The number of complaints about estate and letting agents increased last year but fewer gripes were upheld. Data based on members of...
Archive

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint regarding claims made by Purplebricks about home sales. The advertising watchdog revealed...
27 April 2022
From: Breaking News

A new Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, has been appointed by The Property Ombudsman Scheme. She will work alongside Property Ombudsman, Rebecca Marsh,...
21 April 2022
From: Breaking News

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 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

Agents and conveyancers have signed up to a new buyers’s and seller’s property information form that is described as having been...
04 April 2022
From: Breaking News

The market’s likely to slow this year as the rising cost of living saps some buyer confidence, so agents are understandably...
04 March 2022
From: Breaking News

A national newspaper has lifted the lid on what it alleges to be the backgrounds of high-end self-employed agents who feature...
28 February 2022
From: Breaking News

Property searches are not showing up some new road schemes because they are classified by local councils as planning consent for...
24 February 2022
From: Breaking News

Industry figures have come out in favour of the long-term programme of new compulsory information to be contained on property listings. From...
22 February 2022
From: Breaking News

An estate agency is running a competition to encourage residents to photograph badly-located For Sale and To Let boards. The Basingstoke branch...
26 January 2022
From: Breaking News
22 January 2022
From: Features

EAT readers may have seen a piece in Friday’s property section of The Times about the long-running Simplify saga, which has...
13 December 2021
From: Breaking News

The Dispute Service has been selected to operate the New Homes Ombudsman scheme, following what has been called ”a fiercely competitive...
03 December 2021
From: Breaking News

With the conveyancing crisis at the Simplify Group now approaching two weeks old, it appears Purplebricks has been the worst affected...
19 November 2021
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in following a complaint about a property advertised by Connells-owned Countrywide estate agents. The issue revolves...
06 October 2021
From: Breaking News

The recent stamp duty holiday and the subsequent conveyancing logjam this triggered has acted as a wakeup call for the industry....
25 September 2021
From: Features

Agents are being warned about removing personal data and information from marketing material. Paul Offley, compliance officer at The Guild of Property...
24 September 2021
From: Breaking News

Day in, day out, I see how good estate agents really are. Whether it’s in my day job on Location, Location, Location...
06 September 2021
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman says there’s been a big increase in enquiries to its service in recent months, despite the pandemic. In its...
24 August 2021
From: Breaking News

The police have now received complaints about the tweet believed to have been sent from a personal account of a Savills...
12 July 2021
From: Breaking News

No fewer than seven estate and lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme today. Most of them are now...
30 June 2021
From: Breaking News

Last weekend we spoke with Liana Loporto, NAEA Propertymark’s president, in an exclusive interview. Here we follow that up with an...
26 June 2021
From: Features

A consultation into the draft New Homes Quality Code has been published with a consultation period for the industry ending on...
22 June 2021
From: Breaking News

A council cracking down on the increase of illegally positioned estate agent boards. Agents are required, under Planning and Highways legislation to...
04 June 2021
From: Breaking News

The TDS annual review 2020 indicates that deposit disputes have remained low over the last year, at around 1%. This is...
24 April 2021
From: Features

An estate agency has apologised after a bogus employee posted offensive comments about Prince Philip on a newly-created fake Facebook account. This...
13 April 2021
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has removed advertising claims which suggested it sold homes for a higher sum, on average, than rival agencies. The Advertising Standards...
24 March 2021
From: Breaking News

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

A prominent estate agent has warned buyers and sellers about the perils of the controversial Modern Method of Auction. MMA is now...
15 March 2021
From: Breaking News

Agents are up in arms at a Rightmove restriction temporarily preventing access to parts of its listing back-end. Agents received an email...
11 March 2021
From: Breaking News

New guidance has been issued in a bid to allow agents to get the insurance payouts they expect from the Business...
10 March 2021
From: Breaking News

Being a letting agent today means keeping up to date with the long list of rules and regulations governing how a...
20 February 2021
From: Features

Let’s address the elephant in the room first - the property sector and how we market properties is changing. Gone are the...
10 February 2021
From: Features

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

There is little doubt that the last year was one which none of us will easily forget both personally and professionally....
27 January 2021
From: Features

Propertymark has told the government that it needs to introduce overarching regulation of agents now, because existing piecemeal provisions are unmanageable...
24 December 2020
From: Breaking News

