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KEYWORD "Consumer Protection" - 100 RESULTS
Eco Retro-fitting Homes - call for consumer protections

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

01 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Material Information Guidance - Is compliance a legal obligation?

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

06 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

Material information raises professional indemnity risks - warning

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

19 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Propertymark updates Property Information Questionnaire

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

05 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog: ‘Significant intervention’ needed in housebuilding market

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

27 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Buckle Up! It's Going To Be A Busy 2024

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

15 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Agency training platform launches new consumer regulation course

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

18 December 2023

From: Breaking News

How investing in a CRM is the best way to NTS compliance

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

06 December 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Trading Standards unveils latest material information guidance, but how will it be policed?

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

01 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Trading Standards unveils latest material information rules for agents

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

30 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Rightmove launches consumer compliance course for agents

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

24 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Safestyle's Halloween Horror

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

01 November 2023

From: Features

Education changes mindsets to the power of upfront material information

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

01 July 2023

From: Features

Agency regulations may not come in original form – claim

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

05 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Why material information does and should matter to you

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

01 April 2023

From: Features

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

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

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

More upfront information when buying a car vs buying a house! Is it time for change?

I look back on when my dad helped me buy my first car and shared his pearls of wisdom on what...

02 July 2022

From: Features

Agency boss: ‘Why we desperately need ROPA rules’

A senior agency executive has said minimum standards and qualifications are “desperately needed” in the property sector. Adam Day, international expansion leader...

29 June 2022

From: Breaking News

The art of collaboration - why it can help benefit the home buying and selling process

If there’s not a book called ‘The Art of Collaboration’ then there should be. Update: a quick Google search shows there...

11 June 2022

From: Features

New material information rules will benefit consumers and agents

Millions of people use online property portals every year to conduct their property search, whether it be for sales or for...

11 May 2022

From: Features

POA: So how many agency listings could be 'unlawful?'

Agency trade bodies have backed the “clarity” provided by Trading Standards after it deemed “price on application” listings unlawful. It comes as...

06 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Trading Standards: Why POA listings are unlawful

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) deemed yesterday that the use of POA or “price on application”...

05 May 2022

From: Breaking News

 ‘Price on application’ in property listings deemed unlawful

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has deemed that the use of POA or “price on application”...

04 May 2022

From: Breaking News

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

Advertising watchdog open to considering SSTC listing complaints

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said it may consider complaints about ‘misleading SSTC listings’ on portals but suggests it may...

06 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

Agent webinars - your chance to ask Rightmove anything

Agents will be able to grill Rightmove’s legal and compliance director David Cox this morning as part of the portal’s webinar...

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

Rule change to make Equity Release more appealing to sceptics

A rule change has been introduced this week in a bid to make equity release customers reduce interest costs. The option to...

30 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

Phil Spencer - Agents Have Standards … So Show The Customer!

For an unregulated industry, agents have an awful lot of regulations to deal with. For example, there’s the mandatory membership of a...

02 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Agents urged to conduct extra legal checks on buyers

Agents are being advised to go above and beyond the legal requirements for anti-money laundering requirements.  Paul Offley, compliance officer for The...

13 October 2021

From: Breaking News

360° virtual tours require GDPR and CPR compliance

As virtual tours start to get even more popular, and in some cases become the norm for the majority of letting...

18 September 2021

From: Features

Estate agency scandal shows Trading Standards work is vital - claim

The work of the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team is “vital” it claims - and the case of the...

27 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Banned estate agent given custodial sentence

A banned West Midlands estate agent has today been sentenced to a custodial sentence of six weeks, suspended for two years, and fined £4,000 at Wolverhampton Crown Court after pleading guilty...

26 August 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

Estate Agency Regulation - House of Commons publishes update

The House of Commons Library has published what may be the definitive record of estate agency regulations issued in recent years...

09 August 2021

From: Breaking News

No appetite amongst agents for charging for viewings - Propertymark

NAEA Propertymark says there’s no appetite that it can see amongst its representatives across the UK for charging people £30 for...

02 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Pay-per-view wins Propertymark green light but agents warned

Propertymark says a new pay-per-viewing service is “interesting” but warns agents to protect themselves by abiding by consumer protection regulations. The warning has come following...

26 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Agent accused of charging to view a property: Is this illegal?

