Archive

The latest White Paper from the Institute of Residential Property Management (now part of The Property Institute) has called for customers...

Have you ever noticed that it is much easier to fix other people's problems than your own? Whether it is resolving a friend's...

A few weeks ago, we saw widespread disruption due to record breaking 40°C heat in the UK. The extreme temperatures caused...

With the government releasing details on the Fairer Private Rented Sector, landlords and letting agents are looking for ways to maintain...

You may be thinking that cost and hassle outweighs the benefits of outsourcing, but read on, you may be surprised! The last...

As Britain’s housing boom continues,  SDL Property Auctions has warned of ten ways new homeowners could be fined up to £5,000...

A recent study revealed that as many as 4.6 million homes in England overheat. With highs of 40°C this week and warnings...

A wide range of upcoming legislative changes will affect the private rented sector. From new carbon monoxide alarm regulations to renters...

Former Fine & Country chief executive David Lindley has teamed up with other industry heavyweights to launch a network of independent...

Estate agency trade body Propertymark is hoping to “maintain momentum” with newly appointed Housing Secretary Greg Clark. He replaces Michael Gove, who...

A quick-thinking estate agent has helped save an elderly disabled man from a house fire. Tom Ashby, Property Centre branch partner at...

Industry veteran Eddie Goldsmith has revealed why solicitors may sometimes have to “fob-off” estate agents and how to get around it. Goldsmith,...

A property expert has warned against bans on second home sales and has suggested giving local buyers first refusal instead. It comes after...

It’s the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell fire tragedy, but are high rises any safer today than they were then? On 14th...

The Bank of England raised interest rates for the fifth consecutive month yesterday. The cost of borrowing is now at a 13-year...

There are some inspiring examples of agents and property professionals raising money for all-important children's charities this week. Remember, if you have...

The fast-moving property sales market is increasing the risk of fraud, an anti-money laundering expert claims. Olly Thornton-Berry, co-founder of risk management...

There are whispers in Whitehall about plans to encourage pensioners to downsize with a stamp duty tax break. The move, first reported...

A best-selling author and ex-military wellness culture revolutionary have been named as headliners for this year’s NAEA Propertymark conference. Dr Andy Cope...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced that he is considering extending Margaret Thatcher’s Right-to-Buy scheme, that gives council tenants the chance to...

Speedy property sales may not be as good as they seem, an industry figure has warned. Recent figures released by Rightmove indicate...

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

The vast majority of property professionals would like to see HMRC act more proactively to deter money laundering, as almost a...

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

The industry has reacted to the Spring Statement by breathing a sigh of relief that nothing was likely to cause damage...

For the second time in recent weeks, Purplebricks has de-listed a property after an unacceptable comment by the seller on social...

A rural body in Wales has hit out at the Welsh Government’s proposals for draconian new taxes on second homes.  Earlier this...

The Mayor of London is demanding ministers take sanctioning Russian oligarchs seriously by moving immediately to seize assets that can then...

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

Property checks can be the bane of a letting agent’s life if left unchecked. Throw in the winter weather, and you’ve...

Purplebricks’ decision to de-list a property after the Christian vendors made anti-gay comments has won widespread support from industry figures, including...

Purplebricks is reported to have removed a property listing from its website when it discovered the vendors - a Christian couple...

Barely three weeks into the new year and we’re already talking about plans to raise tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of...

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

Leasehold, quite rightly, remains not just an emotive topic given what has happened over the past decade, but it’s very much...

Mark Meyer, CEO, Meyers Estate Agents: “We’re on a mission to revolutionise the traditional concept of estate agency.   We don’t have...

There’s been a dramatic 48.4 per cent fall in the number of property sales between September and October, reflecting the end...

Some 14 trade bodies in the estate agency, conveyancing, property management and surveying industries have jointly launched new upfront documents which...

Hello and welcome to the latest Agents Do Charity, your weekly opportunity to salute those in our industry doing so much...

Today is the 11th day of the 11th month - the traditional annual Armistice Day, commemorating the signing of the armistice...

Tech stack is a term often used nowadays to describe all the software tools within a business. Calling it a stack...

A petition calling on the government to set up an independent enquiry into the cladding crisis has reached a key 10,000...