Many independents will be based in the capital, but given its size and breadth they may get drowned out even more...
19 December 2020
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman says there have been more complaints lodged about agents so far in 2020 than in 2019. This is despite...
15 December 2020
From: Breaking News

First off, hello and welcome to this new series – appearing in Estate Agent Today’s Breaking News section each month –...
10 December 2020
From: Breaking News

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

The advertising watchdog has told the agency industry to clean up its act on four issues, with clarity over fees being...
16 November 2020
From: Breaking News

New guidance spells out how leniency can be exercised on agencies or individuals who inform on anti-competition cartels of the kind that...
05 November 2020
From: Breaking News

As the review of the recommendations of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group continues, Emily Hawthorne, mio Account Manager and...
01 October 2020
From: Sponsored Content

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has encouraged people to complain if they are unhappy about working conditions and thousands of complaints...
26 September 2020
From: Features

With the high street open again, and the Chancellor’s temporary stamp duty holiday helping to stimulate the market, estate and letting...
19 September 2020
From: Features

It’s fair to say that UK estate agents don’t have the best of reputations, often featuring in the lists of the...
29 August 2020
From: Features

An agency that has now closed down has been expelled by The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay an award of...
26 August 2020
From: Breaking News

House raffles and similar competitions have become mired in controversy in recent years, thanks to some of them failing to abide by...
06 August 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been a very large rise in the number of complaints submitted by consumers to the Property Redress Scheme. This is partly...
29 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Earlier this month, it was revealed that property industry bodies have joined a new Code of Practice Steering Group to enact...
25 July 2020
From: Features

Purplebricks has changed the wording of an advertisement on its website after a watchdog stepped in following a complaint. According to the...
22 July 2020
From: Breaking News

The new code of conduct for estate agents has been dismissed as “a waste of time” - and the senior industry...
21 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Agents now have a chance to say what they think should be in a new Code of Conduct being discussed following...
20 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Two companies that persuaded property investors to pay as much as £25,000 for a parking space have been wound up in...
14 July 2020
From: Breaking News

The new Property Ombudsman taking over from October is Rebecca Marsh. She is currently Chief Ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman and was...
05 June 2020
From: Breaking News

Over the last few years, there have been a number of high-profile court cases in which renters took action against letting...
30 May 2020
From: Features

There’s been an explosion of anger about Rightmove’s pledge to undertake its biggest-ever marketing campaign - while at the same time...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman. The figures refer...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has announced the expulsion of eight agencies, all for contravening TPO codes of practice. Most of the expulsions were...
04 May 2020
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman’s office is still receiving 40 to 50 calls a day from the public, even though most transactions with...
23 April 2020
From: Breaking News

If it’s really the case that estate agents’ offices could be in the category of High Street premises first allowed to...
18 April 2020
From: Features

A surveyors’ firm has been wound up after courts declared that it had misled clients over the success of its core...
18 March 2020
From: Breaking News

Agents are consistently being told that they need to get on board with change. And one could quite easily make the...
02 March 2020
From: Breaking News

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

The new housing minister is Christopher Pincher, who for the past decade has been Conservative MP for Tamworth having had a...
14 February 2020
From: Breaking News

Property auctions – online or otherwise – can be hugely helpful to sellers, buyers and estate agents. Online auctions, in particular, are...
06 February 2020
From: Sponsored Content

After a challenging period for the UK property market, recovery is very much on the cards and the end to uncertainty...
01 February 2020
From: Features

Rightmove and Zoopla have been working with key figures from government and the agency and conveyancing industries on how to reform...
29 January 2020
From: Breaking News

The head of a new property portal is urging agents to forget about spending money on For Sale and To Let...
21 November 2019
From: Breaking News

An online estate agency which last week claimed it had resolved a dispute over reviews it showed on its website is...
20 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Foxtons has revealed that the chair of the troubled agency’s remuneration committee has stood down with immediate effect. This are also unconfirmed...
15 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Rightmove has been given the green light to continue using the claim that “every second someone contacts an estate agent about a...
13 November 2019
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman scheme is increasing its fees in January for the first time in six years - and it’s implementing...
11 November 2019
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket’s share price slumped to an all-time low just before the end of trading last week. The price fell to 69.0p during trading on...
11 November 2019
From: Breaking News

