There’s been a broadly warm response from much of the property industry to Labour’s manifesto, but a call for more detail...
Archive
![Trade and representative bodies launch fifth iteration of the BASPI](/upload/images/4%20--%20Proofed%20--%20%20Trade%20and%20representative%20bodies%20launch%20fifth%20iteration%20of%20the%20BASPI%20By%20Beth%20Rudolf%2C%20Conveyancing%20Associat%20.jpg)
Trade and representative bodies representing the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors, including the Conveyancing Association, have launched the...
27 April 2024
From: Features
![Sellers Risk Fall-Throughs by failing to disclose neighbour rows](/upload/images/shutterstock_2217577647.jpg)
Almost one in five vendors admit to having failed to disclose disputes with neighbours to prospective buyers when selling their home,...
19 April 2024
From: Breaking News
![Trading Standards unveils latest material information rules for agents](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/PropTech/AgentOnline-400x310.png)
The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has published the long-awaited Parts B and C of material information...
30 November 2023
From: Breaking News
![PropTech platform helps agents with Material Information rules](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/BuildToRent-400x310.png)
Iamproperty has launched what it calls “a new solution” to help agents deal with new Material Information rules. The supplier’s new Enhanced...
30 October 2023
From: Breaking News
![Document reviews don’t stop at AML checks, agents warned](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/_AML-400x310.png)
Agents are being urged to increase their efforts when it comes to checking documents to avoid potential claims. Paul Offley, compliance officer...
02 August 2023
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Technology provides the key to better customer experience](/upload/images/PropTech%20.jpg)
At the recent Home Buying & Selling Group UFI Roadshow in London, it was gratifying to note that panel members and...
25 May 2023
From: Breaking News
![Upfront material information pilot cuts conveyancing time in half](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Developments/Builders-400x310.png)
A year-long pilot of using upfront material Information by conveyancer Thomas Legal and search provider Conveyancing Data Services, a part of...
22 May 2023
From: Breaking News
![Government ‘working with’ Trading Standards on conditional selling](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/HouseForSale_400x310.png)
The issue of conditional selling in estate agency has hit Westminster. There have been several reports in recent months about agents requiring...
11 April 2023
From: Breaking News
![Fourth version of BASPI form launches with queries on building safety](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/Estate-Agent-400x310.png)
Trade and representative bodies representing the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors have launched the fourth iteration of the...
03 April 2023
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks shares boosted by takeover rumour](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/ShakingHands-400x310.png)
News of a potential takeover gave Purplebricks’ share price a boost yesterday. Its share price rose 15.5% in a day after Estate...
16 March 2023
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks confirms interest from Strike](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/shutterstock_474636388.jpg)
Purplebricks has confirmed that it has been in discussions with online agency rival Strike regarding a potential takeover offer. As reported by...
15 March 2023
From: Breaking News
![Strike ‘interested’ in Purplebricks takeover](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/BusinessTeam-400x310.png)
Online agency brand Strike is believed to be considering a bid for beleaguered rival Purplebricks. A source close to the talks has...
15 March 2023
From: Breaking News
![6% mortgage rates are equivalent to 25% in 1980, lender claims](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/MortgageApplyNow_400x310.png)
Leeds Building Society has pledged to honour any mortgage offers and support borrowers during this period of market uncertainty. It comes as...
17 October 2022
From: Breaking News
![Portal listings without material information ‘will eventually be rejected’](/upload/images/PropTech%20%26%20Online/OnlinePropertySearch-3-400x310.jpg)
Trading Standards has indicated that non-compliant listings will eventually be rejected from portals as it urges agents to use their “professional...
13 July 2022
From: Breaking News
![Material information update: Agents reminded of disclosure requirements](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/House-MagnifyingGlass-1-400x310.jpg)
Agents are being reminded that they still have an obligation to provide all material information as the sector awaits Part B...
12 July 2022
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today - Let’s get moving with digitising the upfront information agenda](/upload/images/Site%20logos/ProptechToday-1-400x310.png)
Why the urgency? Because the appetite is strong. Research by the Conveyancing Association reports that 98% of consumers are overwhelmingly in...
