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KEYWORD "Housing and Communities" - 92 RESULTS
Why does it take SO long to complete a sale? Reapit has an idea...

A veteran PropTech figure with extensive experience of working at leading estate and sales agencies has told the government to act...

22 April 2024

From: Breaking News

Propertymark proposes ‘infrastructure-first’ approach to housing supply

Propertymark has urged the UK Government to consider other ways of boosting the supply of homes for purchase.  The Government has two...

09 April 2024

From: Breaking News

MPs launch inquiry into home buying and selling process

MPs have launched an inquiry on improving the home buying and selling process in England. The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC)...

27 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Government intervention needed on property transaction times – claim

Property professionals have called for the Government to allocate its promised £3m towards improving the home buying and selling process to...

04 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Tardy Renters (Reform) Bill is running against the clock

As the world marches relentlessly forward to 2024, the government’s flagship legislation for the private rented sector (PRS) remains in limbo. This...

30 December 2023

From: Features

Government hits back at media claims about housebuilding targets

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLHUC) has hit back at media claims about its housebuilding targets. The Times newspaper...

18 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Revolutionising leasehold -the road ahead for owners and managers of blocks of flats

The United Kingdom stands on the precipice of a historic overhaul in property ownership. With the King's speech unveiling the anticipated...

25 November 2023

From: Features

Will the Renters (Reform) Bill really reduce homelessness?

By Neil Cobbold Recent data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show that 24,260 households served a valid Section...

04 November 2023

From: Features

Gove resurrects bid to phase out leasehold system for houses

All new houses in England and Wales will have to be sold as freehold properties under government plans to phase out...

30 October 2023

From: Breaking News

Wrong To Buy - our worst ever housing policy

What a waste. Islington council announced in recent days that it will buy back 310 ex-council houses this winter, to add to...

21 October 2023

From: Features

Party leaders quiet on PRS at conferences

Housing supply rather than the private rented sector (PRS) made the headlines during the Conservative and Labour Party conferences this year...

14 October 2023

From: Features

Propertymark urges Labour to lead on agency regulation

The Labour Party is being urged to take the lead on estate agency regulation and help driving up standards in the...

09 October 2023

From: Breaking News

Council buys private homes to improve their EPC ratings

A Labour council has revealed that it’s bought 15 open market homes, beefed up  their energy efficiency and will use them...

03 October 2023

From: Breaking News

MPs criticise ‘persistent poor performance’ of DLUHC

MPs have expressed “concern and disappointment” at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for its persistent poor performance...

20 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Government urged to ‘spell-out’ RAAC residential housing risks

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has been urged to reveal its current assessment of the risk of...

14 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Government to include property logbooks in First Homes scheme

The Government’s First Homes Scheme is set to be the first state-backed initiative to use digital property logbooks. It comes after a...

11 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Labour appoints Rayner to take on Gove

Labour’s Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner is to add the housing brief to her deputy leader role. She takes over from Lisa Nandy...

05 September 2023

From: Breaking News

What is ‘mixed tenure’ and why are mixed tenure developments built?

The term mixed-tenure development usually refers to residential developments where different residential tenures are provided on the same site. Typically, tenure was...

30 August 2023

From: Sponsored Content

Is the government changing its tune on landlords?

I recently wrote that the long-gestating Renters Reform Bill, finally introduced in Parliament back in May, could be poorly timed, both...

26 August 2023

From: Features

Agency trade body asks Government why leaseholders are still being ignored

Propertymark has written to the Government to ask why attempts to protect leaseholders are being ignored. It comes as the Earl of...

15 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Answers on a postcard please, Minister

Housing Minister Rachel Maclean MP is probably looking forward to her summer break this year. But wherever she's going and whatever she's...

29 July 2023

From: Features

No evidence that scrapping housing targets will boost housebuilding, MPs warn

MPs have cast doubt on the Government’s ability to achieve its target of 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-2020s...

14 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Property Natter - They do it with mirrors...

Sleight of hand, optical illusion, card up the sleeve – we all love a good conjuring trick, don’t we? And they say...

13 May 2023

From: Features

Government rejects Propertymark-backed building safety amendment 

A Propertymark-supported amendment that aimed to bolster support for leaseholders in unsafe buildings failed to gain approval in the House of...