A London council wants government backing for a borough-wide Section 7 direction - effectively banning all agents’ boards being erected without...
06 November 2019
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has clamped down on misleading claims made by the organisers of a property raffle. The controversy surrounds an...
30 October 2019
From: Breaking News

First details have emerged of the information vendors may have to provide up-front In future transactions if government house buying reforms...
21 October 2019
From: Breaking News

Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffiths is pledging to improve the quality of housing for serving military personnel if Labour gets into...
25 September 2019
From: Breaking News

Continuing political uncertainty over Brexit and now a significant chance of an autumn or winter General Election makes the case for...
17 September 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has told the government that it wants one single Ombudsman to provide redress across all...
29 August 2019
From: Breaking News

A property company chief has been banned from being involved in any company for five years following a case involving over...
21 August 2019
From: Breaking News

A former Local Property Expert and manager at Purplebricks has gone on record to reveal what it was really like to work...
16 August 2019
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has issued a guidance note warning online estate agents, after complaints about them have “grown dramatically”. “Property is big...
01 August 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has published proposals for far-reaching changes to the way estate and letting agents are regulated, trained and licensed. The proposals...
18 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman will in future refer more estate agents to the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team if...
11 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The police have opened an investigation after a number of complaints have been made about the financial affairs of a sales...
05 July 2019
From: Breaking News

A company which promotes property raffles have been told that it cannot repeat certain elements of its advertisements on Facebook and...
26 June 2019
From: Breaking News

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

The trade body representing so-called quick sale companies is marking five years in business with two feathers in its cap. Firstly the...
16 May 2019
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has released its annual report for 2018, showing a 16% rise in the number of complaints made...
08 May 2019
From: Breaking News

Consultation closes today on a Law Commission proposal to radically reshape leasehold and the Right To Manage. Right To Manage was introduced...
30 April 2019
From: Breaking News

It’s clear that some agents are not fans of Trading Standards officers, described in the comments sections of the trade press...
27 April 2019
From: Features

You know the problem with new builds - they’re a bit Marmite aren’t they? Contemporary design is all well and good but…how...
18 April 2019
From: Breaking News

When they first came onto the scene, online-only estate and lettings agents were predicted to swiftly spell the end for traditional...
30 March 2019
From: Features

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

Chancellors says it has over 10,000 reviews on Trustpilot, making it the most reviewed High Street agency on the platform. In a statement...
28 February 2019
From: Breaking News

Nobody likes change. It makes people feel threatened, undermines their confidence, and makes them worry about the future. But regardless of...
27 February 2019
From: Features

A London council is considering a borough-wide ban on agents’ boards of all kinds. Labour-controlled Camden already has a ban for a...
15 February 2019
From: Breaking News

The first major estate agency business to launch a crowdfunding bid since the controversial collapse of Emoov has emphasised its “realistic”...
14 February 2019
From: Breaking News

An estate agent says he’s “bruised” by recent mysterious negative online reviews he has received - shortly after he posted positive...
11 February 2019
From: Breaking News

The dust may have settled on the government’s recent announcement regarding housing and property complaints, but opinion is still split on...
09 February 2019
From: Features

The review website Trustpilot is to make it easier for the public to see whether companies have tried to stop complaints...
07 February 2019
From: Breaking News

The monthly index of house price changes in Britain’s major cities, for many years operated under the Hometrack banner, has been...
30 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman is to give agents new guidance on dual fees, following a surge in complaints from the public. In 2017, TPO received...
29 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Lettings Agents have thrown their weight behind the government’s latest...
25 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has this morning set out wide-ranging changes to redress systems for agents, the sales and lettings sectors, and other...
24 January 2019
From: Breaking News

I don’t think I can add anything more to the excellent 2019 pieces we’ve seen on EAT in recent weeks –...
19 January 2019
From: Features

When it comes to building online reputation, Google is king. It is estimated that over 90% of consumers Google a business before...
19 January 2019
From: Features

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

A crowdfunding bid to Emoov’s staff to win financial help over the Christmas period has flopped badly with a paltry £30...
13 December 2018
From: Breaking News

Vesta, which describes itself as “the new online marketplace for buying and selling rental property” has launched a bid to raise...
12 December 2018
From: Breaking News