An estate agent has been accused of charging prospective clients to view a property. The claim has been made on Twitter by...

10 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Trading Standards to recommend changes to ‘material info’ on listings

The Trading Standards agency team has outlined to Estate Agent Today the process it will follow to improve what it calls...

18 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Property Details - new dispute over what should be included

The controversial demands of Trading Standards for more “material information” to be provided upfront in property details have been criticised by...

17 May 2021

From: Breaking News

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

Change is coming – how can we improve the homebuying process?

With property transactions taking longer than ever and many people operating at capacity, it is easy to overlook the progress made,...

28 April 2021

From: Features

Trading Standards ask agents for views on ‘upfront portal information’

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

20 April 2021

From: Breaking News

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

Breakthrough on faster house sales with new digital form

An industry group charged with trying to make house buying simpler and quicker says it’s made a breakthrough on ‘upfront’ information...

16 March 2021

From: Breaking News

New property redress initiative launched, chaired by Tory MP

A new body which says it will “champion better outcomes for buyers” is described as independent but is to be chaired...

09 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Trading Standards to advise Boomin on referral fees disclosure

The Boomin portal, which incentivises agents to cross-sell and benefit from referral fees, is to receive advice on fee disclosure from...

19 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Does experience still count in estate agency?

“I’ve got 47 years of experience as an agent. Do I still have to get a qualification?” asked one attendee at...

31 October 2020

From: Features

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

PropTech firm swipes at Purplebricks over property measurements

A PropTech firm that regularly claims London homes are mis-measured in property descriptions has taken a swipe at Purplebricks. Pupil, a spatial...

05 August 2020

From: Breaking News

NAEA Propertymark chief executive to quit at the end of 2020

The chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents, Mark Hayward, is to retire at the end of this year.  The...

03 July 2020

From: Breaking News

Technology is central to solving property’s mismeasurement issue

To most people, purchasing a home is the single most significant financial commitment made across a lifetime. Given the impact and...

13 June 2020

From: Features

Propertymark’s 29-point guide for offices, teams and activities

** This Bank Holiday Monday both Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today look at how agencies have modified offices and protocols...

25 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Virtual Viewings Warning - agents should keep copies in case of dispute

The Property Ombudsman is advising agents to use virtual viewings only as a filtering process with offers being agreed only ‘subject...

01 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Guidance on home working, staff rights, security - Conquering Corona

Good morning and welcome to the industry’s daily update on how we cope with the challenge of social distancing and self-isolation...

18 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents Beware: help on business, viewings, deals - Conquering Corona

Hello and welcome to today’s Conquering Corona, a service we’re running to share official guidance and agents’ advice in a bid...

17 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

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

Agents warned they will be accused of mis-selling

A leasehold reform campaigner claims estate agents face “growing calls to be held accountable for mis-selling leasehold properties.” Louie Burns, managing director...

21 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Searches: consumer chief and Propertymark leader join trade body

The Council of Property Search Organisations has named three industry figures as members of its newly-formed compliance committee, set to regulate...

16 December 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

It Might Not Be A Popular Opinion But…Licensing – Just For Dogs And Pigs?

How many of you are in favour of estate agents being licenced? Would most agents rather not be overseen by a regulator...

25 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

Should the estate agency industry stop resisting regulation?

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

Upfront information will be crucial to the future of buying and selling

When it comes to major issues confronting housing, and in particular the direction that the government would like to take the...

23 March 2019

From: Features

Lawyers accuse agents of failing to comply with CPRs over leaseholds

The Law Society claims that the unforeseen charges faced by some purchasers of leasehold properties could be addressed “if developers and...

20 March 2019

From: Breaking News

The importance of being part of a trade association

When it comes to letting a property, it is important that landlords and renters have faith in their agent. The more...

26 January 2019

From: Features

Case Study: Noise issue could cost agent £9000

Our latest case study come from a recent news item to have hit the industry and national press. A disgruntled tenant is claiming...

16 January 2019

From: Sponsored Content

Increased Trading Standards budget should focus on CPRs compliance

You will perhaps have seen recently that the Government has decided to boost funding to the regulator, the National Trading Standards...

29 September 2018

From: Features

CPRs; the opportunity

In our previous 2 blogs we have covered the definitions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) and what the practical...

