Archive

As the property market gears up for a busy autumn period, agents and property firms have been equally busy bolstering their...

Fresh data from a PropTech firm suggests that 'conveyancer absenteeism' is causing severe delays to property transactions. When You Move reports that...

Some 175,000 pieces of data relating to service in the conveyancing sector have been provided by 7,000 consumers for the second annual Conveyancer Awards...

New rules set out by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which aim to support consumer choice, have been approved by...

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

Out and about recently, I got to thinking: how often do I actually have the call for cash anymore? Or, for...

Were it not for climate change, I would be very close to predicting that the summer is close to being over,...

The London market continues to produce unexpected results with two high end agencies reporting contrasting fortunes.  Half year figures released by Chestertons...

Home is where ? - Recently moved actually, live in a lovely house that looks over the Thames Estuary. I love...

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers says it wants legal practice websites to list cost information, including whether they have referral arrangements. The...

A leading legal firm has given broad approval to proposals from the Law Commission aimed at improving the conveyancing process and...

It’s holiday time: schools have broken up, quite a few estate agents are taking time off, and the MPs are in...

The Law Commission has unveiled proposals that it claims could stop property fraudsters in theirb tracks and improve conveyancing at the...

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

You will notice that there is a new author for this regular column for Estate Agent Today. Last month I was...

If you’re an estate agent and have a property that is difficult to sell or the homeowner simply needs a fast...

HM Land Registry calculates that 125,000 buyers will benefit from just the first phase of its digitisation programme for Local Land...

Automated search companies have heaped praise on HM Land Registry following the digitisation of local land charge data - the LLC1...

A ‘disruptor’ tech company claims that large numbers of people are dissastisfied with the conveyancing element of house moves, with many...

A decade ago we were still years away from Purplebricks, Countrywide was a colossus in the industry, no one had thought...

Boy it‘s hot out there, with little end in sight yet. That’s the good news. Now the even better news -...

To say this is a turbulent time for UK politics would be something of an understatement. As I write, the Brexit...

If World Cup 2018 appeared to be low profile at the start, it didn’t last long. Following this week’s Harry Kane goals...

Having recently attended FUTURE: PropTech in London, it struck me just how far the integration of property and technology has progressed...

A new online platform claims agents can now offer people a chance to buy a property with, literally, just one click...

A PropTech startup which claims to revolutionise the speed at which property transactions can be processed has officially launched this week. When...

Two online agents and a number of PropTech companies have been named in startups.co.uk's Startups 100 index. Coming in at number 64...

Despite numerous reports of a 'stagnant market' and predictions of a 'housing bust', conveyancers have 'bounced back after a disappointing end...

As housing market stakeholders we’ve all had a month or so to try and digest the government’s own response to its...

The Court of Appeal has overturned controversial fraud decisions which have a bearing on agents’ and conveyancers’ responsibilities for checking buyers’...

The rise and fall - and perhaps rise again - of Countrywide has been of enduring interest to the agency industry...

As the world becomes ever more digital and people increasingly look to technology to provide convenient solutions to sometimes complex problems,...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Ben Robinson, Director of Agency Services at Landmark What is Landmark...

I have sold hundreds of lettings businesses over the last twenty-five years. Based on this experience, these are the mistakes that you...

Given the level of resource and energy being put behind upping the number of first-time buyers in the UK, you might...

People living in leasehold properties should extend the remaining terms of their leases before they drop beneath 80 years, according to a...

A new study reveals precisely how little first time buyers apparently understand about the buying process.  In a survey of 500 people...

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

Online agency HouseSimple has become a completely No Sale No Fee agency - and is thought to be the only online...

The Conveyancing Association has backed the government’s calls for extensive reform of the buying and selling process, announced at the weekend. The...

To say I had a lot of reaction to last week's column about selling my flat would be an understatement. I've never...

The conveyancing industry regulator has thrown its weight behind the government’s proposals to improve the buying and selling process.  Stephen Ward, director of strategy...