An estate agent in a branch of Hunters says he’s lucky to be alive after a car containing an elderly couple...

Leading politicians operating in the housing industry have paid tribute to murdered backbencher Sir David Amess. Housing Secretary Michael Gove tweeted: “David...

The property industry and its many stakeholders are key participants in a global digital transformation that has been underway for quite...

Our story yesterday on whether agents should continue to dress formally post-pandemic seemed to relight the fire on a long-time debate...

Jonny Dyson, a leading London estate agent and the former regional director of John D Wood & Co., has joined Winkworth...

Boris Johnson's sudden and unexpectedly ruthless Cabinet reshuffle, which drew comparisons with Margaret Thatcher's 'purge of the wets' in 1981, ended...

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has become the latest body to welcome the decision by Countryside Properties to scrap the requirement to pay...

A news conference today is expected to reveal more details of the governance scandal which has engulfed the Royal Institution of...

There’s a lot being said about how the workforce will operate in the post-pandemic world. We’re still largely remote at Homesearch but as...

A  mortgage expert says surveyors should improve their standard services to cover the threat of climate change.  This comes after a summer...

Taking photographs or video footage during a routine property inspection can be a contentious subject. While landlords have every right to...

Around 2.66 million landlords were operational in Great Britain in 2019, according to data estimations previously released by Hamptons International. Of those...

Propertymark has welcomed the move by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to help make certain leasehold flats more attractive to would-be buyers...

Remember the early days of lockdown when there was a general panic? Perhaps the hot demand for toilet rolls was a sign...

In this week’s In Conversation Today, we have another industry big-hitter and one of the most high-profile female leaders in property...

In the world of football – very topical at the moment, as we all enjoy the Euros – there is an...

In this week’s In Conversation Today, we have one of the most familiar names in agency on board for a Q&A....

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

New research shows that UK estate agents are amongst the best value in the world. Using data from the Global Property Guide...

The Grenfell Tower disaster in June 2017 exposed the dangers of inflammable cladding on residential tower blocks, and what has come...

The controversial demands of Trading Standards for more “material information” to be provided upfront in property details have been criticised by...

The estate agency industry is besotted with digital canvassing to try to win business - but that’s the wrong approach to take...

The biggest news story in town this last week – which has brought people who don’t usually like or watch football...

The stamp duty holiday has backfired and buyers almost everywhere are paying more for homes, rather than less. StripeHomes analysed house price...

Purplebricks has unveiled changes to its For Sale and To Let boards to reflect its continuing sponsorship of Team GB and...

Following the fluctuation of the property market during the UK’s first national lockdown, the industry was given a lifeline by the...

It might be tempting during the pandemic to focus simply on the business, yet many agents have been turning their attention...

  Who are you and what does it say on your business card?  Mark Meyer, CEO, Meyers Franchising What is Meyers and what...

A prominent conveyancer has hit out at the extension to the stamp duty holiday, which is now ending in late June and...

Agents and a wide range of property experts have demanded yet more government funds to end the cladding crisis that is...

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced “an exceptional intervention” promising that leaseholders in high-rise buildings above 18 metres will bear no...

Labour has entered the cladding controversy by calling a vote in the House of Commons to force government action on the...

In a dramatic New Year’s Eve statement on the London Stock Exchange, Countrywide has agreed the terms of a recommended offer...

Start-up letting agents looking to enter the market are finding it increasingly difficult to set up in business as banks point...

Around half of all estate agencies selling homes for £5m or more have not even registered for anti-money laundering processes, and/or...

A scathing document produced by MPs slams the government for its “deplorable” housing policies which are "invented, abandoned and reinvented" -...

Recent debate about urgent need for reform and better collaboration within the property industry, has once again come under the spotlight...

A TV advert for Rightmove first screened in 2018 has been cleared of gender stereotyping. A complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority...

While England’s national lockdown exempts the housing market and allows agents to operate normally, it’s not been the same in Wales...

It’s been an unexpected year for the property market, shaped by the effects of the pandemic. We didn’t quite anticipate the...

The property market has bounced back with all of the expected resilience and flexibility that is its hallmark since it reopened...

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 have been in place for several months now. While letting...

