Archive

There are often very grim snapshots of the current property crisis.  But one of the most shocking I’ve read in a long...

Peers in the House of Lords have launched an inquiry into agency regulation. The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee will...

The Government’s latest attempt to bolster the property appears to be 1% deposit mortgages. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is reported to be considering...

Like most parts of the UK, the one I live in has a bit of a beef about parking. More precisely,...

It’s a tough old road for today’s first-time buyers, with house prices and mortgage interest rates much higher than they were...

In this guest feature, Ben Bailey, CCO at Even, a mortgage lender for first-time buyers launched this year, provides commentary on the end...

In a statement likely to rile plenty of estate agents, a proptech firm is suggesting aspiring homebuyers should wait until 2024...

Who would be in the shoes of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng? I don’t mean who would like their power, pay and...

It’s often fashionable to criticise trade bodies and official groups, but right now I think that’s absolutely inappropriate. In well over 20...

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...

Earlier this month, the government’s energy regulator Ofgem announced a record 54 percent increase to the energy bill price cap. Combined...

If you want to sex-up the Chancellor’s financial statement scheduled for lunchtime on Wednesday, you’d call it a Budget or a...

Kirstie Allsopp says the Sunday Times has amended its report of an interview in which she says first time buyers may...

Location Location Location co-presenter Kirstie Allsopp has fought back after her comments on first time buyers were sharply criticised oil social...

It’s been a busy and arguably fruitful year for the property market, with an eager consumer base pushing forwards with their...

Within weeks the focus of the industry will be on the White Paper to be issued on rental reform before Christmas. Let’s...

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

By the time I next write this column, we’ll be just days before the next Budget and Autumn Statement. So I’ll...

Affordability has always been a hot topic when it comes to the property market, and this is doubly true for first-time...

The Guardian has sharply criticised Chancellor Rishi Sunak for introducing and then extending the stamp duty holiday - because helping estate...

Our long-awaited ‘Freedom Day’ approaches. From Monday all of the restrictions, introduced since the Covid-19 pandemic made an impact across the...

It’s been quite a week for the rental sector. Lettings agents and landlords have had such a torrid time in recent years...

Over the next few years, the property sector is set to change for the better – all thanks to PropTech. While the...

The last 12 months have heralded significant change across the property market and indeed we could argue across all markets in...

Local elections rarely set the pulse racing and this year’s poll on Thursday faces a similar problem. But this time, it’s a...

Labour has accused the government of promoting “sky high mortgages” instead of providing stable accommodation for younger households. A new mortgage guarantee...

A new mortgage guarantee scheme to help buyers with small deposits will be revealed on Wednesday at the Budget. Chancellor Rishi Sunak...

Here’s hoping you managed to have as good a Christmas and New Year as Covid rules allowed. Journalism in early January is...

There is no doubting that 2020 has been a challenging year for all industries, with the lettings market being no exception. Following...

The government is extending the eviction ban for a further two months. A tweet early this evening from Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick...

There is no doubt that the BBC News article in early February caused something of a stir within the Deposit Free...

There’s something of a conspiracy of silence over the problem of short lets. That is a stark claim but many siren voices...

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

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

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

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

Recently a number of politicians and charities have been calling for the introduction of rent controls or rent freezes in the...

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

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

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

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

Purchasing a property. It’s a key life goal that so many Millennials aspire to - yet one that has become frustratingly...

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

A property comparison website has made a defence of the controversial Help To Buy initiative, claiming it “acts as an important...

The agency industry has reacted in a broadly downbeat way at the relatively few housing-related proposals that were announced in yesterday’s...

Perhaps it’s been our pre-occupation with Brexit, or on the other hand maybe we’re bored with politics, but this year’s Budget...

Those of you who receive (and read) my Sunday PropTech Review will know that, by far and away, the most shared...

The pace of change is extraordinary. As we reach the middle of one conversation, rumblings of the next already begin. I think...

It’s not breaking new ground to say that younger people have what many regard as the raw end of the deal...

I’ve written before about the impact of headlines on the property industry. Interest rate speculation.   Market booms and busts. Demand...

Historically, short-term rentals have been an unattractive business for the majority of estate agents and property managers. Scarcity of demand from tenants...

You may have heard that Airbnb and property management company, Lavanda has closed a £1 million angel investment round.  Backers include Purplebricks...

London Central Portfolio, a property investment consultancy, has set out a five point plan for the next government elected this week...

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

In a week that I am recovering from the exuberance of MIPIM, there are two big pieces of fundraising news that...

There has been some really interesting talk recently of the relationship between FinTech (Finance Technology) and PropTech (Property Technology). A few...

Forecasts are so last year: who anticipated Bowie, Brexit or Balls for example? Quotes, on the other hand, really ARE last year...

Next year is likely to be a challenging time for letting agents, following a raft of changes introduced by the government...

Let me set out my stall from the beginning. Firstly with two buy to lets managed by an agency, I understand and...

Zoopla Property Group (ZPG) has announced that it has invested in a soon-to-launch PropTech startup. The group, which now owns uSwitch and...

The old and eternal debate over whether or not tenant fees should be banned continues to rumble on. It’s a major concern...

Use of the term ‘generation rent’ has grown beyond all measure in recent years, but it’s not always quoted in the...

Running a business is not easy, but sometimes it becomes harder because we are expected to modify our behaviour due to...

Property has long been a safe investment. Before the downturn in 2008, sellers were able to gain a healthy capital return.  Post-economic...

With less than a month to go before the new rate of stamp duty kicks in for second property purchasers, we’re...

What are we going to do about Generation Rent? Only as recently as February 2016 did tenants steal the headline away...

Shelter has been tirelessly campaigning for longer tenancies for the last few years.  The charity has led the case for change and...

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

So housing made itself top of the list of questions by the new Leader of the Opposition’s first PMQs on Wednesday...

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

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

With pension reform, council licensing changes and a General Election on the horizon, many are anticipating a boom in the buy-to-let...