01 June 2022
From: Breaking News
![Agents - it's time to get clever with property tech](/upload/images/PropTech%20%26%20Online/PropertyTechnology-1-400x310.jpg)
Estate agents use property technology each and every day for residential property transactions, but is there more they can do with...
28 May 2022
From: Features
![Tech Talk: Property experts explain Material Information shake-up](/upload/images/PropTech%20%26%20Online/PropTech-4-400x310.jpg)
Next month will see new rules around upfront Material Information for property sales and lettings come into force in the UK...
18 May 2022
From: Features
![New material information rules will benefit consumers and agents](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/PropertyInformationKeys-400x310.jpg)
Millions of people use online property portals every year to conduct their property search, whether it be for sales or for...
11 May 2022
From: Features
![Trading Standards: Why POA listings are unlawful](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/House-in-Hand-400x310.jpg)
The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) deemed yesterday that the use of POA or “price on application”...
05 May 2022
From: Breaking News
![‘Price on application’ in property listings deemed unlawful](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/PropertyInformationKeys-400x310.jpg)
The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has deemed that the use of POA or “price on application”...
04 May 2022
From: Breaking News
![New Purplebricks CEO – what challenges will she face?](/upload/images/Logos/Purplebricks-TeamGB-Board-400x310.jpg)
Yesterday afternoon, Helena Marston was finally confirmed as Purplebricks new CEO after all the due diligence checks that are required for...
21 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks finally confirms appointment of new CEO](/upload/images/Logos/Purplebricks-2019Logo-400x310.jpg)
Following a series of unexplained delays, Helena Marston has now finally been confirmed as the new chief executive of beleaguered agency...
20 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![Home Information Packs - are they making a comeback?](/upload/images/library/Documents-400x310-min.jpeg)
Agents and conveyancers have signed up to a new buyers’s and seller’s property information form that is described as having been...
04 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![Upfront Information - Light at the end of the Tunnel?](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/MillennialAgents-Meeting-400x310.jpg)
They say that in fashion, if you wait for long enough, clothes that are hanging at the back of your wardrobe...
02 April 2022
From: Features
![PropTech Today: The barriers of non-communicating PropTech](/upload/images/Site%20logos/ProptechToday-1-400x310.png)
PropTech solutions have continued to ingratiate themselves in both the forefront of an agency within advertising mediums and in the backend...
16 March 2022
From: Breaking News
![Insight - how do you solve a problem like conveyancing?](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/EvictionNotice-400x310-min.jpeg)
Those aficionados of the Sound of Music will recognise the tag line above. It came to my mind when thinking about...
12 March 2022
From: Features
![Russians in London given six months to reveal true ownership or sell-up](/upload/images/Locations/russia%20flag.png)
The UK government appears to have given sanctioned Russian property owners a get-out-of-jail card valid for six months. It’s been confirmed that...
10 March 2022
From: Breaking News
![Will ‘upfront information’ go from buzzword to conventional practice in the year ahead?](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/HousingMarket2020-400x310.jpg)
Of the many industry buzzwords, I suspect “upfront information” was up there as one of the most widely used in 2021....
05 March 2022
From: Features
![Reform of properties listings welcomed by industry leaders](/upload/images/library/OnlinePropertySearch-400x310.jpg)
Industry figures have come out in favour of the long-term programme of new compulsory information to be contained on property listings. From...
22 February 2022
From: Breaking News
![Agents Alert - new info must be included on all property listings](/upload/images/Politics%20(MPs%2C%20party%20logos%2C%20etc)/HousesofParliament-3-400x310.jpg)
Trading Standards and the government have jointly announced compulsory new data which must appear on property listings. A property's council tax band or...
21 February 2022
From: Breaking News
![Ban Referral Fees For Agents - petition demands government action](/upload/images/library/Referrals-400x310.png)
A petition is being started, urging the government to ban the payment of referral fees to estate agents. It’s reported to have...
