Archive

In the run up to his appointment as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson suggested that he might cut Stamp Duty Land Tax...

Speculation surrounding whether Boris Johnson will honour his pledge to reduce stamp duty risks bringing the housing market “to a grinding...

With Boris Johnson winning the Conservative leadership election and becoming Prime Minister, he has spent his first few days in office...

We now have a new Leader of the Conservative Party and, rather more importantly, a new Prime Minister. That individual is Boris...

The new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government is the relatively unknown Robert Jenrick -  but his new housing...

One of the country’s most respected agents has advised the agency industry to treat Boris Johnson’s pledges with real caution. Black Brick buying...

Our own industry’s upheaval over recent years has been no less dramatic than the turmoil at Westminster. The political earthquake has seen...

This may be the final full day in office for Kit Malthouse, the latest politician to occupy the short-term position of housing...

One of the country’s leading estate agents says shifting the burden of stamp duty away from the buyer - which is...

Conservative Party leadership contender Boris Johnson has expressed an interest in switching the stamp duty burden from buyers to sellers. Until now Johnson’s comments on...

Conservative leadership frontrunner Boris Johnson's plans to reverse stamp duty changes could help to kickstart the prime property market, according to...

Property sellers have been urged to list their properties now in the hope of selling their properties for maximum value within...

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

Britain lives in fundamentalist black-and-white times - all the more surprising when the country's most divisive point of contention sits on...

You may be right in thinking that Brexit has dominated the thinking of the government in the last three years. However,...

Four years ago, as we approached the general election, Andrews Property Group held a roundtable debateon the impact the election might have...

Housing minister Kit Malthouse appears to have some difficulty being taken seriously as a candidate for Conservative party leader and Prime...

In a surprising announcement overnight, housing minister Kit Malthouse says he is standing to become the Conservative party leader and next...

While media attention has been on Theresa May, Brexit and the Tories, chatter in the agency industry has been about what...

House prices have remained roughly stagnant according to the latest figures produced by the Office for National Statistics and HM Land...

It appears almost certain that there will be another new housing minister named when a new Conservative leader - and thus...

An ex-housing minister and ex-Brexit secretary says he wants to radically change taxes on buy to let capital appreciation to help...

No, this isn’t about Brexit. But as the saga of leaving the EU is likely to bring about the downfall of...

When you think of the best ad campaigns – from moustachioed opera singers and talking meerkats to millions of bouncing balls...

The chairman of franchise giant Hunters says his company’s purchasing power is such that it secures 60 per cent discounts from...

Campaigning groups like Generation Rent and Shelter like to think they are simultaneously edgy and radical; likewise some think tanks believe...

The founder of the Hunters franchise agency group, Kevin Hollinrake - now a Conservative MP - is the latest parliamentarian to...

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

Labour’s housing spokesman, John Healey, has spoken out against the split in the party which has so far seen eight MPs...

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

He may not yet have had time to produce a Brexit plan but Boris Johnson has at least had a few...

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

A maverick estate agent pictured wearing a yellow vest has threatened to mount what he calls a “civil protest” if Brexit...

There’s been a warm welcome from the property and consumer sectors for a suggestion that the Financial Conduct Authority may be...

There’s nothing new about identifying 10 figures who have helped shape an industry over the past year, but that doesn’t mean...

Infamous X Factor rapper Honey G, who just last week was lauded for becoming an estate agent, now says she’s been...

Hard not to mention two major breaking news stories of recent days; one directly affecting the property market and one which...

Housing minister Kit Malthouse appears to be backing Theresa May as Brexit chaos consumes the government. A request from Estate Agent Today...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? It just says “Agent” for, at the end of the...

A leading London estate agency is reporting a surge in overseas buyers sealing deals ahead of the government’s new stamp duty...

Savills is warning that heightened uncertainty around Brexit negotiations will delay recovery in the prime central London housing market for up...

The head of a leading Chinese property portal has taken the unusual step of commenting on a British tax policy -...

It seems a lifetime ago but in fact we’re approaching just the first anniversary since the government triggered its Call for...

One of London’s highest profile and most outspoken estate agent chiefs has scolded ‘Maybot’ Theresa May on the day she is to...

The government, which only recently said there would be one Ombudsman covering the entire housing sector, has announced that there is...

The government has used this week’s Conservative party conference to announce a new stamp duty tax of one per cent to three...

