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KEYWORD "Local Authority" - 100 RESULTS
Sales volumes boom despite interest rates soaring - new Zoopla figures

UK house prices may be broadly static but sales volumes are up 12% year on year according to Zoopla data out...

29 April 2024

From: Breaking News

Radical reform of Right To Buy demanded by industry group

A property industry group has called for a reduction in the discounts available for council tenants buying their own home, after...

24 April 2024

From: Breaking News

Sellers Risk Fall-Throughs by failing to disclose neighbour rows

Almost one in five vendors admit to having failed to disclose disputes with neighbours to prospective buyers when selling their home,...

19 April 2024

From: Breaking News

A Property Tale For Our Times - and it doesn't end well

If you want to hear of a tale for our industry’s times - featuring housing shortages, planning disputes, rampant  inflation and...

23 March 2024

From: Features

Jonathan Rolande: Times to ask serious questions about the UK's social housing crisis

Last week the Government published new housing data which has largely gone unreported.  The vacuum was probably linked to the Budget, and...

15 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Zoopla marks record month for vendor leads

Zoopla is rolling out more branded taxis as it recorded a record January for unique vendor leads, the portal claims. The property...

23 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Brownfield building sites ‘not silver bullet’ to solve housing crisis - warning

Building on brownfield sites may not be the silver bullet it is made out to be, the government has been warned. Housing...

14 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Making history fit for the future

From medieval castles to Elizabethan manor houses, Georgian townhouses and Victorian terraces, the UK’s historic buildings are central to our country’s...

10 February 2024

From: Features

Conveyancers launch upfront information provider to cut sale times

A new upfront information provider has launched, promising to shorten the homebuying and conveyancing process. Home Sale Pack has said it will...

07 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Troubled town halls face even tougher times

The news in September that Birmingham City Council (‘Europe’s largest local authority’) had been forced to issue a Section 114 notice...

06 January 2024

From: Features

Revealed! The areas where house prices grew in 2023

House prices may have slumped for most of the year but some areas have bucked the trend. Analysis by Halifax shows that...

28 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Bucking the trend! House prices still rising in local hotspots - claim

More than 70 local authority areas have seen average house prices rise over the last year, bucking the national trend, Halifax...

14 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Wrong To Buy - our worst ever housing policy

What a waste. Islington council announced in recent days that it will buy back 310 ex-council houses this winter, to add to...

21 October 2023

From: Features

Government urged to resurrect Help to Buy

The Government is facing calls to resurrect the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme. The housing support scheme, which provided a Government-backed...

11 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Selective Licensing: What you need to know

In recent years, the UK private rented sector has witnessed a significant increase in government regulation aimed at raising standards for...

12 August 2023

From: Features

Revealed! The property pockets defying cooling house prices

House prices may be cooling but some local markets are actually heating up with property values increasing by up to 10%,...

27 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Michael Gove has finally done something sensible

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

15 July 2023

From: Features

Phil Spencer - Nurture, Not Nature, Will Help Agents In This Market

It’s the start of what promises - perhaps ‘threatens’ is a better word - to be a challenging second half of...

10 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Turn empty shops and offices into homes - MPs demand action

Two all-party groups of MPs and Peers have called on the government to act to turn empty buildings into good quality,...

10 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents Do Charity - community support

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

02 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Bolton buyers facing longest wait for local authority searches

Homebuyers in Bolton are waiting as long as 21 weeks for local authority searches new research shows. Analysis by upfront information pack...

24 May 2023

From: Breaking News

The nuances of mortgage lending and the role of the valuer

In simple terms, as you are probably aware, ‘lenders’ are the organisations who loan you something, in this case money to...

17 May 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Politicians grow bored of “forest” of For Sale and To Let signs

Politicians are to take estate agents to task over what they call “a forest” of For Sale and To Let boards. Local...

14 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Think safety – what lettings staff and clerks need to know about lone working

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

07 January 2023

From: Features

Government set to miss affordable housing targets - warning

The Government has been urged to revise its plans for affordable housing as MPs warn it is set to fall short...

07 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Why estate agents need to be aware of social housing fraudsters

In this guest feature, Dillon Darbar, counter fraud manager at Network Homes, sets out why estate agents need to be aware...

