Archive

Fraud poses a significant challenge for residential conveyancers, with criminals often attempting to exploit the transaction process for money laundering purposes. The...

Financial crime within the property sector is on the rise and the stats are alarming. According to data from Apex Bridging,...

As you begin the process of property transactions in the UK, it's important to understand potential pitfalls that may result in...

The Government’s proposal to introduce a new 1% deposit mortgage scheme to help young people onto the property ladder is unworkable...

Digital compliance specialist SmartSearch can help estate agents comply quickly and efficiently Around one in five estate agents are not registered for...

Last weekend, Levelling Up and Housing Secretary, Michael Gove wrote in the Sunday Times that the nation’s housing crisis was so...

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

Housing supply rather than the private rented sector (PRS) made the headlines during the Conservative and Labour Party conferences this year...

The end of a tenancy can be busy and stressful. As the letting agent, you’ll have many plates spinning to move...

It is no secret that our climate is getting warmer. 2022 was one of the six warmest years on record globally,...

The publication of inflation figures by the government tomorrow will be a Do-Or-Die moment for the housing market, it’s been claimed. At...

Tackling economic crime is part of the day job for estate agents. But how can the latest digital ID tools help...

It’s a brave business owner who actually invites criticism.  I speak from the personal experience of asking the opinions of the...

The latest interest rate rise has heightened the risk of forced sales and buyers shying away from the market, agents have...

Two former housing ministers have criticised the Government for scrapping housebuilding targets. The Government officially watered-down proposals for mandatory local housebuilding targets...

As an estate agent, you know that securing the sale is just step one of a successful journey. But with issues...

Black mould associated with condensation is becoming an increasing problem for homes in the UK and following the tragic death of...

A high-profile charity is calling for a Stamp Duty overhaul, local buyer restrictions and extra charges on property purchases by landlords...

AML experts SmartSearch warn estate agents that, with so many firms still hiding behind ‘opaque corporate structures,’ proper due diligence has...

Only 11% of property businesses including estate agencies increased staff pay last year, a new report officially launched next week claims. Property...

Agents are being urged to keep an eye on their HMRC Government Gateway Account to ensure they don’t miss messages and...

The removal of housing targets risks a deeper recession and high house prices for generations to come, a planning expert has...

What are you going to do when something unplanned, unexpected, and unpleasant hits your brand and business? There’s no point avoiding it...

Estate agency branches are bracing themselves for “a very difficult few months,” the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) claims. The NAPB...

The Government is being urged to exclude spray foam insulation from its new Eco+ scheme aimed at improving the energy efficiency...

Mortgage rate hikes have already halved landlord profits according to latest research, and a base rate rise to 2.5% will see...

Dozens of estate agents have been fined a combined total of £519,645 for failing to meet their obligations under anti-money laundering...

Buyers have until 31 October to reserve a new-build and apply for Government-backed finance before the government’s Help to Buy Equity...

A senior new-build property professional has warned that the Help to Buy scheme will be “sorely missed” by first-time buyers once...

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recently published a list of firms that have received penalty notices for failure to meet their...

Stipendium, the platform that simplifies life’s complex events, has compiled a guide to submitting an offer and exchanging contracts, to help buyers...

The Bank of England’s continued rise in interest rates – the latest being a shift up to 1.25% - is, in...

We are all acutely aware of the surge in demand for rental properties in and around the capital in the months...

What a difference two months and some local elections make. Cast your minds back to March 9 and the annual report of...

It’s easy to overestimate the importance of something in one’s own industry or work, but there seems good reason for believing...

A survey of 700 borrowers by a high net worth lender suggest almost four out of 10 have lost a mortgage...

It’s not an easy time for many renters (and homeowners). The cost of living is going up across the board for...

Peta Milne, founder of Instagram growth and PR service Monimo, and a content writer at Choices Estate Agents, recently sat down...

An analyst is warning that the latest buoyant house price figures could be the last hurrah before a significant depression. The Nationwide’s...

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

If the UK and its allies have been played by Russia over the Ukraine ‘invasion’, and it’s beginning to look that...

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

The government is threatening to deny planning consent to developers who refuse to pay towards the removal of unsafe cladding on...

The UK property industry has long been a target of fraudsters due to the low levels of transparency and the fact...

As this is the first Natter back since the Christmas break, I should like to first wish all our readers a...

A company linked to the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower is being excluded from the government’s Help to Buy scheme, pending the outcome...

Propertymark conducts spot checks on agents to ensure they are compliant - but perhaps gives too little publicity to its role. The...

The last 18 months have been full of ups and downs, but the property market has coped remarkably well during the...

Estate agents are being urged to ensure their compliance procedures are up to scratch after fraudsters stole a man’s identity and...