A new book has revealed that one of the long line of recent housing ministers was known as “the invisible minister”...

The former Chancellor George Osborne - architect of drastic stamp duty reform - has come out fighting to defend the tax...

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

With the shelf life of recent housing ministers being on a par with football managers, it's perhaps little surprise that we're...

It may not be a good idea for a journalist to be personal about a politician, so I write about our...

The little-known Conservative MP Kit Malthouse has been named as the new housing minister. He takes over from the high-flying Dominic Raab,...

Labour says it wants ‘Healthy Homes Zones’ in a bid to reduce housing-related health inequalities which are estimated to cost the NHS £1.4...

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

Savills has suggested that it may be time for a fundamental review of what’s left of the flagship policy of Margaret...

It may seem innocuous enough but a speech at a party by pro-Brexit housing minister Dominic Raab is being interpreted by...

If you want to know whether buy to let, landlords and letting agents will be in the firing line for more...

Estate agent licensing will reduce competition, make buying and selling homes more expensive, and add another layer of red tape to...

Franchise giant Hunters says independent agencies which joined the firm in recent years have typically beaten the performance of the housing market. Chief...

One day, I’ll sit down to write for Estate Agent Today and I won’t express my dismay at the lack of...

National franchise giant Hunters has delivered a strong trading update, despite what it describes as 'challenging conditions'. Earlier this week, it was...

MPs will next month debate a Bill which aims to have the energy efficiency of all UK homes brought up to...

It’s probably unwise to write too much about politics these days. The most fanciful predictions turn out to be less wild...

What do you need to know if you are considering selling your sales or lettings business?  Here’s ten top tips to think...

One of the most influential select committees in parliament has told the government that it needs to do more - much...

In a surprise announcement this lunchtime, Dominic Raab has been appointed as housing minister. Raab, the 16th housing minister in the past...

It’s no surprise that figures don’t always show the results or consequences we expect - even if they are entirely accurate. Look...

Chris Philp, a Conservative MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chancellor Phillip Hammond, says 50 per cent of new homes in...

It’s traditional before Christmas to either review the year past or anticipate the one ahead - but I’m intrigued about what...

The housing industry has set out a list of demands in advance of the government’s hotly anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday.  Despite...

British politics is extraordinarily volatile right now and the ongoing battle between austerity and anti-austerity, Leave and Remain, and Conservative and...

Nicky Morgan, a former Cabinet minister and now chair of the highly respected Commons' Treasury Select Committee, is the most senior...

It’s something of an understatement to say it’s been a busy fortnight for the industry in terms of announcements, consultations and...

With the Budget just over a month away, the steady stream of ‘leaks’ continues to grow as journalists and the industry...

It has been revealed that the beleaguered government of Theresa May is to hold a summit at 10 Downing Street tomorrow...

Conservative MP John Stevenson is the latest to throw his weight behind switching the burden of stamp duty from the buyer...

Like many of Labour’s recent policy proposals, its call for rent controls leaves more questions than answers.  There has been widespread criticism...

And so concludes another party conference season.  We’ve followed the great and the good (both terms are debatable) around Torbay, Bournemouth,...

Respected buying agency Black Brick says there is evidence that prices in prime central London may be stabilising and transactions volumes...

The Conservative party, in a press statement released to clarify comments made by Theresa May, says the government’s proposed extra £2...

England faces a growing gulf between new build completions and new households being added to the population according to a new...

A Conservative council in London says it is to be the first local authority in the UK to levy a voluntary...

Figures in the property industry have sharply criticised the announcement made at the Conservative party conference to pump an estimated £10...

How has the world of estate agency changed in the last few decades? That’s the question this week’s Natter is going...

Hunters’ figures for the six months to the end of June show small rises in income and turnover but a substantial...

In this week’s Natter I’m going to get all political. Don’t worry, I won’t be giving my opinions on Brexit, Trump...

It’s not just the evenings drawing in that marks the approach of autumn - it’s also the return to work of...

A think tank says the penalties now levied against second home owners - such as the stamp duty surcharge and phasing...

Stamp duty has become the latest weapon in the ongoing war of words between different wings of the Conservative party, as...

The two main political parties have squared up to each other over the issue of increasing council tax on second homes...

  You’ll see a lot of 10th anniversary stories in the property industry and consumer media in the coming days: early August...

With several agent partner programmes available across the country, estate agents can often increase business by offering sales by auction, with...