It is now known that at least 32 formal complaints have been received by the crowdfunding platform that helped Emoov raise...
12 December 2018
From: Breaking News

The Times reports that crowdfunding investors are considering legal action following the collapse of Emoov. The investors in question appear to be some of...
10 December 2018
From: Breaking News

At least some calls from potential customers to Emoov are being cut off and rival estate agents are now plundering the...
03 December 2018
From: Breaking News

The troubled Emoov hybrid estate agency, currently up for sale, has removed an advertisement after a complaint to a watchdog over...
07 November 2018
From: Breaking News

One of Emoov’s agents in the field has contacted Estate Agent Today to give an insight into how the agency has...
05 November 2018
From: Breaking News

A Twitter account dedicated to the private sale of a multi-million pound waterside home in Berkshire has prompted complaints to the...
24 October 2018
From: Breaking News

The vast majority of new-build houses are to be sold as freehold with ground rents for new leases capped at £10...
14 October 2018
From: Breaking News

Local business reviews are becoming increasingly important for reputation management, with recent research showing 90% of consumers read online reviews before...
13 October 2018
From: Features

Purplebricks’ share price dropped yesterday to barely over 200p - its lowest level for some 18 months and reflecting a near...
10 October 2018
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertisement for a new development in London after complaints over claims about the yields...
10 October 2018
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has been the subject of another complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority - and the issue has again been categorised...
03 October 2018
From: Breaking News

The perils of property competitions and raffles have once again been demonstrated, this time with the Advertising Standards Authority upholding three...
26 September 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman scheme (TPO) has announced a series of changes to both its board and internal processes. The organisation has also...
06 September 2018
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld one of two complaints made against OnTheMarket's TV and print advertising. The complaints refer to...
05 September 2018
From: Breaking News

An estate agency which operates nationally has agreed to amend its website following a complaint made to the Advertising Standards Authority...
05 September 2018
From: Breaking News

In a surprise weekend announcement the government has almost doubled funding for the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team - the...
01 September 2018
From: Breaking News

An established estate agency in Guernsey is being listed as 'voluntarily winding up' and liquidators have been appointed. Concerns about Sarnia Estate...
31 August 2018
From: Breaking News

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

In our previous blog, we looked at the definitions outlined by the CPRs. In our next blog we’ll look at the...
21 August 2018
From: Sponsored Content

The UK division of US-based estate agency Keller Williams says agents need access to internal training if service levels across the...
16 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Another day, another housing minister – at least that’s what it feels like! The resignation of the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson...
21 July 2018
From: Features

One of three schemes with government backing to offer redress for complaints about estate and letting agents has reignited the debate...
18 July 2018
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority says its compliance team is considering its next steps following the refusal of estate agency PDQ Estates...
12 July 2018
From: Breaking News

An agent from Cornwall who has waged a long-running campaign against online agencies in general and Purplebricks in particular has been...
11 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks says it completely rejects any claim of bullying its representatives in Australia. The Australian Financial Review, which last week reported the...
26 June 2018
From: Breaking News

A London council is seeking widespread powers to ban For Sale and To Let boards which it claims are seen by...
25 June 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has issued its annual report for 2017 and there’s good news for the estate agency side of the...
17 May 2018
From: Breaking News

The annual report from the Advertising Standards Authority and the Committees of Advertising Practice, out today, shows that the estate and...
04 May 2018
From: Breaking News

One of the three official redress bodies serving the estate and lettings agency industry has conducted a survey of complaints across...
02 May 2018
From: Breaking News

Online estate agency Tepilo and over-60s ‘life plan’ property sales service Homewise have been rapped over the knuckles following complaints made...
18 April 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Redress Scheme - one of the three government-approved redress schemes handling complaints about sales and lettings agents - has...
13 April 2018
From: Breaking News

An estate agency has been the subject of a complaint over website wording which appeared to suggest that it had a...
21 March 2018
From: Breaking News

Have you noticed a new turf war going on on the fringes of the agency world? It’s not a high-profile battle like...
17 March 2018
From: Features

Ombudsman Services, which recently announced it was quitting its role as one of three approved redress schemes for estate and lettings...
12 March 2018
From: Breaking News