High house prices relative to average earnings make raising a deposit a big barrier for first time buyers, a new study...

The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee has defied expectations by keeping base rate at its historic low of 0.1 per...

It’s been revealed that HM Revenue & Customs scours the listings on both Rightmove and Zoopla to assess whether property investors...

As we motor towards the next major global climate change conference – the UN’s COP26 being held in Glasgow from 31...

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...

High end agency Savills is conducting “a full investigation” into a racist tweet posted overnight. A Savills statement posted on Twitter this...

A conveyancing services firm is warning that buyers are making “hasty rather than considered” decisions over properties because they feel under...

The Stamp Duty holiday has been very beneficial for hundreds of thousands of buyers looking to take advantage of savings, even...

There are an estimated 2.7 million landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) providing rental accommodation to multiple generations of tenant,...

As estate agencies are covered by Money Laundering Regulations, agents are legally obliged to take customer due diligence measures to limit...

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

One of the biggest trends in recent times, as a direct result of the pandemic, is the concept of working from...

An open letter from Boomin chief executive Michael Bruce shows how fierce the competition is going to be in the portal field...

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

The government needs to step in to rescue two valuable property incentives before they expire at the end of March, a...

One of the country’s most popular tourist destinations may ban the sale of new builds to second home buyers. The council in Padstow -...

Labour and Conservative MPs have expressed a unanimous view on their desire to see an extension of the stamp duty holiday...

A large majority of estate agents fear a surge in 'failed sales’ as the stamp duty holiday cliff edge gets ever-closer. The latest National...

Here’s hoping you managed to have as good a Christmas and New Year as Covid rules allowed. Journalism in early January is...

A leading property consultancy is suggesting that a possible increase in Capital Gains Tax could end up losing money for the...

As we approach the most unusual of festive periods, many property professionals will already be thinking about the January market and...

HM Revenue and Customs and the Advertising Standards Authority are working together to cut out misleading marketing by promoters of stamp...

Today sees the government’s Spending Review, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak taking centre stage as he presents a 12 month spending plan to...

With a new President elected and the old one reluctant to move out, this is a good time to see how...

According to the annual Property Week PropTech survey, almost 48% of property businesses had tested new technology because of the COVID-19...

The housing market’s recovery will be threatened with drastic consequences for buyers and sellers if the stamp duty holiday isn’t extended beyond...

One of Britain’s most respected agents is suggesting Chancellor Rishi Sunak could ‘taper’ the stamp duty holiday to avoid a cliff-edge...

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, better known as the furlough scheme, was introduced by the chancellor Rishi Sunak in March to...

With the high street open again, and the Chancellor’s temporary stamp duty holiday helping to stimulate the market, estate and letting...

When it comes to the future of the property market in the wake of Covid-19, there are two main schools of...

The result of a test case over Business Interruption Insurance involving agents has been handed down by the High Court. It has...

Agents involved in a test case over their Business Interruption insurance will know the result next Tuesday morning. The test case concluded...

Agents are awaiting the outcome of a test case regarding Business Interruption Insurance, which may determine whether they receive thousands of...

Buyer registrations and sales enquiries are reportedly back to pre-Covid levels. Completions, however, are lagging behind. This is probably down to...

Most letting agents don’t set up a business to become accountants but losing control of client money poses serious risks for...

An agent in the unusual position of operating across the England and Welsh border says many of his competitors appear to...

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

“A lot of people have learned that they can work at home, or that there’s other methods of conducting their business......

The scandal over Business Interruption Insurance policies is hotting up, with class actions being discussed against insurance firms and the Financial Conduct Authority announcing...

Another west country tourist hotspot looks set to ban any future new-build home being sold as a holiday or additional property. Bigbury...

There’s a sense that we really are on the verge of a huge change in the industry. It’s too early to be...

Where else to start? Since my last Natter two weeks ago, all our lives have changed more than we could ever...

Another westcountry town may ban new-build homes being sold as holiday properties, even though the idea has backfired elsewhere. Fowey in Cornwall -...

A new study by the London School of Economics suggests that a high profile ban on the sale of new homes...

It’s now emerged that Countrywide has to pay a £100,000 fine to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors after breaching guidelines...

There’s no doubt that we live in politically charged times and every day appears to bring something new to the ‘party’. For...

As an agent, it’s part of your role to protect and advise your clients throughout the buying and selling process. Mortgages are...

There’s been a five per cent rise in the cases of mortgage fraud as increasing numbers of house buyers appear to...

Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, who earlier this month told a newspaper that he wanted to introduce a Right To Buy policy for...

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

There has been a sceptical response by agents and others in the property industry to the government’s latest headline-grabbing tweaks to...