26 November 2022

From: Features

Autumn Statement unveils council tax, CGT and stamp duty changes

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned tough times were coming ahead of his Autumn Statement yesterday and agents were left with plenty to...

18 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Reinvent then rent: could old commercial buildings boost rental stock?

In this guest piece, Andy Jones, Corporate & Build To Rent Director at LRG, looks at whether commercial property can help solve...

12 November 2022

From: Features

Slow going – average time to purchase a home passes five months

One of the biggest frustrations people have with the home buying and selling process is the amount of time it takes...

27 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Messy gardens & dangerous décor: 10 ways first-time buyers can be fined up to £5,000

As Britain’s housing boom continues,  SDL Property Auctions has warned of ten ways new homeowners could be fined up to £5,000...

26 July 2022

From: Legislation & Compliance

Why free online logbooks are little more than Dropbox

There have been many articles about ‘digitising upfront information’, following the publication of DLUHC’s Levelling-Up white paper and National Trading Standards...

25 June 2022

From: Features

Pandemic helps push up the number of half a million-pound hotspots

The number of areas where the average house sale price exceeded £500,000 has surpassed 15% of Great Britain for the first...

16 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Q&A - how can agents and conveyancers work better together?

In this Q&A, I catch up with Jesper With-Fogstrup, chief executive officer of Smoove (formerly ULS Technology until a very recent...

23 April 2022

From: Features

Short term lets - what’s the extent of the problem?

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, analyses the impact that the lack of available data is having on...

19 February 2022

From: Features

Knowledge is power - why PDTF is a positive step forward for buying and selling

‘Knowledge is power’ goes the old saying, and one variation on that theme is a quote from academic, Robert Boyce, who...

19 February 2022

From: Features

Rising mortgage-free ownership diminishes Interest rate impact

With a Bank of England base rate rise expected as soon as tomorrow, new figures from the government add weight to...

04 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Natter – the agency helping homeless people move closer to their own home

Our Agents Do Charity column each Friday does a fantastic job of highlighting the amazing charitable work of agents up and...

29 January 2022

From: Features

Agents’ Market Info: Britain’s Least and Most affordable locations

The Nationwide has released data listing the most and least affordable locations in Britain - background information for agents. Some entries are...

21 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Conveyancing tech firm pledges dramatic time savings on transactions

The conveyancing technology firm Search Acumen has launched what it calls “an end-to-end solution” in a bid to abolish “antiquated” ways...

13 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Soaring price of first time buyer homes outstrip wages

The average first-time buyer’s home across Britain has increased in price by approaching £9,000 a year for the past decade. FTBs are...

16 December 2021

From: Breaking News

 Improving the home buying and selling process - what's the latest?

Despite the progress made in so many areas, particularly in terms of leasehold reform – although we are calling upon the...

27 November 2021

From: Features

The Modern Method of Auction is fast, transparent and the future

The Modern Method of Auction (MMoA), also known as Conditional auction, can sometimes get a bad rap. However, much of the...

13 October 2021

From: Features

How affordable is it to buy a new-build house?

Affordability has always been a hot topic when it comes to the property market, and this is doubly true for first-time...

22 September 2021

From: Features

Claim: property tax revamp could free up as many as 600,000 homes

The government has been warned that its much-talked about levelling up agenda is ‘doomed to fail’ without major reform of the...

22 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Stamp duty boost for first-time buyers? Not a bit of it, claims research

First-time buyers are £25,000 worse off thanks to the stamp duty holiday, according to estate agent comparison site GetAgent. The website revealed...

16 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Property firm says additional home owners should pay higher tax

A prominent property consultancy is urging the government to ensure that holiday home owners pay more tax.  Colliers claims local authorities are...

06 August 2021

From: Breaking News

The Holiday Home Debate - Don’t Let Politicians Get Away With It

At first sight it’s a tough ask to defend holiday homes when there’s evidence that many who want to buy can’t,...

10 July 2021

From: Features

Transactions time – how long and how much of a difference can agents make?

Anyone working in residential property knows it is taking longer and longer to get from SSTC (sold subject to contract) to...