London agency Portico has been warned that if there is a repeat of issues concerning its listings on portals, it may...
28 February 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has launched a surprise consultation on the creation of a new redress system for customers of agents and others...
18 February 2018
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled on another complaint lodged about Purplebricks. Although the latest appears minor it adds to a lengthy list...
14 February 2018
From: Breaking News

Why I won’t buy Purplebricks shares and why if I had any, I’d sell fast… In its latest adverts, Purplebricks attempts to...
13 February 2018
From: Features

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

One of the three government-approved redress schemes for estate and letting agents says it’s quitting the sector this year - but...
06 February 2018
From: Breaking News

Q. How did you get in to the property industry? My career in the property industry actually started out as a holiday...
01 February 2018
From: 60 Second Interview

Outspoken estate agent Chris Wood has criticised the Advertising Standards Authority for its succession of ‘informally resolved’ judgements on complaints against...
07 December 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has intervened following a complaint about a mailshot from the high profile online agency Yopa. The ASA says...
06 December 2017
From: Breaking News

The online agency Yopa has removed an ad comparing its performance against other estate agents after complaints to the Advertising Standards...
22 November 2017
From: Breaking News

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’ share price value yesterday dropped below the 300p, over 40 per cent less than its high point over the recent...
16 November 2017
From: Breaking News

Online estate agent eMoov recently set itself apart by directly addressing the issues of openness and transparency that have long dogged the online business...
15 November 2017
From: Breaking News

Estate Agent Today has been told that there are four more complaints filed to the Advertising Standards Authority about hybrid agency...
30 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Complaints about a Purplebricks claim concerning its Local Property Experts have been rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority. Complaints came from PDQ...
25 October 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that two TV advertisements for Purplebricks cannot be shown again in their current form because...
18 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Three more complaints about agents made to the Advertising Standards Authority have been settled informally - including one concerning an agency's...
20 September 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved another complaint made against wording on Purplebricks’ website. A complainant suggested that the wording...
06 September 2017
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman Scheme (TPO) has partnered with Yomdel to provide a 24/7 live chat service. Consumers can now seek 'independent dispute...
04 September 2017
From: Breaking News

Online agency HouseSimple has once again been the subject of a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. Earlier this month a HouseSimple advertisement...
30 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Consumer group Which? says the public should be wary of claims made by online estate agents. This follows a series of complaints about...
29 August 2017
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has expelled a London lettings and estate agency for a year and is warning that the firm may...
23 August 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned online agency HouseSimple from claiming that High Street agents charge “1.5% to 4% (plus 20%...
16 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Even if you didn’t watch it, you’ve almost certainly heard about it by now. The recent BBC Watchdog exposé of Purplebricks has...
09 August 2017
From: Breaking News

After a roller-coaster day on the Stock Exchange yesterday, Purplebricks has sought to defend itself against further possible share price losses...
03 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Three agencies have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman for two or more years, after failing to pay awards...
28 July 2017
From: Breaking News

The fledgling trade body CIELA says it is going to institute a kitemark-style service for all estate agents to be able...
21 July 2017
From: Breaking News

The political ebb and flow continues - seemingly with all the subtlety of a Boris Johnson rugby tackle on a 10-year...
01 July 2017
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman’s annual report reveals a significant increase in the number of formal complaints resolved by the scheme and a...
22 June 2017
From: Breaking News

The recent rise in consumer complaints against sales and letting agents suggests that there is a general lack of trust and...
27 May 2017
From: Features

Student accommodation is positively luxurious compared with the drafty digs of my student days. En-suites, studio flats, even cinemas in halls...
27 May 2017
From: Features

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint made against Connells. The case focused on a Connells Rightmove listing which...
17 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Fledgling trade group CIELA says two aspects of its complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority are the subject of ‘further investigation’...
04 May 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has given the green light to an circular which provoked complaints suggesting it deliberately did not appear...
05 April 2017
From: Breaking News

There’s good and bad in every industry and at first sight, this week has been one where the good have won...
01 April 2017
From: Features

There were only 14 complaints to The Property Ombudsman about so-called 'quick sale' firms - the professional buying companies that purchase...
10 March 2017
From: Breaking News

A competition organised by Real Hot Property - which says it “aims to be Europe’s largest property portal” - has been...
22 February 2017
From: Breaking News