Housing minister Alok Sharma has blocked some of his Twitter followers, accusing them of “abusive language”.   Sharma has a relatively modest 9,169 followers...

We’re already more than halfway through 2017 and, against all the odds, it’s pushing 2016 close in terms of eventfulness and...

A Conservative commitment to allow more fracking is the trigger for conveyancers to gather yet more environmental information during the search...

When it comes to provoking anger in property professionals, taxation takes some beating. Press releases are still arriving berating the December...

New housing minister Alok Sharma is set to make his first key speech this week, at the Housing 2017 conference in...

The Queen’s speech to the British parliament this week was a scaled-back affair, which was unsurprising given the Grenfell Tower fire,...

The detailed paperwork accompanying the Queen’s Speech includes the Conservative party manifesto pledge to streamline house buying - but gives no...

Harry Hill - former chief executive of Countrywide and founder of Rightmove - has sharply criticised the appointment of Theresa May’s...

“Housing policy should be in independent hands.” That was the conclusion of a panel debate that Andrews held, not recently, but two...

A regional estate agency has urged the Government and the new housing minister to implement the policies outlined in the housing...

The property industry has broadly welcomed the appointment of a new housing minister, which was made yesterday evening. Reading West MP Alok...

Former housing minister Gavin Barwell has been appointed as Theresa May's chief of staff. Barwell lost his Croydon Central seat – and...

The housing industry has responded with shock, joy, and jitters, after Theresa May’s snap general election went catastrophically wrong, leaving her...

British homeowners have the most confidence in the Conservative Party to run the nation's housing market. A survey of almost 4,500 homeowners,...

If a political party wants to run a country, it’s probably a good idea that it shows it can at least...

Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on June 8 took many by surprise. But estate agents have been broadly...

In years to come, students of political history might come to look at the 2017 General Election campaign with some interest....

Vigilant followers of the Liberal Democrats may have spotted a blog in the name of Mark Pack early yesterday morning, commenting...

The Conservative and Labour party manifestos do not go far enough to tackle problems with the leasehold system. That’s the view of...

The banning of letting fees levied on tenants has dominated the industry headlines in recent months but this election campaign suggests...

Conveyancers have backed a call by the Conservatives for reform of the house buying process - and says more up-front information...

A conveyancing expert is calling for sellers to complete and return their property information questionnaire to their conveyancer before there have...

The Conservative Party says it wants greater competition and more digitisation to cut the costs and reduce the amount of time...

The Conservatives now say they are not resuscitating Home Information Packs, despite a suggestion by a prominent former minister that they "had...

The Conservatives have this morning announced a reform of the house buying process in the party’s manifesto for the June 8...

An investigation by the BBC has revealed that councils are spending million buying back homes they sold at a discount under...

Speculation has grown that the Conservatives may make a manifesto pledge to remove some family homes’ long-established exemption from Capital Gains...

Not only did Theresa May stun everyone with her decision to call a ‘snap election’ but with the campaign now underway...

Anyone hoping that the General Election could herald an immediate change of heart by the Conservatives on high levels of stamp...

Yesterday’s decision by MPs to agree to Theresa May’s snap General Election on June 8 means that the current government -...

Estate agents have been broadly supportive of the decision by Prime Minister Theresa May to push for a snap General Election...

My apologies if this causes you to break your Easter egg with a little too much aggression, but I reckon the...

Hunters has told investors that its revenues rose 15 per cent to £13.8m in the year to the end of December,...

More than three quarters of developers want to see the government go into reverse on its stamp duty and mortgage interest...

In this Natter we have an exclusive interview with David Cox, CEO of ARLA Propertymark and one of the best-known figures...

We’re almost nine months on from the EU Referendum and yet the issue remains the big divide across the nation: an...

Former Conservative minister Michael Portillo has made an outspoken attack on his former party over its switch of housing policy emphasis from...

One thing that can be guaranteed in the property world each year is a range of conferences and awards dinners. Very...

A trade publication claims the UK’s statistics watchdog is to hold talks with a Whitehall department about the government’s much-vaunted 'one...

If you work in lettings, I’ll already have a pretty good idea on how you feel about the current Conservative Government.  The...

A series of leaks to national newspapers and a flurry of broadcast interviews by housing minister Gavin Barwell means we already know...