10 July 2021

From: Features

Stamp Duty cliff-edge means price renegotiations underway

Price renegotiations are underway between buyers and sellers in danger of missing Wednesday’s stamp duty holiday deadline, says Knight Frank. The agency...

28 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Stamp Duty Holiday - deals at risk because of slow searches

Thousands of sales are at risk because slow searches by councils may prevent deals completing by the next stamp duty deadline. With just under...

13 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Quarterly legal and compliance updates for letting agents

On 28 April 2021, Fixflo ran the first in a series of quarterly legal update webinars with David Smith, Partner at...

12 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

Second homes will create a “lost generation” claims nationalist

A nationalist candidate in next month’s elections claims there is a second homes crisis which may create a “lost generation” of...

26 April 2021

From: Breaking News

End of Furlough “won’t kill off housing market bull run”

A leading analyst has told Knight Frank that the end of furlough this autumn is unlikely to kill off the housing...

20 April 2021

From: Breaking News

Prince Philip: how the property landscape changed during his century

For many, the funeral of HRH Prince Philip will be a solemn affair, while for some it will also be a...

17 April 2021

From: Features

Up to 40% of homes for sale are chain-free in parts of UK

New research shared with Estate Agent Today suggest that in areas of the country almost four in 10 homes for sale...

16 April 2021

From: Breaking News

The end of EPCs? Government told to scrap ‘outdated’ scheme

Energy Performance Certificates ought to be scrapped because they are outdated and not fit for purpose. That’s the view of an influential...

22 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Have tenants in arrears? You need to be aware of this new law

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

Covid-19 testing for agents available within days - government

A trade body says it’s been contacted by the government explaining how agencies can get Coronavirus asymptomatic testing for staff. The Guild of...

23 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Extend stamp duty holiday for exchanged properties, say finance chiefs

The stamp duty holiday should be extended to include properties that have exchanged but have yet to complete, a leading accountancy...

26 January 2021

From: Breaking News

Portals track how buyer aspirations are changing through Covid

Both Rightmove and Zoopla have issued new data showing how the market is changing as buyers’ aspirations alter. Zoopla has looked at where...

20 January 2021

From: Breaking News

‘No-search indemnity insurance’ now accepted by mortgage lender

A mortgage lender says it will now accept ‘no-search indemnity insurance’ for residential purchases in a bid to speed up the...

07 January 2021

From: Breaking News

Tier 5 Lockdown - will housing market remain open?

The government is considering stricter tier structures for the coming weeks as the number of Coronavirus infections continues to rise. There is...

04 January 2021

From: Breaking News

Described on this site as a ‘powerful disruptor’ in March 2020, few would deny that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on...

16 December 2020

From: Sponsored Content

New homes slated for “stubbornly low” design quality

The design quality of new homes and neighbourhoods across the UK remains stubbornly low, according to a new report by academics.  The...

09 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Property transaction delays - where ARE the searches?

Delays with the return of property searches is one key factor for sales taking longer to complete. As conveyancers start to warn...

05 December 2020

From: Features

PRS regulation - could more authorities follow the lead of Westminster?

Back in September, Westminster Council launched a new strategy to help 'protect tenants' and 'ensure they live in good-quality and well-managed...

28 November 2020

From: Features

Revealed - where it takes over 200 days to complete a house sale

A survey of completion times for house sales over the past four years suggests that the worst performing local authority area...

24 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Flipping makes a comeback with big profits made by investors

The mixture of the stamp duty holiday and generally fast-rising house prices has led to a resurgence of flipping. Data released this...

23 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Buyer Information Packs give agents an edge over fall-throughs - claim

Estate agents can stand out from the crowd and help consumers through lockdown by providing a more secure sales process, a...

17 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Allow sales that have exchanged to have stamp duty holiday - call

A law firm wants the government to agree that properties that have exchanged but not yet completed can definitely benefit from the...

13 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Agent threatened with prosecution for opening office to the public

An unidentified estate agency has been threatened with prosecution by a local council after opening its office to the public during...

12 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Conveyancer names and shames councils for delays in local searches

A conveyancing firm is blaming councils for delays in transactions. Conveyancers have themselves been sharply criticised in recent weeks as the sharp...

28 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Selling a flat with a short lease

Many agents, certainly those in London, will have faced the difficult task of selling a flat with a shorter lease. A...