Are agents swimming upstream against the Electrical Safety Regulations? 3 months on from the introduction of the ‘Electrical Safety Standards in the...

Survivors and bereaved family members from the Grenfell Tower fire have joined forces with residents trapped in allegedly dangerous flats in...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that all retail staff will be obliged to wear masks when working - and it's now...

The letting industry has come a long way over the past few years, embracing regulation and taking pride in doing good...

Letting agents are struggling to open new bank accounts and even large established letting agents with a long history of trading...

A PropTech firm that regularly claims London homes are mis-measured in property descriptions has taken a swipe at Purplebricks. Pupil, a spatial...

Steve, his name was. Steve, the board man. A rather frightening man, if truth be told. When I started at Foxtons, he used...

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 - which require increased electrical testing in rental properties...

Purplebricks is starting a new wave of TV advertisements today, continuing its theme from earlier this year as a sponsor of...

It may be that by the time you read this it’s all over for Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for...

Tuesday mornings at 6am is usually my time to review all the latest PropTech news. This fires off ideas for my...

Letting agents up and down the country have undoubtedly felt the financial strain added by the outbreak of COVID19. Whilst this will continue,...

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

Strutt & Parker is the latest agency to attract hundreds of prospective vendors and buyers to a ‘keep in touch’ webinar. Last...

Agents and in some cases their brokers continue to do battle with insurers in a bid to secure pay-outs on their...

Hello and welcome to Conquering Corona, our bid to help agents through the crisis. If you have appropriate advice to share with...

We are still living in highly extraordinary times, perhaps evidenced best by the fact that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was...

Just a month ago our homes felt, for many of us, to be a mere pitstop on a centrifuge of work,...

A leading estate agency says it has observed that some banks previously opposed to accepting remote and desktop valuations have started...

There has been scepticism across the industry as to the motives behind an unspecified number of lay-offs and permanent branch closures...

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

The Bank of England has announced an emergency cut in the base interest rate to shore up the economy during the Coronavirus...

The coronavirus outbreak has highlighted once again how fragile and interconnected our societies have become. We don’t know yet how dangerous Covid-19...

The head of a firm that has been creating digital property log books for well over a decade says the house-moving...

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

Another weekend, another storm: it’s hard to put a smile on your face when winter goes on this long but the...

Annual house price growth increased to 4.1 per cent in January, up slightly from the end of 2019, according to Halifax...

The founder of an online agency has spoken publicly for the first time about how his near-death experience led him to...

A veteran agent says the new government’s Budget, expected in the next few weeks, should not provide too much help to...

Hello and welcome to PJT: even with little more than a fortnight before Christmas it seems there are still plenty of...

Property voyeurism and the festive season have long been bedfellows for many Brits. The heady combination of over-indulgence and regret, close proximity...

Problems with relationships are usually helped, if not always resolved, by people asking straight questions and getting straight answers. That’s what we...

Hello and welcome to the final Property Jobs Today for November - the festive month of December is just around the...

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

Agents have interpreted the latest house price figures as evidence that the market is in limbo waiting for the Brexit -...

There’s been an encouraging increase in property transaction volumes according to new figures from HM Revenue & Customs. The total number of...

In recent years, governments and local councils have sought to change the private rented sector (PRS) to make it more appealing...

Our first wonderful fund-raising agents this week are walking over hot coals - now that’s a dare for you. But you don’t...

Another house price index has suggested the housing market continuing to show great resilience despite the continuing economic and political uncertainty. The...

With the often negative portrayal of agents in the media and popular culture, you might ask yourself why anyone would want...

A bid to ban the building of new homes for out-of-town buyers has backfired on a Cornish community - and now...

New figures from HM Revenue and Customs suggest that stamp duty receipts have fallen by no less than £1 billion. The drop...

With Easter now upon us (happy Easter, by the way, and hope you’re enjoying the long weekend, the Easter eggs and...

HM Revenue & Customs is set to pocket £60m less from one of its property taxes than it forecast. An analysis of...

This article was originally written for City AM in response to an article it published attacking letting agents. See more here.  A...

This month’s MIPIM conference in Cannes once again played host to the final round of the much coveted MIPIM Startup Competition.  The...

The head of residential property at a law firm is warning that referral fees can backfire on estate agents who may...