06 December 2021
From: Breaking News
![Improving the home buying and selling process - what's the latest?](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/Property-MagnifyingGlass--1-400x310.jpg)
Despite the progress made in so many areas, particularly in terms of leasehold reform – although we are calling upon the...
27 November 2021
From: Features
![Businesses, including agencies, hand back £1.3 billion in furlough money](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/UK-Cash-20-400x310.jpg)
New figures from HM Treasury have revealed that businesses, including a number of major agencies, have returned £1.3 billion in furlough...
22 September 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agents tell conveyancers how they can improve performance](/img/default/eat.png)
The estate agents’ trade body has set out three ways conveyancers can further help the sales process. Propertymark has made the suggestions...
16 August 2021
From: Breaking News
![HMRC targets property transactions after slump in tax income](/img/default/eat.png)
HM Revenue & Customs is reported to be targeting recent home buyers after a slump in income from property taxes during...
13 August 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agency chief - 'I wish we could bring HIPs back, but just better executed!'](/img/default/eat.png)
In this week’s In Conversation Today, we have another industry big-hitter and one of the most high-profile female leaders in property...
22 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![An interview with Ben Ridgway, Managing Director of iamproperty](/img/default/eat.png)
Ben Ridgway gives his views on the current market, material information and PropTech for agents. What is your current view of the...
21 July 2021
From: Features
![The Holiday Home Debate - Don’t Let Politicians Get Away With It](/img/default/eat.png)
At first sight it’s a tough ask to defend holiday homes when there’s evidence that many who want to buy can’t,...
10 July 2021
From: Features
![Trading Standards to recommend changes to ‘material info’ on listings](/img/default/eat.png)
The Trading Standards agency team has outlined to Estate Agent Today the process it will follow to improve what it calls...
18 May 2021
From: Breaking News
![Property Details - new dispute over what should be included](/img/default/eat.png)
The controversial demands of Trading Standards for more “material information” to be provided upfront in property details have been criticised by...
17 May 2021
From: Breaking News
![Trading Standards ask agents for views on ‘upfront portal information’](/img/default/eat.png)
National Trading Standards wants agents, portals and industry groups to come up with ways to provide basic essential material information ‘upfront’. The National...
20 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Wrongdoing in an agency? Whistleblowers urged to come forward](/img/default/eat.png)
A new campaign to urge whistleblowers to come forward with evidence of wrongdoing has been launched by the Financial Conduct Authority. This...
26 March 2021
From: Breaking News
![Breakthrough on faster house sales with new digital form](/img/default/eat.png)
An industry group charged with trying to make house buying simpler and quicker says it’s made a breakthrough on ‘upfront’ information...
16 March 2021
From: Breaking News
![Should Non-Disclosure Agreements be banned in the property industry?](/img/default/eat.png)
The controversy over the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements in the world of property resurfaced over the weekend in a BBC programme. A...
15 March 2021
From: Breaking News
![Why automation could improve enforcement of PRS regulation](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s now more than a year since the government offered an additional £4 million to councils to combat rogue landlords. At the...
13 February 2021
From: Features
![Customer Data Breach: Foxtons at centre of newspaper allegations](/img/default/eat.png)
A newspaper claims that thousands of customers’ financial details held by Foxtons Group are being freely accessed on the so-called dark...
03 February 2021
From: Breaking News
07 January 2021
From: Breaking News
![Many buyers feel ‘pressured by agent to use in-house mortgage firm’](/img/default/eat.png)
A study of 2,000 home owners shows that over a third have felt pressured by an agent into use its in-house mortgage...
11 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![Referral Fees - agents should disclose them up-front insists Ombudsman](/img/default/eat.png)
The Property Ombudsman has joined calls for greater disclosure of referral fees by agents. The issue has become a hot topic in...
30 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Trading Standards to advise Boomin on referral fees disclosure](/img/default/eat.png)
The Boomin portal, which incentivises agents to cross-sell and benefit from referral fees, is to receive advice on fee disclosure from...