29 August 2018

From: Sponsored Content

CPRs; the implications

In 2014 The Properties Misdescriptions Act was repealed and replaced with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, otherwise known as...

29 August 2018

From: Sponsored Content

Referral fees – why a ban won’t make services cheaper

We are currently engaged in consultations with our members to help to find a practical solution to the concern of the...

21 July 2018

From: Features

Estate agency as it used to be - EAT looks back at 2008

Estate Agent Today is 10 years old this weekend. We hope you’ll agree that’s a cause for celebration and a great...

29 June 2018

From: Breaking News

Agent to face trail - he denies lying over sales information

It is understood that an estate agent from Cornwall is to face trial over allegations that he misled potential customers over...

11 June 2018

From: Breaking News

Strewth! Purplebricks investigated by another Australian watchdog

News media in Australia say Purplebricks is the subject of an investigation by a consumer watchdog in the province of Western...

11 June 2018

From: Breaking News

More details revealed on range of agency reform proposals

  More details have emerged of the government’s proposals to enhance estate agency regulation, regulate referral fees, offer guides for buyers and...

09 April 2018

From: Breaking News

Ombudsman scheme launches online training on CPRs for agents

The Property Ombudsman has launched an online training module which it describes as the first of its kind.  The interactive module -...

29 March 2018

From: Breaking News

PropTech products linked through suppliers' new strategic partnership

Industry suppliers Landmark Information and The ValPal Network have entered what they call “a strategic relationship” to provide the firms’ respective...

28 March 2018

From: Breaking News

Property Natter – Q & A with Isobel Thomson, NALS

This week I carry out a question and answer session with one of the most high-profile names in property. Isobel Thomson has...

10 February 2018

From: Features

Should agents pay for an increased Trading Standards budget?

A large part of the DCLG’s Call for Evidence on the home buying and selling process focuses on the role of...

18 November 2017

From: Features

Purplebricks: Ombudsman 'happy' with controversial deferred payment scheme

The Property Ombudsman has told Estate Agent Today that it is happy with the controversial deferred payment scheme operated on behalf of...

03 August 2017

From: Breaking News

Redress schemes working together to drive out 'poor practice'

The industry’s three government-approved redress schemes have this week issued an updated version of their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU is...

07 June 2017

From: Breaking News

Trade body explains Purplebricks complaint as war of words continues

Fledgling trade body The Charter for Independent Estate and Letting Agents (CIELA) has described Purplebricks as the 'biggest enemy currently facing...

07 March 2017

From: Breaking News

Purplebricks: Independent agents release text of complaint letter

The fledgling Charter for Independent Estate and Letting Agents has released to the media the text of a complaint letter it...

02 March 2017

From: Breaking News

Why up-front ID verification could speed up transactions

The housing market has not been short of a White Paper over the last few months, and while you might just...

25 February 2017

From: Features

RICS is latest body to warn agents on dangers of portal juggling

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is the latest body within the industry to warn its members against portal juggling. Following statements...

15 November 2016

From: Breaking News

Redressing the wrongs of agents remains fair and impartial

When a tenant paid his initial one month’s rent in addition to a tenancy deposit in exchange for the keys to...

05 November 2016

From: Features

Trading Standards says portal juggling 'deceives and harms consumers'

Portal juggling has been defined as one of a number of "emerging threats" aimed at deceiving consumers through the manipulation of...

03 November 2016

From: Breaking News

Agency hit with fine for 'false advertising'

An estate agency has been fined by a local authority for putting up a 'Sold' board outside a house more than...

22 September 2016

From: Breaking News

How can we encourage closer collaboration between estate agents and solicitors?

With an anticipated “Call for Evidence” from the Dept of Business Innovation & Skills looking into the home-buying experience ETSOS is...

01 September 2016

From: Sponsored Content

Estate agency fined after 'misleading' statements on its website

An estate agency has been fined after a trading standards team accused it of making misleading statements on its website. Warwickshire county...

17 August 2016

From: Breaking News

Portal juggling: campaigning agent demands action against portals

An agent at the centre of the campaign to expose and stop portal juggling wants to know whether the National Trading...

15 August 2016

From: Breaking News

What is ‘Compliance in a Box’ all about?

With ever increasing obligations, estate agents know that compliance matters now more than ever.  However, being able to obtain access to the...

12 August 2016

From: Features

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