A house builder has set aside £7m to spend on repairs to its own new properties after a series of complaints...
21 February 2017
From: Breaking News

A controversial scheme in a London borough, limiting the size and duration of letting and estate agents’ boards on display, comes...
31 January 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint made against online estate agency eMoov. The complaint challenged whether two statements...
25 January 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has intervened after a series of complaints about adverts placed by estate agents and other property industry...
04 January 2017
From: Breaking News

An estate agent at an office of London agency Felicity J Lord, who alleged unethical practices were taking place in the...
28 November 2016
From: Breaking News

The latest round of complaints made to the Advertising Standards Authority against property firms’ ads have once again ended only with...
23 November 2016
From: Breaking News

The online agency Hatched has agreed to withdraw marketing letters following a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA says a...
16 November 2016
From: Breaking News

Working relationships between estate agents and conveyancers can be mutually beneficial with the referral of work between parties. However, they are missing...
12 November 2016
From: Features

The award-winning online agency HouseSimple has had one of its advertisements banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. The advert was a poster for...
09 November 2016
From: Breaking News

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

Online reviews play an increasingly vital role in shaping the decisions of customers. Practically everyone using the internet to compare estate...
22 October 2016
From: Features

Conveyancing is the most complained about area of law in England and Wales – accounting, on average, for nearly a quarter...
14 October 2016
From: Features

The Advertising Standards Authority has explained to Estate Agent Today why many of the complaints made against estate and letting agents...
13 October 2016
From: Breaking News

eMoov founder and chief executive Russell Quirk has launched another online petition, this time calling for mandatory licensing of estate agents. The...
10 October 2016
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman scheme’s annual report, just released, reveals that there has been a dramatic 32 per cent surge in the...
04 October 2016
From: Breaking News

Next week sees a court case which will decide whether there will have to be a re-run of the ‘second homes...
29 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published details of four more cases in which it has 'informally resolved' complaints made against...
21 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld two of three complaints against claims made in Purplebricks' TV and website advertising. The watchdog upheld...
14 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in following two unrelated complaints - one was over an agent’s property description, and the...
10 August 2016
From: Breaking News

Barely a week goes by without news of the latest disastrous AirBnB experience suffered by an unsuspecting landlord. Whether it’s damage...
22 July 2016
From: Features

Foxtons has won planning consent for an office in the south London suburb of Peckham after another controversy involving opposition from...
06 June 2016
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has decided not to uphold a complaint made against a quick property sale firm's radio advert. The...
01 June 2016
From: Breaking News

Complaints made against adverts issued by property firms have increased by 10% in the last year. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reports...
26 May 2016
From: Breaking News

A member of the public has submitted a complaint on portal juggling to the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team following...
16 May 2016
From: Breaking News

In this business you get used to dealing with regular customer and third-party feedback, input, and (occasionally) complaints. Much like the agency market...
13 May 2016
From: Features

Here are the top letting agents in Britain who go above and beyond to help their customers, as voted for by...
10 May 2016
From: Features

A few years ago one of our property receptionists took a call from a vendor whose husband had passed away. The client,...
06 May 2016
From: Features

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners says more leaseholders are complaining of inflated service charges for maintenance, upkeep and communal areas. The...
27 April 2016
From: Breaking News

After over a year of speculation, the Competition and Markets Authority has stepped into the row over OnTheMarket and its ‘one...
21 April 2016
From: Breaking News

The agent who last year wrote a controversial ‘open letter’ about OnTheMarket has now received a letter demanding she pay alleged...
12 April 2016
From: Breaking News

This website recently published a piece ahead of the nationwide launch of our new property platform, Be Street Smart. It explained how...
01 April 2016
From: Features

An estate agent has spoken out about the threat of ‘abandoned sales’ if a completion bottleneck prevents purchases of properties going...
29 February 2016
From: Breaking News

To those working within the conveyancing sector, the recent statistics from the Legal Ombudsman regarding complaints are perhaps not surprising. In our...
30 January 2016
From: Features

The Legal Ombudsman has published new guidance for first time buyers as a result of conveyancing problems topping the list of...
19 January 2016
From: Breaking News