First details of the long-awaited Housing White Paper have emerged in stories in newspapers frequently used by government to float ideas. The...

A row has broken out over council tax funds being used to pay 18 estate agencies to find homes for a...

A Conservative MP has backed a petition calling for the alleged killers of an estate agent to be handed over to...

Now I’m not one to lose sleep over politicians, but it strikes me that Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Housing Minister...

Housing minister Gavin Barwell says the government will put forward proposals in the new year to stop abuses of the leasehold...

Listening to all the coverage of the tenant fee ban, all I hear is consumer groups talking about how some agents...

The Daily Mail has calculated which of the 13 housing ministers in office before this autumn has been the most successful,...

It may still be too early to start compiling a Christmas wish list, but it is the right time to provide...

We are now only days away from one of the most-anticipated events in UK politics; one which has a considerable impact...

London agency Stirling Ackroyd is the latest to call for reforms to stamp duty, with a claim that prices for the most expensive...

We are now less than a month away from Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Statement to the nation, depending of course on...

The huge consequences of the EU referendum, and the impending Brexit negotiations, have drawn into sharp light the consequences for a...

Some of this week’s headlines - ‘Firms must list foreign workers’ and ‘NHS to no longer rely on foreign doctors’ -...

The government has revealed that its £2 billion accelerated construction fund will be used to guarantee housing schemes, including deals to...

There has been widespread scepticism from many within the industry that the government will miss its latest house building targets, despite...

The government has signalled that it is going to publish a housing White Paper later this year with “significant measures” to...

Speculation was rife over the weekend that the government would today announce major changes to housing policy - possibly shifting the...

With the number of new homes being built across the UK still significantly below the level needed to meet demand, housebuilders...

An influential backbench Conservative MP is the latest to speak out, urging the government to resolve the growing argument over the...

Older readers may recall a terrific movie called Network where a character, disillusioned by life, shouts from a window: “I’m as...

A ban on agents' For Sale and To Let boards is being widened out across a city six years after a...

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents have asked new housing minister Gavin Barwell to...

Housing appears to have a disappointingly low priority in the new Theresa May-led Cabinet - at least judging from the time...

I’m indebted to one of the most enthusiastic estate agents I’ve had the pleasure of meeting for suggesting the subject of...

Details have come out of what Theresa May thinks about the current housing market, as she approaches taking over as Prime...

The plummetting pound following the UK’s shock vote to leave the European Union risks creating more money-laundering operations through this country’s...

As I sit and write this piece, even with the FTSE 100 back up and sterling having recovered some of its...

The controversy over whether the Land Registry should be sold off will now not be resolved until a new Prime Minister...

Brandon Lewis, the housing minister, is backing Theresa May as a crowded field of candidates begin seeking support to become leader...

The director of a high-end foreign-owned estate agency in prime central London says he is surprised that so many other figures...

One of London’s most outspoken estate agents claims the prime minister who succeeds David Cameron could appoint a chancellor who will...

The Conservatives on the council in Brighton and Hove have called for a ban on estate agents’ boards to be extended...

A high end international London estate agent says a Brexit will lead to increased sales of homes in prime central London...

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an ad by online agency emoov after a complaint disputing the duration of a fee...

The new mayor of London Sadiq Khan has pledged to do all in his power to help make London “better” after...

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has over the weekend repeated its intention to investigate allegations of so-called portal juggling...

The race to replace London Mayor Boris Johnson has entered its final few days, and like never before, housing is the...

A Conservative MP is to raise the portal juggling controversy in the House of Commons. Derek Thomas, MP for St Ives in...

When, during his budget speech, George Osborne announced Capital Gains Tax (CGT) was going down to 20%, I experienced a mix...

More storm clouds appeared over central London’s housing market at the weekend. The Bank of Ireland has announced that it is capping...

Agents' boards get a lot of stick. Many see them as stains on the landscape, some see them as useless in...

When it comes to Budgets and Property, you have to hope that the old adage that ‘things happen in threes’ turns...

A prominent Conservative activist is calling for a strict clampdown on estate agents’ boards which she describes as “a form of...

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron is claiming that the government’s flagship Starter Homes project could allow properties to be bought by...

Kevin Hollinrake - the founder of Hunters estate agency and now Conservative MP for Thirsk, Malton & Filey - says he is...

Estate agents with a difference, a twist, a unique selling point, whatever you want to call it, seem to be becoming...