The first-ever ‘digital mortgage’ deed has been lodged at HM Land Registry, for a property at Rotherhithe in London.  Coventry Building Society...

At any given moment it’s difficult to say which issue dominates our marketplace, but I think it’s fair to acknowledge during...

Three weeks has flown by (I missed an early deadline last week - apologies) and I find myself writing the next...

It’s spring at last! Although we’ve only just finished wiping the snow off our boots, it’s great news that the clocks...

A magazine claims its investigations into the sales tactics of Countrywide and Connells suggest the two agency are “harming consumers, stopping them from...

Conveyancing services firm My Home Move has launched a portal which it claims gives users complete transparency checking their conveyancing progress.  eWay, which is...

A critic of the conveyancing process has accused a law firm’s charge of £95 for “exchange and completion within five working...

Welcome once again to Property Jobs Today, the notice-board for agents, suppliers and other property professionals moving within, out or in...

The troubled Countrywide group has this morning revealed its recovery plan to get - in its words - ‘back to basics’...

Crimestoppers is working with estate agencies and financial advisers as well as conveyancers in a bid to eliminate house buyers’ deposits...

HM Land Registry has taken another step towards its aim to “make conveyancing simpler, faster and cheaper” for the general public. The...

Firstly, a huge thanks to everyone who shared and commented on my first blog and for all those that emailed me...

In a show of changing consumer behaviour in the property market, new research has revealed that digital-savvy movers are favouring specialist...

Representatives from estate and lettings agencies as well as professional organisations have formed The Home Buying And Selling Group with a...

In the great swathe of housing market data which is delivered each month, conveyancers’ case volumes often get overlooked, however the...

A network of agents representing over 800 brands with over 4,000 branches has announced the launch of a host of new...

Home movers are opting to use specialist conveyancers over local solicitors, according to new research. Conveyancing software firm InfoTrack says 43% of...

Conveyancing volumes shrunk by 12 per cent last year, the first annual drop in workloads since 2011 - and the struggling...

“Are we there yet?” In the same way that these words can drive you to distraction (any parent who has endured the...

Almost a third of all ‘Suspicious Activity Reports’ concerning possible anti-money laundering infringements and reported to the National Crime Agency have...

A law firm says the problems with housing transactions lie not with issues like fall-throughs but with “people’s general lack of...

Spicerhaart, which describes itself as the UK’s largest independent estate agency group, has been on the acquisition trail again, showing its...

Whisper it quietly, but there seems to be change in the air when it comes to agents recommending lawyers based on...

Purplebricks’ new UK chief executive officer, Lee Wainwright, is to address a major industry conference in May - his first address...

We seem to be getting more and more contact from agents and others in the industry who are doing great work...

PropTech companies Gazeal and GetMeMoving have teamed up in a partnership which they claim goes some way to meeting the government’s...

A former director at London agency Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward has taken a swipe at agencies that have made knee-jerk changes...

The government has given its support to Land Registry proposals to increase the digitalisation of its services, with changes coming into...

If you were under any misconceptions about how pivotal a role HM Land Registry is going to play in the future...

While there is a distinct market for flats held on particularly short leases, there is a middle ground where flat owners...

Estate agents are making buyers and sellers feel pressured into paying for additional services so as not to miss out on...

The body that regulates conveyancers says controversial referral fees should be disclosed earlier in the house buying process - but they...

Buyers spent £9.7 billion on moving house in 2017 with the average individual move costing £9,580 according to comparison website Compare...

Purplebricks has announced that former Countrywide director Lee Wainwright has been appointed chief executive officer of the hybrid agency’s UK operations...

Arun Estates has launched what it describes as “a major new departure” - a fully-staffed High Street office but covering a...

The Society of Licensed Conveyancers says it is worried that HM Land Registry’s decision to publish details of apparent errors in...

HM Land Registry says it’s consulting with the legal industry on a proposal to publish a league table of conveyancers who...

Controversial hybrid agency Purplebricks has been the subject of yet another complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. An unnamed complainant filed a...

A conveyancers’ trade body has told the government that it wants the house buying process to be modernised by having estate...

