Archive

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

Arguments over the alleged gaming of reviews by and for some estate agencies have waged ferociously in recent years, and now...

The outlook for the housing market is still taking shape, but here I take a look at three market indicators to...

The number of full property details viewed on Rightmove - a key indicator of market health - is already stronger than...

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman.  The figures refer...

In these unprecedented times, Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) aims to reassure letting agents, landlords and tenants on any legislative changes, relating...

There could be a wave of legal disputes as off-plan buyers seek to get out of purchase deals after the lockdown...

There’s a warning today that the housing market could face a wave of legal disputes if buyers of off-plan new builds...

An estate agency says it’s using so-called Covid Clauses in contracts to keep transactions on course. Knight Frank says it’s writing ‘Coronavirus...

Allsop has staged its first principal residential auction entirely online, and has raised £28m. Some 76 per cent of all lots offered...

The impact of the Coronavirus crisis is going to reduce agents' revenue into the third quarter finishing in late September warns a leading...

Hello and here’s the latest daily update to help the industry through these unprecedented times.  If you have any appropriate advice you...

Hello and welcome to the latest Conquering Corona - our guide for agents to get through these challenging times. Please let us...

New research of the buying habits of first-time buyers in the UK we’ve undertaken here at reallymoving.com shows that Shared Ownership...

Welcome to the weekly salute for agents and others in the industry fund-raising for good causes - and we know that...

Sellers who failed to mention a motel and diner being constructed nearby have been ordered by a court to pay £285,000...

Earlier this month, Boris Johnson carried out a reshuffle of his cabinet, telling ministers they must 'repay the trust of those...

The government has been told that raising the stamp duty threshold would both trigger more house moves, and bring the tax...

Not for the first time, a government policy on housing ends up begging more questions than it provides answers - but...

Hello and welcome to the end of the week, which always means a round-up of our industry’s good work for charity....

The ‘on-demand’ economy is reshaping our world. The way we order food, get around, and even access healthcare has changed irreversibly...

Last November, as part of the Conservatives’ general election campaign, Boris Johnson made a surprise announcement that his party would introduce...

The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee meets today for its monthly decision on whether the move base rate - and...

House prices rose 4.0 per cent in 2019 according to Britain’s biggest mortgage lender Halifax, as a December bounce - some...

We are facing a new world in the lettings industry, with the proportion of households in the private rented sector (PRS)...

House price growth in the past decade was at its weakest for 30 years - and despite that it remains though...

First time buyers reached an estimated 353,436 in 2019, the highest level since 2007. This is the fifth time in six years...

There are reasons to be optimistic that a majority government will improve the housing market, simply by ending political and economic...

Yes, believe it or not, we’ve nearly reached the end of a whole decade. And what an eventful decade it’s been. We’ve...

It’s a substantial Tory government for the next five years: what does this mean for estate agents, property and the market? We have...

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

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

A new portal claims it will do what OnTheMarket failed to do, and offer an agent-led operation charging every agency branch...

No one would argue that unfair fees and practices by rogue landlords is a problem that should be ignored, but the...

In just over two weeks, the UK population will head to the polls for the fourth general election since 2010. Of course,...

Election time means setting out your stall and getting support - so how about a vote of confidence for those agents,...

The prospective buyers of a home in Oxfordshire who paid a deposit of £108,000 before withdrawing are suing the sellers in...

You don’t need to go far to find news about the UK lettings market. From the banning of tenant fees to...

Reservation Agreements are the subject of the moment in the agency industry. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is to...

Countrywide has declined to comment on circumstances surrounding today’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors disciplinary meeting about diverted funds. One of RICS’...

Since I started working with Zero Deposit for me the market leader in deposit replacement alternatives, the most common question I am...

When renting a property out, letting agents and landlords recognise that it is important to take a deposit from the tenant...

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

A sales and lettings agency which has entered insolvency is reported by a local newspaper to have offered vendors cut-price fees...

First time buyers will constitute the largest single group of purchasers in 2019, despite the apparent difficulties of deposits and securing...

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

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

The trade headlines may be dominated by a revolution proposed for how agents are regulated, licensed and trained but one thing...

Increasing legislation and regulation has arguably been the biggest talking point in the private rented sector (PRS) over the last few...

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

Facebook is set to enter the cryptocurrency business with the big reveal of its formal plans scheduled for some point this...

With summer in full swing (will someone tell the weather?) we’re having bumper editions of Agents Do Charity, and this weekend’s is...

The head of the Property Redress Scheme is urging agents to prepare for yet more regulation and legislation changes likely to...