19 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Buyer Beware to be scrapped? Conveyancers debate alternatives](/img/default/eat.png)
Conveyancers have considered whether the long-standing ‘caveat emptor’ or buyer beware principle in a property purchase should be replaced by ‘vendor...
10 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents offered ‘leniency options’ to confess about industry cartels](/img/default/eat.png)
New guidance spells out how leniency can be exercised on agencies or individuals who inform on anti-competition cartels of the kind that...
05 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Renters' Reform Bill delay - what does it mean for the lettings market?](/img/default/eat.png)
Housing Minister Christopher Pincher announced that the introduction of the Renters' Reform Bill will be delayed for an indefinite period due...
31 October 2020
From: Features
![How to sell your agency business in 11 key steps](/img/default/eat.png)
Agents spend their whole careers telling vendors and landlords why they will be able to achieve a better sale price or...
27 October 2020
From: Recruitment & Business Matters
![The importance of addressing Conveyancing earlier in the home moving journey](/img/default/eat.png)
We all know that people can’t move to a new house without going through the Conveyancing process. However, with that said,...
14 October 2020
From: Sponsored Content
![Agents MUST disclose referral fees, Trading Standards tells government](/img/default/eat.png)
Customers must be told about third party referral fees when buying or selling a home says the National Trading Standards Estate...
02 October 2020
From: Breaking News
![Safety in agents’ offices: understanding the law on whistleblowing](/img/default/eat.png)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has encouraged people to complain if they are unhappy about working conditions and thousands of complaints...
26 September 2020
From: Features
![Boomin is only new portal that can rival Rightmove - top agent](/img/default/eat.png)
One of the most experienced British estate agents says the new portal Boomin - expected to launch next month, October -...
01 September 2020
From: Breaking News
![Upfront property information – we need to stop ‘going round the houses’](/img/default/eat.png)
At a recent Conveyancing Association webinar focused on the provision of upfront information in the property sale process, there was a...
11 July 2020
From: Features
![Jenrick fails to show for key question as ‘cash for favours’ row grows](/img/default/eat.png)
Beleaguered Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is under growing pressure to explain his part in a planning decision - now deemed illegal...
12 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Phil Spencer: How to become the go-to local agent as a new era begins](/img/default/eat.png)
Since my last column in April, one could argue that very little has changed for agents in terms of the market...
04 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![First merger disclosure forms filed by Countrywide and LSL](/img/default/eat.png)
Both Countrywide and LSL Property Services have submitted early online paperwork to The Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, an independent body...
26 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![Short lets - should there be selective bans?](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s something of a conspiracy of silence over the problem of short lets. That is a stark claim but many siren voices...
22 February 2020
From: Features
![Agents Beware: Mandatory disclosure of referral fees still a possibility](/img/default/eat.png)
It is possible that agents and their business partners in the conveyancing, mortgage and survey industries could be obliged to have...
29 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents warned they will be accused of mis-selling](/img/default/eat.png)
A leasehold reform campaigner claims estate agents face “growing calls to be held accountable for mis-selling leasehold properties.” Louie Burns, managing director...
21 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![Foxtons Fat Cats: new bonus policy created after shareholders’ revolt](/img/default/eat.png)
Troubled London estate agency Foxtons says it has rewritten its remuneration policy for its senior management following a shareholder revolt at...
14 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![A moving tide of regulation making its way towards estate agents](/img/default/eat.png)
It may well seem that the government is pre-occupied with one issue, and one issue alone. While preparations for Brexit take up a...
01 June 2019
From: Features
![Upfront information will be crucial to the future of buying and selling](/img/default/eat.png)
When it comes to major issues confronting housing, and in particular the direction that the government would like to take the...
23 March 2019
From: Features
![Referral Fees: Onus is very much on agents insists conveyancing chief](/img/default/eat.png)
The director of strategy at the Council for Licensed Conveyancers says “the onus is very much on estate agents” to respond...
05 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![Referral Fees clampdown welcomed as “a triumph for consumers”](/img/default/eat.png)
The National Association of Estate Agents has led the support for stricter new guidelines on transparency for referral fees. The clampdown means agents...