A survey released this morning shows that estate agents’ fees have risen only four per cent in real terms since 2007...

Purplebricks’ latest trading statement for the six months ending October 31 claims a large rise in revenue, its number of UK...

A company supplying the conveyancing industry claims that new research reveals 55 per cent of home-movers are frustrated by a lack...

The HM Land Registry has revealed more details of long-term plans to improve and speed up conveyancing processes in a five...

The first residential transaction has taken place under the so-called Conveyancer’s Code for Completion - a new procedure in which the...

Online agency Settled is introducing a deposit scheme which it claims will assist sellers and buyers reach completion faster - and...

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

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

A conveyancing body says it wants the government to allocate “a small fund” in next week’s Budget to promote research into...

A search company called Big Property Data says it is working with 15 major institutions to provide automated property reports aimed...

Winter seems to be firmly with us now, if the plunging temperatures are anything to go by. After a ridiculously mild...

The head of a major Oxford estate and lettings agency has written an open letter to Chancellor Phillip Hammond urging him...

Two thirds of first time buyers over-estimate the cost of purchasing a home according to a survey from the NatWest. The NatWest’s...

Three hundred of the UK’s top conveyancers have celebrated the success of the industry at the first ever ESTAS Conveyancer Awards. The...

The Conveyancing Association says some of its members are piloting HIPs-style Digital Home Reports in a bid to reduce fall-throughs and...

Conveyancers and the speed of local council searches have come in for criticism as details have emerged of the government’s consultation...

There has been a wide range of views from trade bodies and individual agents on the government’s surprise ‘call for evidence’...

A breakdown of data from over 4,100 agents has revealed that it takes on average 201 days to move home, from...

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

In just 10 days time on Friday week the inaugural ESTAS Conveyancer Awards take place.   The organisers have issued a ‘what...

ZPG says it has reached the milestone of delivering over £1m in referrals to its agents via its new MoveIt tool.  This provides agents with the...

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

There is growing concern that online agents who do not chase-up on behalf of clients are leading to delays and fall-throughs...

It used to be so easy. Around 20 years ago there were what we now call full-service estate and letting agencies, and...

Another attempt to create an automated conveyancing system has been launched with the claim that it will banish paper trails and...

Agents’ charity fundraising obviously spans a wide range of genuinely good causes, but it’s noticeable that at the end of each...

The founder of a new online sales assistance service says agents are often unfairly blamed by the public for failings in...

A PropTech start-up says its booking, valuation and communication tools will be available free of charge to any agency with fewer...

Even so close to the event, I don’t think anyone will be deeming 2017 as the ‘summer of love’.  The summer of...

An online platform that allows the public to compare the services and fees of traditional estate agents in their areas has...

The Daily Telegraph claims that what it calls “dodgy practices” are leaving customers “thousands of pounds out of pocket.” The article quotes...

It’s been quite a week, much of it concerning the technology that increasingly underpins our industry.  A glut of fund-raising and relaunching...

Activity in the conveyancing market dropped significantly during the second quarter of the year, according to Search Acumen. The search provider found...

The ESTAS Group has today revealed the shortlist for its inaugural Conveyancer Awards.  Over 5,000 customers have completed a survey about the...

Whenever any research is released, part of me can’t help thinking of that old adage, ‘lies, damn lies and statistics’ especially...

eMoov, the online agency which last month secured an additional £9m funding from investors, has launched a recruitment drive for what...

Now we hate to spoil a long weekend but for much of the UK this is the final Bank Holiday before......

Are you protecting your data right? This may sound like the sort of direct warning you get from cold callers or...

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

Without wishing to blow our own trumpet at this time, we did say at the start of the year that 2017...

There has been general support from the industry for the government’s apparent intention to ban new homes in England being sold...

  A hybrid agency called 99Home Ltd, which made its debut back in April, appears to have relaunched with what it calls...

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

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint over a Purplebricks website statement featuring testimonials from clients; the complaint was made...