The demand for rural properties is high, and with 20.7% of England’s population in countryside areas, estate agents have a large...

If anyone thought Brexit may allow domestic buyers a bigger share of the market, think again: no fewer than 57 per...

How do you remove an estate agent from an oven? How would you remove an Estate Agent from an oven? Sounds...

In his keynote speech at the recent Negotiator Conference, Professor Andrew Baum sparked debate throughout the property industry. Baum’s speech, which began...

The Guardian is this morning reporting that “a major estate agent” has been accused of involvement in corruption with the house...

I remember renting flats when I was a 25-year-old negotiator at Foxtons. Many of you will remember my love for the...

A consumer group says agents are securing increasing income from online auctions, but it warns that for buyers there are pitfalls...

It’s Budget day and the government is once again on the receiving end of a blast from one of the country’s...

It’s now almost a month since the government introduced new rules on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), as part of its...

A new junior estate agent apprenticeship standard has been launched with skills being offered for residential, commercial and auction sectors. Created by...

No, I haven’t lost the plot. Such a thing exists – and if you’re familiar with North London, there is a...

Auction House London raised more than £15m in its latest auction, where it saw the biggest catalogue in its history go...

With the news that Hunters and Fisher German are the latest agencies to offer online auctions to sellers, is this something...

DISCLAIMER: The author of this article retains no responsibility for any reader discomfort experienced when recalling the seemingly endless horrors of...

Countrywide is under fire again over the controversial rescue plan it announced last week. On Friday the troubled agency group’s share price -...

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

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

The big story to break this week in the property world was the announcement by the new owner of Humberts that...

A report in the Financial Times lays bare the scale of the housing market downturn in central London - it suggests...

The Advertising Standards Authority says its compliance team is considering its next steps following the refusal of estate agency PDQ Estates...

A branch of Andrews estate and lettings agency, damaged by water as a result of a fire eight months ago, is...

In what is regarded as his most important speech since becoming housing minister, Dominic Raab has told a conference that it...

An outspoken estate agent has given the government a clear message - get off our backs , ease the red tape...

Our industry does great work for good causes not just in this country but around the world, as this week’s Agents...

Ever wondered what it’s like to be on the frontline of property journalism? Well, wonder no more, as our very own...

With reports continuing to focus on a slowing property market and an understanding that not enough properties are being marketed for...

Getting your property marketing right is vital, and the starting point is with professional images.  With most buyers browsing the internet for...

Collars up, gloves on, scarves pulled tight...it’s so cold you can hardly concentrate on work let alone anything else. But the...

The death of traditional TV – where viewers sit down together to watch shows at defined times – has been much...

An estate agency has started a petition to get bollards erected outside its branch after two accidents, in each of which...

Whatever else you say about OnTheMarket, you can’t say it’s not consistent, consistent in treating its core membership shabbily.  We already know...

Labour MP Chris Williamson, regarded as an ally of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, is suggesting that high-value homes in England should...

The Daily Mail and other papers are reporting that a buyer is suing an estate agent who allegedly failed to tell...

Landlords are being urged to step up and ensure that all rented properties and accommodation meet recent laws relating to carbon...

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

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

In the UK, there are over 3.9 million homes situated in off-grid areas with no access to mains gas, so it’s...

Winter really is the time for fund-raising - and thanks for letting us know exactly what you are up to to...

As ours attentions turn from pumpkins to bonfires, a final thank you from all of us at Estate Agent Today for...

A recent National Association of Estate Agents press release suggesting solar panels were among the “top things” to devalue a home...

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

Countrywide’s share price hit another new low yesterday of around 115.5p - a fall of just over four per cent on...

Labour’s shadow housing minister John Healey is reported to be one of a number of prominent front bench opposition spokespeople being...

You saw it, right? This article from Monday’s Guardian? It says that one in five estate agents are at risk of...

Let’s start with a quick fire quiz. How many more leads do you think you’d get with photos that have been...

Local councils say there must be an immediate and fast-moving review of building regulations in the light of the Grenfell Tower...

A London agency says it’s angry that out of 200,000 homes officially classified as long term empty across the UK, just...

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

An organisation that calls itself the Cornish Republican Army - and which has claimed responsibility for starting a fire in one...