09 October 2020

From: Sponsored Content

Buyer sues conveyancer for £4.6m eight years after purchase

A woman who bought a London house in 2012 is now suing the conveyancers that worked for her at the time...

05 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Electrical checks: rules for new tenancies vs existing tenancies explained

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 have been in place for several months now. While letting...

03 October 2020

From: Features

Vendors spend extraordinary sums each day to sell their homes

Vendors spend an average £41 a day for 144 days when selling their home - but some spend a remarkable £140 a...

24 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Agency identifies ‘recession-resistant’ locations in bid to ease fears

With the UK officially in what has been described as the single worst national recession in the world, one agency has...

27 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Explained for agents - Electrical Safety Standards Regulations

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

26 August 2020

From: Features

Electrical checks - clarity and efficiency are crucial for compliance

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 - which require increased electrical testing in rental properties...

15 July 2020

From: Features

Conveyancing search provider amends ad after watchdog intervenes

Conveyancing search provider Searchflow has amended its website after an intervention by the Advertising Standards Authority. A claim on the site stated:...

29 April 2020

From: Breaking News

One agent’s fight for Business Interruption Insurance pay-out

Agents and in some cases their brokers continue to do battle with insurers in a bid to secure pay-outs on their...

27 April 2020

From: Breaking News

Business rates: NAEA plea rebuffed by sacked government minister

The government has dismissed a request from the NAEA and ARLA Propertymark to review business rates for agency offices on High...

18 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Digital Search Delays: Land Registry plans in disarray

HM Land Registry appears to be making painfully slow progress on digitising land charge search data - contrary to its earlier...

17 January 2020

From: Breaking News

General election 2019: The housing crisis remains a top issue

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...

07 December 2019

From: Features

Sales held up as more searches miss 10 day deadline

A PropTech company that monitors search times for transactions says only just over two thirds of them are now completed in...

14 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Named and shamed: local councils with the slowest searches

A trade body has sharply criticised HM Land Registry for its slow progress on digitising local searches after a promising start...

17 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Party Conferences: what agents should look out for

If you thought - perhaps hoped - that five weeks of prorogued Parliament meant a break from politics, think again: the...

14 September 2019

From: Features

Searches delayed by council IT issues but no total shutdown

A local authority that last week warned that it could not provide any local searches for over six weeks has now...

05 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Revealed: local housing markets to be hit most when Help To Buy ends

New research has identified those local housing market potentially worst hit by the planned changes to Help To Buy in 2021,...

02 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Agents beware as council cannot take search queries for six weeks

A local authority in the Home Counties says it will not be possible to accept search queries for six weeks starting...

31 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Flipping Well: buy and sell within a year makes £30k on average

Those who bought and sold the same property in 2018 made an average of £30,150 - but the number who do...

29 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Theresa May’s legacy - how has housing fared under her government?

Theresa May arrived in Downing Street some three years ago - but her premiership has not been a smooth ride. As she...

06 July 2019

From: Features

Moving with the times? Average owner moves home every 21 years

The average British homeowner stays in their property for 20.8 years, according to new research by Zoopla. The property portal analysed the...

04 July 2019

From: Breaking News

DPS adjudication case study: rent arrears vs property condition

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) keeps deposit money safe for letting agents, landlords and renters during the course a tenancy....

20 April 2019

From: Features

Stop indulging councils over rental licensing and local schemes

It’s time, surely, for government to crackdown not just on rogue agents and landlords but on rogue councils that confuse the...

09 March 2019

From: Features

Patchy market but 74 of 108 areas still reporting house price rises

The industry has long been critical of reports claiming house price movements are in some way uniform across the country, but...

22 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Six quick fixes for speeding up the sales process

With the speed of property sales continuing to slow and no end to the sluggishness in sight, it’s time to take...

09 January 2019

From: Features

House sales slumped in 2018, early Land Registry figures suggest

A new analysis claims transaction numbers fell in 241 of 374 local authority areas of the UK last year. Analysis of Land...

04 January 2019

From: Breaking News

DPS adjudication case study: charges for court appearances?

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) keeps deposit money safe for letting agents, landlords and renters during the course a tenancy....

01 December 2018

From: Features

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