In January readers of Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today were given the opportunity to give their views on proposed...

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertisement from a property company selling new homes in East London, after it was...

It’s time to take a pause, to reflect and put into context—and what a year it has been for our industry...

You might recall a collective sigh of relief emitted by stakeholders in the housing market and private rental sector back in...

Property journalists, and more than a few estate agents, are beginning their annual autumn ritual – forecasting what’s going to happen...

The government is telling councils to produce local plans for new homes in their area by 2017 – or Whitehall will...

Watch the latest weekly video round-up of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on OnTheMarket's venture...

Watch the latest weekly video round-up of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on OnTheMarket's venture...

There has been a mixed response from the agency world to David Cameron's pledge to reform planning, promise that 200,000 new...

Communities Secretary Greg Clark will be sacked if there is no improvement in the number of homes built in the next...

Controversial housing charity Shelter has published a report which claims that the government's Starter Homes scheme will fail the people it...

Labour leadership front-runner Jeremy Corbyn says he would vote for a complete end to all forms of Right To Buy and...

A new All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing and Planning has been announced to address what it calls “the national housing emergency”...

Data from the estate and letting agency answering service Moneypenny appears to confirm what we have been thinking for some weeks...

The Centre for Economics and Business Research, a leading consultancy, says the drought in properties on the market is pushing up...

The House of Lords has set the cat amongst the pigeons on the government proposal to give housing association tenants the...

Consider the scene. It is July 8th and new Chancellor, Ed Balls, stands at the Dispatch Box giving his first Budget...

An MP has tabled an Early Day Motion calling on the Land Registry to require greater transparency for overseas company purchases...

This week the Chancellor, George Osborne, delivered the first Conservative Budget for almost 20 years. While Mr Osborne claimed that it marked...

The Financial Times says London Mayor and new Conservative MP Boris Johnson is lobbying the government in a bid to persuade...

The high-end market in parts of prime central London is in the doldrums because of a glut of £2m-plus homes put...

The government claims that over 36,000 new home owners have been created through Right to Buy since 2012. Figures released by the...

There is yet more opposition to proposals for the reform of land and estate ownership in Scotland, put forward by the...

There has been a strong reaction against proposals to reform the ownership of estates and other substantial land holdings in Scotland. The...

Given that I wrote my last article on the day of the General Election but well before the result was known,...

One million people will need to be recruited by 2020 if the housebuilding industry is to build the number of homes...

Now that the General Election results have been counted and verified, and now that a new parliament has been sworn in,...

The Conservative Party’s manifesto pledge to extend the Right to Buy scheme was confirmed in yesterday’s Housing Bill.  The Bill was part...

The  new government has announced its legislative plans for housing in the coming year.  In the first all-Conservative Queen’s Speech since 1996,...

Hunters founder and new Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake says he supports the Tory policy of extending Right To Buy to housing...

There has been much debate in recent years about Britain’s desperate need for more housing stock. Demand has been outstripping supply...

The Conservatives’ election victory came as a surprise, so much so that television pundits spent all night after the vote rubbishing...

A little over four weeks ago I was here musing what impact the impending general election might have on the property...

If the first few hours of the new government’s approach to housing are anything to go by, it could be a...

The head of a company making virtual walkthroughs for estate agents says the industry wrongly sees technology as a disruptive threat,...

If the first few hours of the new government’s approach to housing are anything to go by, it could be a...

The industry is awaiting news of exactly who will become the new housing minister and whether the role will have cabinet...

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

I write this article on the day of the General Election so you’ll forgive the political analogies. In particular, how any...

The agency industry has been acting with delight over the likelihood that there will be a slim overall majority for the...

After a night of remarkable election results, it looks likely that much of the residential property industry - which was strongly...

A Conservative victory in this week’s general election will “unleash” a new wave of overseas buyers into the London property market,...

Ian Wilson, the head of Martin & Co, recently threw his hat into the ring regarding Labour’s stated intention to cap...

There's bad news for Britain’s politicians who are using house-building targets as policy objectives in the election - over two thirds...

With another hung parliament looking increasingly likely, the so-called ‘challenger parties’ look set to have a major say in who forms...

Former Conservative housing minister Kris Hopkins warned two years ago that allowing housing associations to sell their stock was a policy...

Franchise brand Hunters, currently the sixth largest estate agency group in the UK, is opening two new branches on the Wirral...