The Competition and Markets Authority has released a set of recommendations on how conveyancing, and other legal services, could be made...

The political ebb and flow continues - seemingly with all the subtlety of a Boris Johnson rugby tackle on a 10-year...

Entries for the new ESTAS Conveyancing Awards are now open and you have just over a month to get nominations in...

A new PropTech venture aims to do what the ill-fated Veyo system failed to achieve -  creating an online platform bringing...

A gathering of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has called on the industry to unite and improve the buying and selling process...

A cluster of conveyancing and legal experts, known as the Legal Sector Group, has published a raft of proposals on leasehold...

The vast majority of estate agents believe that not enough people are downsizing to free up family homes, according to conveyancing...

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published the details of its investigation into a complaint made against the Law Society. The complaint...

The UK's largest estate agency has announced a series of internal promotions, bolstering its senior leadership team. Yesterday evening Countrywide confirmed that...

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

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

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

The first ever electronic e-signature exchange of contracts for a residential property transaction in the UK has been completed this month,...

Legal Eye has been announced as the latest organisation to support the new customer service awards for the conveyancing sector launch...

The publication of our Strategic Plan, ‘Building the framework for the future’, met with an anticipated degree of positive and not-so-positive...

At the end of a week dominated by grim news, it is worth remembering our capacity for good far outweighs rare...

A software platform offering a hybrid conveyancing and compliance service to agents has been launched following 12 months of testing with...

Estate agency is a tough business, no doubt about it. It’s probably tougher now to win a listing and tie up...

The Conveyancing Association wants the creation of a ‘log book’ and ‘Home Reports’ for each home on sale - reminiscent in...

Countrywide has revealed that in 2016 it spent over £8.1m on redundancies, some £7.4m on contract costs relating to closed premises,...

The Conveyancing Association (CA) has this week published a consumer guide on leasehold property.  The document, released yesterday, has a specific focus...

Connells Group has announced strong figures for 2016 with the total number of properties sold rising five per cent and lettings...

A sales progression tool claims to have reduced the average transaction time for a property from around 94 days to around...

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

Online agency HouseSimple has been told that by the Advertising Standards Authority that its TV advertisement including the claim ‘sell your...

Two conveyancing sector companies are claiming major advances for their products. Free2Convey, which claims to be the first conveyancing portal offering free...

A conveyancing portal has announced the release of new functionality which allows estate agents to create chains in its system. The 'Estate...

They say you can prove anything with statistics, and 115% of the time I suspect they’re right – that was an...

One of the country’s leading estate agency consultants and trainers, Richard Rawlings, this week embarks on a six-week tour of the...

I recently came across a consumer comment expressing frustration at the length and complexity of UK conveyancing and raising the question...

The Conveyancing Association has revised its wish-list of reforms to, in its words, “ensure fewer delays, a less costly process, and...

A firm is warning of “a wave of litigation from home owners who were given inadequate advice from their solicitors or...

Leaseholds Solution - the company behind the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners - says it wants recent proposals to modernise the...

A conveyancing firm says the buyers at former retirement hotspots such as seaside towns are getting younger because mainstream purchasers are obliged to...

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

The Conveyancers' Association has called for sweeping changes to the house buying and moving system to create a "more certain and...

There is really only one topic of debate and forensic analysis at the moment and that’s the ascendency of Donald Trump...

Working relationships between estate agents and conveyancers can be mutually beneficial with the referral of work between parties. However, they are missing...

It's been quite a week in the world but no matter how big the changes, one thing remains constant - our...

The award-winning online agency HouseSimple has had one of its advertisements banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. The advert was a poster for...

A debate discussing how online and traditional estate agency would develop in the future, organised by City investment consultancy Jefferies, has...

Who are you? Matt Lancaster, one of the founding partners of Free2Convey and Docs4Home.   Tell us about Free2Convey… Free2Convey is the UK’s first free...

A new automated sales progression tool being launched today promises to require fewer resources from agents in return for ensuring faster...

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

It's sometimes easy to overlook the fact that the majority of estate agents only receive payment for the weeks, if not...