01 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![Case Study: Noise issue could cost agent £9000](/img/default/eat.png)
Our latest case study come from a recent news item to have hit the industry and national press. A disgruntled tenant is claiming...
16 January 2019
From: Sponsored Content
![For today only - Rightmove ruined and it’s a nightmare selling Elm Street](/img/default/eat.png)
You know the shiver you get when the portal reps call you out of the blue? That cold sweat in the...
31 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![Increased Trading Standards budget should focus on CPRs compliance](/img/default/eat.png)
You will perhaps have seen recently that the Government has decided to boost funding to the regulator, the National Trading Standards...
29 September 2018
From: Features
11 August 2018
From: Features
![GDPR Weekly: Anti-money laundering regulations and data protection](/img/default/eat.png)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...
07 August 2018
From: Breaking News
![GDPR Weekly: How should agents deal with security breaches?](/img/default/eat.png)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...
10 July 2018
From: Breaking News
![Referral Fees may be banned following Trading Standards survey](/img/default/eat.png)
National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team and two of the three industry redress organisations have launched a survey to measure the...
19 June 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: What’s the true value of an estate agent in the world of tech?](/img/default/eat.png)
Is there really any true value to an estate agent in our current climate? Will there be a role for traditional agents...
06 June 2018
From: Breaking News
![GDPR Weekly: Passing data to third parties](/img/default/eat.png)
Coming into force on May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 -...
01 May 2018
From: Breaking News
![More details revealed on range of agency reform proposals](/img/default/eat.png)
More details have emerged of the government’s proposals to enhance estate agency regulation, regulate referral fees, offer guides for buyers and...
09 April 2018
From: Breaking News
![Japanese knotweed: what estate agents need to know](/img/default/eat.png)
When it comes to property, ‘Japanese knotweed’ are the two words most homeowners and prospective buyers do not want to hear. With...
03 March 2018
From: Features
!['Secret' project aims to help traditional agents combat Purplebricks](/img/default/eat.png)
A ‘secret’ proposal called Project UHA was put to a hand-picked group of agents on Friday with speculation suggesting it centres...
22 January 2018
From: Breaking News
![Combatting a knotty problem for estate agents](/img/default/eat.png)
Japanese knotweed, the invasive plant brought over to Britain in the Victorian era, threatens millions of pounds worth of property transactions...
20 January 2018
From: Features
![Buyer says he'll sue agent over non-disclosure about neighbours](/img/default/eat.png)
The Daily Mail and other papers are reporting that a buyer is suing an estate agent who allegedly failed to tell...
28 December 2017
From: Breaking News
![OnTheMarket rebel agent makes last-ditch bid to overturn float proposal](/img/default/eat.png)
An early Gold member of OnTheMarket is making a last-ditch bid to stop its parent company, Agents’ Mutual, from floating on...
11 September 2017
From: Breaking News
![Savills stays silent on valuation allegation and High Court order](/img/default/eat.png)
Savills is remaining silent on the issues surrounding the apparent filing of a High Court order that may oblige the agency...
31 August 2017
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks told to slow growth and get its house in order by City analyst](/img/default/eat.png)
After a roller-coaster day on the Stock Exchange yesterday, Purplebricks has sought to defend itself against further possible share price losses...
03 August 2017
From: Breaking News
![Firm warns of wave of litigation against new-build conveyancers](/img/default/eat.png)
A firm is warning of “a wave of litigation from home owners who were given inadequate advice from their solicitors or...
29 November 2016
From: Breaking News
![ETSOS Respond to Government’s anticipated “Call for Evidence” on improving the conveyancing process](/img/default/eat.png)
As a service provider to both Estate Agents and Conveyancing Solicitors from one platform, ETSOS sits in a fairly unique position...
06 July 2016
From: Sponsored Content
![Time to stick it up: Agents still not complying with transparency law](/img/default/eat.png)
Running a business is not easy, but sometimes it becomes harder because we are expected to modify our behaviour due to...