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

There’s a silver lining to another set of stodgy housing market figures - at least one sector, for those buying their...

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

It has been a long time coming, but the tenant fees ban, which forbids landlords and letting agents in England from...

Over the last few years, there have a number of changes to the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) regime, which have...

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

The topic of introducing rent controls in London crops up time and time again in our industry. But it’s been hitting...

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

Interesting news this week from South Africa where the PropTech startup, Flow, has raised R20m in the country’s 'biggest PropTech seed...

The average prices of flats and maisonettes bucked the trend by falling very slightly in the year to December, according to...

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

It’s safe to say that the majority of agents will be glad to see the end of the past two years....

Another year is nearly done – and what an eventful year it’s been. We’ve had more than our fair share of breaking...

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

With a new year nearly upon us, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the major events that are...

When renting a property out, letting agents and landlords recognise that it is important to take a deposit from the tenant...

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

How will things be done in the future? There’s no knowing, of course, given the many variables at play, but it’s...

A new company is claiming to reduce chain collapses during sales by creating a lockout agreement, also known as a reservation agreement. Property...

An estate agency trading under two different names has been expelled by The Property Ombudsman after refusing to refund a £2,000...

An established estate agency in Guernsey is being listed as 'voluntarily winding up' and liquidators have been appointed. Concerns about Sarnia Estate...

Some 31 per cent of first time buyers residing in London ended up moving away from the capital to purchase a...

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

Boris Johnson is calling for a cut to Britain’s “absurdly high” stamp duty. Writing in this morning’s Daily Telegraph - the same newspaper...

A leading buying agency is warning about asking prices that are higher than those acceptable to mortgage companies who therefore down-value...

We’re lucky enough to interact with thousands of landlords and tenants every month. As a result, we get the chance to...

Letting agents are being advised to think seriously about how they can recoup costs to help compensate for the introduction of...

One of the country’s leading experts on the housing market says first time buyers are still hampered from purchasing homes despite...

The Bank of Mum and Dad will provide funding towards around a quarter of property purchases this year, according to research. By...

Average first-time buyers in London spend double the amount paid by those across the rest of Britain. A typical London buyer now...

In recent months, there’s been a notable move in the rental market towards deposit replacement products in place of traditional security...

The latest mortgage snapshot from e.surv has reinforced recent claims from other sources that London’s housing market remains the most difficult...

The proportion of first time buyers in the market is still 11 per cent below the level seen before the 2008...

Figures just released assessing February’s mortgage borrowing show that approvals are 1.25 per cent lower than in January, and are down...

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

LSL Property Services - parent company to 12 brands including Your Move, Reeds Rains and London’s Marsh & Parsons - has...

A new year means new predictions for what’s to come in the letting industry. Sometimes things come to fruition as expected....

New research from the National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents reveals that no fewer than...

New analysis by the Nationwide has revealed just how big an obstacle a 20 per cent deposit can be for buyers...

Another new year is nearly upon us and, once we’ve got the season of mince pies, mulled wine, pigs in blankets,...

Bitcoin has smashed into the headlines again recently with major news outlets describing the ever increasing worth of this wildly volatile...

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

Mortgage approvals are well above last year's levels despite concerns about the health of the housing market.  There were 66,185 mortgage applications...

Some 41 per cent of parents are not in a position to provide any financial support towards helping their child get...

Employers and government should introduce auto-enrolment of monthly salaries to allow people aged 18 to 40 to save for deposits on...

An online platform has been launched with the aim of allowing first time buyers to seek crowdfunding to raise enough cash...

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

Research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research has shown that the cost of the average rental deposit is expected...

We’ve had the Bank of Mum and Dad so is the next big thing to hit the market a growing number...

New research suggests the Bank of Mum and Dad is now helping so-called ‘second steppers’ - existing owners moving up the...

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

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

The overall mortgage market has grown in the past month according to e.surv - bringing to an end months of decline...

ZPG has published its half-year figures this morning showing a six per cent rise in the number of agents and a...

First time buyers who were supposed to be helped by the high-profile Help To Buy ISA have in fact found it...

Over 250,000 non-homeowners appear to have given up on the dream of owning their own property in the past year alone,...

Cash is becoming an increasingly large proportion of the funding used to buy homes according to a new analysis of transactions...

More than one in three first time buyers have missed out on potential home deals because their deposit was too small...

Research from Legal & General and the Centre for Economic Business and Research says parents are to spend 23 per cent...

I was recently contributing to whitepaper by a major bank about the future of the property industry and, as I was...

Ten years ago this month (April 2007) tenancy deposit schemes were first introduced in England and Wales.  You need to go a...

