder protections as the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill proceeds through Parliament. The...

We’re only in February and it’s already clear that this year will set the future direction of the private rented sector...

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is the direct result of European Legislation. They were introduced because of the Energy Performance of...

Agency brand LSL has announced the sale of its new build mortgage and protection brokerage firms, Group First, which operates under...

Happy New Year, to you all. Now that we’re all back in harness and Christmas feels like a long-distant memory, I...

Challenger portal and homebuying support platform OneDome has acquired broker CMME Mortgage and Protection from the private equity-backed CMME Group. CMME Mortgage...

It’s been a year since Housing Secretary Michael Gove declared that was “morally wrong” that leaseholders should pay to fix unsafe...

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

Inventory clerks and letting agency staff have been warned to put safety first when lone working or entering tenants’ properties for...

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

House price growth slowed annually and fell for the third month in a row during November, Nationwide data shows. The latest Nationwide House...

OnTheMarket Group is set to host a “Meet Our Partners” virtual series of webinars for agents to hear from the commercial...

With the reported increase in agency staff turnover we thought it would be a good idea to look at how you...

The Government is being urged to create a mortgage protection fund to support homeowners who are struggling with repayments. It comes as...

The chair of the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has warned firms that it shouldn’t be seen as a ‘light-touch’ regulator. Speaking at...

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

Annual house price growth hit an 18-month low during October and fell on a monthly basis for the first time since...

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

An exclusive partnership has been agreed between OnTheMarket and MIL Outsource to provide the property website’s agents with a revenue protection...

First-time buyers and homeowners seeking to sell alike are worried and confused about the current state of the housing market. With the average...

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

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

A property developer has hit out at corporate agents for “artificially inflating house prices” as she reveals the poor practices she...

In this Guides & Tips piece, Brian Murphy, Head of Lending at Mortgage Advice Bureau, offers insight into what rate rises...

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has closed its investigation into alleged mis-selling of leasehold houses by Barratt Homes. It is the...

Propertymark’s partnership with MoveIQ has already attracted attention from more than 250,000 consumers and potential property buyers and sellers. The agency trade...

For years now estate agents have been on a journey from digital infancy to digital maturity. But what does the future...

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