The ESTAS Group, which already runs the largest award scheme for the estate agency industry, has launched new awards for the...

Conveyancing is the most complained about area of law in England and Wales – accounting, on average, for nearly a quarter...

The Conveyancing Association says new Chancellor Phillip Hammond should use next month’s Autumn Statement as the opportunity to reverse controversial buy...

Who are you? Nick Dyoss, Group Business Development Director, SearchFlow, property intelligence specialists You have a high profile within the conveyancing search industry,...

Rising estate agency fees account for more almost half of the increase in average moving costs in the past year, according...

I write this during the week that David Cameron resigned as an MP – it is quite startling how quickly politics...

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld two of three complaints against claims made in Purplebricks' TV and website advertising.  The watchdog upheld...

The key lies in improving your customer experience through technology For Agents, the tremendous growth in online estate agents highlights a strong...

Conveyancers will debate how various stakeholders – including estate agents – can deliver a more collaborative home moving experience at an...

It’s been a heartening few weeks for those of us who thought that protest was dead – or, more precisely, that...

Zoopla Property Group is seeking to integrate uSwitch, its price comparison service, with MoveIT, its agents’ platform for ancillary revenue generation. It...

The Conveyancing Association says it is continuing to campaign to reform the leasehold transaction process, despite the government saying there is...

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

The Residential Property Surveyors Association is the latest of many trade bodies to come out against government proposals to privatise the...

The Society of Licensed Conveyancers has become the latest body to call for the scrapping of stamp duty to give the...

The Conveyancing Association has set out recommendations to end what it claims are significant delays and overcharging taking place within the...

A conveyancing portal claims it allows estate agents and other parties access to a property transaction to see conveyancing progress across...

What a month it has been. By the time you read this, we'll have a new Prime Minister, a new Cabinet,...

Nearly three quarters of people who have sold or bought a property deem it more stressful than having a child or...

The joke doing the rounds last week still seems to be just as relevant this week: “the only man with a...

As a service provider to both Estate Agents and Conveyancing Solicitors from one platform, ETSOS sits in a fairly unique position...

What does it say on your business card? Just ‘Director’ – I’m involved in every area of the business at the moment. What...

It’s been a remarkable week for Britain and a challenging week for the agency industry - with possibly many more to...

One estate agency leader - you’d all recognise his name - described the victory of the Leave camp in the referendum...

The Conveyancing Association is setting up a working group to consider how to increase transparency, cut unnecessary delays and costs, and...

The latest figures from the HMRC show the scale of sales market drop-off following the surge in purchases by buy to...

A search company says the introduction of new search forms aimed at making council reporting easier to understand may lead to...

A new e-conveyancing platform has been launched in Edinburgh ahead of a roll-out across all of Scotland. This system, Altis, is the...

It’s long been considered the case that vendors tend to move only relatively close distance but new research has quantified the...

A product that describes itself as a ‘concierge service for estate agents’ has launched under the title Property Butler, with links...

  Who are you? Carole Marsden   What does it say on your business card? UK Sales Director What attracted you to join SearchFlow?  SearchFlow has...

Fraudsters attacking the conveyancing sector, successfully stealing large sums of money from homebuyers, are making national headlines at a depressing rate....

The government's consultation on the proposed privatisation of the Land Registry closes today. Interested parties have had since March 24 to give...

Some 82% of consumers say they would prefer to work with a 'personal agent' who can manage the whole process of...

Hamptons International has announced that it is to launch a 'private conveyancing hub' later this year. The initiative has been designed to...

Conveyancing transactions hit a post-recession high during the first quarter of 2016, according to new figures. Search provider Search Acumen's analysis of...

Conveyancing firm My Home Move has come up with an interesting view of how the housing market could look if -...

An online petition against the privatisation of the Land Registry now has around 225,000 signatures with just over a week to...

Connells has acquired the five-branch independent Paul Dubberley from property investment company Bond Wolfe. Established in 1992, Paul Dubberley offers sales, lettings,...