There are more first-time buyers (FTBs) finding a way on to the property ladder than at any time since the Financial...

Buyers with deposits of 15 per cent or less of the purchase price now make up more than a fifth of...

Research from the consumer organisation Which? claims that first time buyers are typically saving for anything up to a decade for...

The Property Ombudsman has reiterated its new guidance in relation to agents accepting pre-contract deposits in certain circumstances. Estate Agent Today reported...

The Property Ombudsman’s office has defended a change to its code of practice which, according to a national newspaper, means agents...

There were an estimated 354,000 homemovers in 2016, a fall of 4% compared to the 367,000 recorded the previous year. Analysis by...

Moneyfacts, the independent financial products monitoring service, says first time buyer have a lot to thank Help To Buy for -...

A remarkable survey conducted by a crowdfunding platform suggests that young Londoners on an average annual salary of £34,320 may have to...

Research from the consumer organisation Which? suggests that the number of mortgages on the market has increased by 13 per cent...

Fears raised over the UK housing market in the wake of the Brexit vote have so far proved to be ‘wide...

For many people buy-to-let continues to look an attractive income investment at a time of low saving rates and stock market...

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

The National Association of Estate Agents has waded into the row created by the revelation that the government’s Help To Buy...

The Daily Telegraph appears to have exposed the government’s much-vaunted Buy To Let ISA scheme - billed as helping first time...

Rentplus, a business providing Rent To Buy homes, has announced that it has new funding of £20m - on top of...

With ever increasing obligations, estate agents know that compliance matters now more than ever.  However, being able to obtain access to the...

A housing body says that, rather than presiding over a worsening housing crisis as many suggest, David Cameron has actually left...

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

No fewer than 44 per cent of ‘second time’ buyers have no plans to save for a deposit to buy their...

A developer is making an offer to buyers of selected units at his new scheme in Slough - buy now but...

So what is it with young people failing to stand up for themselves and not making the most of their money...

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

First time buyers with small deposits are among those likely to suffer as a result of new regulations on credit risk...

Respected housing analyst Kate Faulkner is accusing campaigning charity Shelter of ignoring key facts and scaremongering about the alleged difficulties of...

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

Hamptons International says single first time buyers and couples can significantly cut the time it takes to save for a deposit...

This week, as the title suggests, I turn my attentions to the world of deposit protection schemes. Landlords have been legally obliged...

The Haart agency claims the number of first-time buyers looking to enter the market saw a 22.7 per cent increase on...

The average deposit for a property has risen 15 per cent in the past year and now stands at over £80,000...

The number of first time buyers is estimated to have totalled 310,000 in 2015, virtually unchanged over the past year despite...

Who are you? I’m the Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme. I previously worked for Legal & General PLC dealing...

Over one in 20 home buyers this year used a gift for all or part of their deposit, helping to fund...

The number of first time buyer transactions in October stood at 28,100 - a drop on previous months despite the fact...

The number of house purchase mortgage approvals has risen by 19.8 per cent over the last 12 months.  Data from eSurv suggests...

Agents' Giving: No less than £20,000 has been raised at the Agents Giving Ball where Phil Spencer and 240 of the...

Agency chain Haart says UK-wide property prices have risen 7.3 per cent annually and 0.9 per cent in the past month.  It...

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

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

An out-spoken estate agent has claimed that first-time buyers in the North East of England will need to save deposits of...

Young prospective buyers will be able to pay the equivalent of rent on a property which they then go on to...

First time buyer registrations have plummeted over the past year and the average price of a home purchased by FTBs has...

After the passing of the Deregulation Act deposits deadline this week, Richard Price, Executive Director of UKALA, is in a contemplative...

A north of England firm that claims to offer a more affordable route into home ownership than available with a conventional...

The National Association of Estate Agents says HMRC have been making unscheduled visits to individual agency offices to check on their...

An estate agency has been criticised for taking fees from buyers and vendors, known as ‘double-charging’. Over the weekend The Guardian published...

Earlier this week we passed the official deadline for letting agents to fully publicise their fees as well as providing evidence of...

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

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

Watch the latest weekly video roundup of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on a London...

The Brian Cox estate agency, at the centre of a weekend newspaper allegation about £2,000 deposits from buyers, has strongly defended...

An estate agency says it is returning money to buyers after a newspaper revealed it was demanding would-be purchasers paid the...

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

A scam property fund has been wound up on the recommendation of the Financial Conduct Authority after glaiming to offer guaranteed...

It is to the credit of our political parties - and our own industry’s lobbying - that so many housing-related matters...