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

Today we’re publishing what we think is our longest-ever list of charitable activities being conducted by agents and their supporters -...

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

As the nation waits with bated breath to see if Theresa May can form either a minority or coalition government after...

MPL Interiors was brought in to execute an office fit-out in a former paint shop in Wantage, Oxfordshire, for estate agent...

Think ‘fake agents’ are no threat to your business? Think again. The rise of online agents - dubbed by some as...

Our recent roundtable on the government’s proposed ban on tenant fees generated a range of tips for growing your business.   We recently...

Jamie Lester, the former Apprentice reality TV star who ran a high-profile estate agency in London until last autumn, has resurfaced...

As Trussle and Placester add to 2017s bonkers tally of PropTech investment, isn’t it time we end the conflict between Tech...

Over 60% of UK consumers think that Estate Agents’ Photos Are Very Poor To Average A recent survey* by dedicated property photo...

Police were called in when an anxious resident spotted what appeared to be an assault rifle in a photograph of a property...

Whatever the weather, whatever the season, our industry excels itself at good work - and we are always delighted to publicise...

The south’s seaside resorts are stealing the headlines for all the wrong reasons and at the heart of the troublesome issue...

An estate agent in Newcastle upon Tyne, whose office was the target of arsonists, has resuscitated his business after the kindness...

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our galleries of Christmas agency decorations, festive jumpers and Mannequin Challenges during the build...

Share prices for both Foxtons and Countrywide took a significant tumble yesterday as news of the ban on letting agents’ fees...

The former Apprentice runner-up Jamie Lester, who at one time ran four London estate agency branches under Haus Properties, says he...

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

Bonfire Night is upon us but the brightest lights this weekend are those from our industry tirelessly working for good causes. As ever, those...

Auction rooms across the UK are filled with people looking to buy property, from bargain hunters to seasoned investors, ensuring that...

Suzy Lamplugh was just 25 years old when she disappeared whilst working as an estate agent in London in 1986. She’d...

An agent from Leicester-based firm James Sellicks has become the Lewis Hamilton to floor plan drawing, thanks to his dramatic sub-three...

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

Barely a week goes by without news of the latest disastrous AirBnB experience suffered by an unsuspecting landlord.   Whether it’s damage...

The agency which describes itself as the UK’s first hybrid - EweMove - is claiming a record quarter of property sales...

Rayner Personnel is increasing its firepower in the key south east of England recruitment market with the announcement that husband and...

Two City consultancies have been quick to interpret the rebellion by OnTheMarket member agents as an indication of dire changes - or...

A senior analyst at Credit Suisse has opened the debate about the possibility of unhappy agent members of OnTheMarket challenging their...

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

Right, so it’s one more week till Christmas and two more weeks until we head face first into 2016. Both these...

Property sales in Scotland for first-time buyers and home movers are increasing three times faster than the rest of the UK...

OnTheMartket (OTM) recently wrote to its membership saying how well its doing, how membership has increased beyond expectations and how it...

So this weekend some of us will see our first snow of the season. Harsh weather, Christmas adverts and winter generally...

Someone told me the other day that it’s now only seven Mondays till Christmas. Now there’s a scary thought. Best get...

With a raft of new legislation introduced recently now will be the ideal time to think about whether staff are up...

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

Headlines across the lettings industry often focus on the behaviour of ‘rogue’ landlords – those that are slow to become compliant...

No details have yet been revealed of the reasons for a fire at an estate agency in the centre of St...

The party's over. It's probably the best double entendre in the world of politics right now. For centre or right-leaning Labour...

You can't help but notice that it's back to school time – the shops are full of school uniforms and pencil...

An estate agent has been nominated for a national award as result of his local campaigning to help rebuild play equipment...

How do you best sum up the current market status quo? Given the specific regional nature of the housing market in...

When Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, recently announced that interest rates would have to start to rise sooner...

Everywhere we look there’s talk of the high numbers of agents clambering for our attention on the crowded high street. So...

A house is pretty much the largest investment a person will make in their lifetime, and it’s natural to want the...

Jackson-Stops & Staff director Tim Dansie is setting sail across the English Channel today in a commemmoration ceremony marking the 75th...