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

It’s been another great week of fund-raising for good causes by our industry, as you can see from our roll of...

I have spent the last 20 years working within the conveyancing business, alongside estate agents and I can’t help feeling a...

On Tuesday we managed hail, snow, rain, sun and a chilly wind all in one day. Whatever you want to say...

Two initiatives appear to show efforts by the conveyancing industry to make its house transaction processes quicker and more appropriate to...

It's a high quality RICS approved report, carried out by one of our RICS accredited local surveyors. The RICS HomeBuyer Survey is...

SearchFlow, property intelligence specialists, has partnered with Decision First to offer an unrivalled service to protect conveyancers and homebuyers from the...

A new survey suggests that it is the other fees associated with moving house - not estate agents’ charges - that...

The average deposit paid for a Greater London property is over two and a half times larger than a home outside...

It’s almost impossible to write about the conveyancing market and not reflect on the activity levels of the past month or...

Having urged agents to think about the full marketing mix and not just price, we must look at our business relationships...

Storm Katie (makes it sound so harmless when they give it a name like that, doesn’t it?) might have given the...

Just a third of conveyancers are carrying out the most thorough electronic anti-money laundering checks for all transactions, it is being...

Last month the news of the Conveyancing Association’s (CA) newly-launched progression training course for agents and mortgage brokers, reached the news pages...

As any marketer will tell you, the marketing mix in its most basic form is made up of 4 P’s: Price,...

The Law Society is calling on its members to warn not just clients but also estate agents if there is a...

An estate agent has spoken out about the threat of ‘abandoned sales’ if a completion bottleneck prevents purchases of properties going...

The Conveyancing Association is launching a training course for estate agents, as the debate swirls over whether a shortage of conveyancers...

With the scale of devastation from flooding witnessed recently, anxiety about purchasing a property in a flood risk area is heightened....

Conveyancing search company SearchFlow has joined the attack on councils which are slow at conducting searches and threaten to delay transactions. Yesterday...

Countrywide has revealed to Estate Agent Today that it is to begin a trial where selected local branch staff will work between 7am...

The Society of Licensed Conveyancers is calling on the government to reconsider the three per cent stamp duty surcharge being introduced...

Public relations used to be a minor part of estate agency, something only ‘the big boys’ paid for and with little...

Predicting ho­­w the housing market might play out over the next few months is incredibly difficult. There are a significant number...

To those working within the conveyancing sector, the recent statistics from the Legal Ombudsman regarding complaints are perhaps not surprising.  In our...

Only months after the collapse of the Veyo system aimed at creating a conveyancing portal for England and Wales, the Law...

SearchFlow’s rebrand and positioning as the specialist in ‘property intelligence’ is a response to new technological advancements and the changing market...

This week, SearchFlow launches it new brand. Group Marketing and Communications Director, Maud Rousseau discusses the ethos behind the new brand...

The Legal Ombudsman has published new guidance for first time buyers as a result of conveyancing problems topping the list of...

A riposte to Rob Hailstone's article: 'C'mon CHAPS, Don't be faized'. Good Day, and a late Merry Christmas. Sorry for the delay in...

A conveyancing firm claims there has been a 140 per cent increase in the number of properties requiring leasehold extensions in...

There has been a fierce attack on failed conveyancing portal Veyo, in the form of an open letter from one of the...

We know so many agents do good fund-raising during the festive season - here are just a few who made contact...

Earlier this week removal man Matt Faizey had an article published by Estate Agent Today in which he commented about the...

This week, Storm Desmond has left devastation in its wake. Once again, the nation’s attention is drawn to the threat flooding...

The little-publicised extension of the CHAPS settlement day - taking the closure up to 6pm from next summer - has received...

I’m sure I’m not the only estate agent confused by the Government’s approach to residential property ownership. Many of the current ministerial...

A new survey of over 1,350 homeowners across the UK shows that a large number regard the conveyancing process as too...

An interesting story caught my eye a few weeks ago. A man from Lytham St Annes in Lancashire attempted to sell...