Who are you? I’m the Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme. I previously worked for Legal & General PLC dealing...
23 December 2015
From: 60 Second Interview

eMoov is one of several property firms to have ‘informally resolved’ disputes with the Advertising Standards Authority - usually achieved by...
16 December 2015
From: Breaking News

It was an end of an era in the property world this week. Christopher Hamer stepped down as the Property Ombudsman...
04 December 2015
From: Features

Two leading estate agency groups have changed website details of properties after complaints were lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA...
25 November 2015
From: Breaking News

Two more agents have been expelled by TPO because they failed to pay awards when ordered to pay compensation, and because...
11 November 2015
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has ordered the company Homewise not to use misleading wording following two complaints about one of its...
28 October 2015
From: Breaking News

Zoopla says it will later this week give an update on the number of agents it now has as members -...
19 October 2015
From: Breaking News

Four estate agencies including online player Purplebricks have resolved complaints submitted to the Advertising Standards Authority. Every week the ASA publishes a...
14 October 2015
From: Breaking News

Two agencies have agreed to amend the wording of their advertisements to avoid the possibility of formal action by the Advertising...
07 October 2015
From: Breaking News

The largest of the three government-approved redress schemes, The Property Ombudsman, has updated its codes of practice to include new legislation...
02 October 2015
From: Breaking News

It’s been nearly a year since all lettings and property management agents have been legally required to join a redress scheme...
25 September 2015
From: Features

Katrine Sporle is to be the new ombudsman at The Property Ombudsman, one of the three government-approved redress services for the...
21 September 2015
From: Breaking News

The Bank Holiday weekend heralds the end of August and the return to a more normal sales and lettings market for...
28 August 2015
From: Breaking News

A consumer champion says a new privatised system of Alternative Dispute Resolution, being introduced in October, threatens to create ‘complaints chaos’...
10 August 2015
From: Breaking News

So, has everyone been enjoying the fine summer weather we’ve been experiencing? Oh, wait…fear not, I will attempt to inject a...
07 August 2015
From: Features

The internet and rapidly evolving digital landscape has revolutionised the way people buy and sell properties. With some reports suggesting 95 per...
03 July 2015
From: Features

Watch the latest weekly video roundup of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on complaints lodged...
03 July 2015
From: Video Articles

Watch the latest weekly video roundup of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on complaints lodged...
03 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The property centre in the middle of the latest controversy surrounding the Competition and Markets Authority says it is still waiting...
01 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The Competition and Markets Authority is reported to have received two complaints about a property centre, accusing it of breaking anti-competition...
30 June 2015
From: Breaking News

This month has marked a real change in the way the private lettings sector is perceived - and it’s a perception...
19 June 2015
From: Features

A NEW SERVICE FOR YOU We are pleased to announce the launch of our NEW Conveyancing service, allowing you to offer an...
17 June 2015
From: Sponsored Content

The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) is delighted to announce their partnership with the award winning mediation provider, Small Claims Mediation (SCM) The...
11 June 2015
From: Sponsored Content

Yesterday we heard about the letter from the CMA warning agents about anti-competitive behaviour. Today, in a scoop for Estate Agent...
04 June 2015
From: Features

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) is to meet with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to discuss complaints...
04 June 2015
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld two complaints made against online estate agency eMoov. The first centred around eMoov’s claim that...
03 June 2015
From: Breaking News

Earlier this week we passed the official deadline for letting agents to fully publicise their fees as well as providing evidence of...
29 May 2015
From: Features

OK, you’ve had your fun. Now let’s leave the regulators regulate and work for the public. If you don’t know what I...
22 May 2015
From: Features

The managing director of Hatched online agency is accusing Purplebricks, eMoov, Tepilo and House Network of advertising their rates exclusive of...
19 May 2015
From: Breaking News

Online agency EweMove says it is seething about a complaint made to the Advertising Standards Authority by a high street estate...
18 May 2015
From: Breaking News

The Brian Cox estate agency, at the centre of a weekend newspaper allegation about £2,000 deposits from buyers, has strongly defended...
12 May 2015
From: Breaking News

So, a sigh of relief. Most agents will be pleased with the election result - even if they are not Tory supporters...
08 May 2015
From: Features

Two rival redress schemes applying to sales and lettings agents are claiming increased business. A press release from the Property Redress Scheme...