When it comes to the regulation of the conveyancing industry, this question is a topic of open and ongoing debate. Licensed conveyancers...

It was perhaps inevitable that as Christmas looms closer so agents’ fund-raising efforts would grow even stronger - and we’re always...

Who are you? Colin Breavington What does it say on your business card? Operations Director We hear SearchFlow is expanding next year, can you give...

There was a recent article in Estate Agent Today titled: Agents 'missing out on income by not charging for referrals'. A study...

I’m writing this from the brand spanking new Center Parks in Woburn Forest. Set within 365 acres of lush Bedfordshire forest,...

We have reached an interesting point in what has been a most unusual year for the property sector.  The latest figures from...

Wind back the clock a few years and the working relationships I had with most estate agents was productive, beneficial and...

Over 64,000 property purchases over the last year involved the buyer relying on a gift of cash for all or part...

We’re all familiar with 'gazumping' – most us have been 'gazumped' or indeed been the perpetrators of this practice, for it...

Another Friday so another opportunity for us to pay tribute to agents doing something for those in need. If you want your...

The internet has changed the way that most businesses operate. In many cases, the opportunities opened up by the emergence of...

We’ve had a flurry of data for all of us involved in the property sector to mull over on our sun...

Conveyancing activity broke records between April and June 2015, according to analysis of Land Registry data by search provider Search Acumen.  Total...

Last month it was announced that the CHAPS payment system will be extended by one hour and forty minutes from summer...

Harry Hill, the former Countrywide chief executive, has described his old company as “going backwards” following the publication of its half-year...

CHAPS has confirmed that its operational hours will be extended from summer 2016, enabling high-value payments to be made until 6pm. The...

Edinburgh Solicitor Property Centre claims to have reached what it calls a “major milestone” in its new e-conveyancing service called Central...

A number of my member firms (Bold Legal Group) have reported that, compared to three years ago, the time to get...

The rising phenomenon of agent-rating and review websites is a topic that seems to have caused considerable division and controversy among...

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

People buying or selling property in Scotland would be better protected if the regulation of estate agency was devolved to the...

The internet and rapidly evolving digital landscape has revolutionised the way people buy and sell properties. With some reports suggesting 95 per...

We’ve already had the hottest July day ever recorded and the temperature is rising on agents’ efforts to help those who...

In my recent article, ‘Is Gazeal for Real?’ I reported on the imminent launch of this new product that claimed it...

The Conveyancing Association (CA) has embarked on a mission to engage with the lender community with a view to initiating a...

Estate agents in Wiltshire say chains are breaking and sales collapsing because of the length of time it takes the county...

Another week, another online estate agency launches - but the latest, called YOPA, claims not to charge any upfront fee to...

It’s pretty hot out there but our industry still confounds critics by doing good work for good causes.  We’ll gladly publicise your...

Shepherd Direct, the UK operator of Century 21 estate agency franchises, has bought a minority stake in Stonebridge Group, the mortgage...

A NEW SERVICE FOR YOU We are pleased to announce the launch of our NEW Conveyancing service, allowing you to offer an...

The managing director of a new estate agency comparison website says he wants to work with and not against the industry.  Ben...

The number of conveyancing transactions fell 16% between the final quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015. Search Acumen’s Conveyancing...

So spring has sprung and the Hare is on the loose. After a very long gestation period, the Veyo leveret has...

Despite it being a short working week, we have once again been inundated with stories of estate and letting agents’ charity...

The conveyancing portal Veyo officially commences its roll-out across England and Wales today, after originally pledging to open in April. Veyo is...

In 2007, the government introduced a compulsory deposit protection scheme as part of the Housing Act 2004 to help protect tenants...

Poldark, a period drama recently on the BBC, has inspired a new trend dubbed the 'Poldark Effect'.  Rather than an increase in...

The issue of some estate agents insisting that buyers and/or sellers use a particular solicitor or conveyancer has reared its ugly...

“More than 1 in 3 agreed property deals in England & Wales fall through… Gazeal is a new system for property sales,...