26 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Families 'facing financial hardship' from hard-to-sell inherited homes

The important issue of hard-to-sell inherited properties has been raised in Parliament. Labour MP Zarah Sultana issued a written question asking what...

23 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Lettings in the spotlight as current and future regulations hit the headlines

We’re only in February and it’s already clear that this year will set the future direction of the private rented sector...

15 February 2023

From: Features

Unlucky for some? 13th Housing Minister in a decade quits

Lucy Frazer became the 13th Housing Minister to leave the role in the past decade yesterday after she was promoted to...

08 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Ex-PM and Home Secretary raise housing issues in Parliament

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Home Secretary Priti Patel had around three years in Government to sort out housing but...

11 January 2023

From: Breaking News

Property Natter – the five biggest property moments of 2022

As we get ever closer to 2023, this final Natter of the year is dedicated to the five biggest property moments of...

17 December 2022

From: Features

Government set to miss affordable housing targets - warning

The Government has been urged to revise its plans for affordable housing as MPs warn it is set to fall short...

07 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Government ditches mandatory housebuilding targets

The Government has officially watered-down proposals for mandatory local housebuilding targets as it brings its flagship Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill...

06 December 2022

From: Breaking News

PM sticks to debunked 'record housebuilding' claim

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday repeated previously debunked claims that the Government is building record numbers of homes. Housebuilding have returned to...

01 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Government unveils cladding fixes pilot for 'unsellable homes'

The Government has unveiled a pilot scheme aimed to help more flat owners whose homes have become unsafe and, in some...

01 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Help to Buy home sellers hit by building safety issues

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has committed to look into issues with the Building Safety Act after MPs claimed leaseholders and Help to...

22 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Agents facing sales delays amid possible Land Registry strikes

Estate agents could face new transaction delays after the Land Registry and its Scottish equivalent were among Government departments and civil...

15 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Who is the latest Housing Minister?

The Government’s latest Housing Minister Lucy Frazer brings plenty of property experience as a landlord and has also indirectly received donations...

10 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Gove’s ministerial team confirmed with new Housing Minister

MP for South East Cambridgeshire Lucy Frazer has been confirmed as the latest Housing Minister as part of a department reshuffle. Michael...

09 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Natter - day in the life of a NTSELAT policy manager

Given their leading role in the recent upfront information revolution, interest in the work of the National Trading Standards Estate &...

05 November 2022

From: Features

Fact checkers slam new PM’s claims of ‘record housebuilding’

Rishi Sunak may have been Prime Minister for under a week but he has already received the Full Fact treatment. Speaking at...

02 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Michael Gove 'gets it' - why his return is good news for the industry

Recent political changes – and there have been quite a few in recent weeks – have brought about something of a...

29 October 2022

From: Features

Michael Gove returns as Housing Secretary in Sunak's reshuffle

Michael Gove has returned to frontline politics and his previous role as Levelling Up and Housing Secretary. He is among the new...

25 October 2022

From: Breaking News

A new week, a new PM – and yet another Housing Secretary?

A week-long race to be the next Conservative Party leader and the Prime Minister kicks off this week, or may already...

24 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Housing Secretary set for first committee grilling by MPs

Simon Clarke is set for his first grilling by MPs as Levelling Up and Housing Secretary. Clarke will be questioned by the...

18 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Banned! Watchdog censures Government over levelling up adverts

Seven adverts pushing the Government’s flagship levelling up policy have been banned. The advertising watchdog censured the Department for Levelling Up, Housing...

12 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Poor Liz and Kwasi. What Do They Do Now?

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

01 October 2022

From: Features

Insight: ministerial changes have slipped under the radar

There has been an understandable focus on things other than Government since the death of Queen Elizabeth was announced, but Prime...

24 September 2022

From: Features

What agents want from today’s mini-Budget

New Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is expected to unveil the Government’s so-called “plan for growth” today during a mini-Budget. The property market is...

23 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Leading law firm calls for 'revolving door' of housing ministers to be closed

The government is being urged to close the "revolving doors" of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to...

12 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Natter - why housing must always have a seat at the top table

First off, my own quick tribute to the Queen, who died on Thursday afternoon aged 96. Despite her age and declining...

10 September 2022

From: Features

Meet the new Housing Secretary who opposes 'toxic building targets'

New Housing Secretary Simon Clarke may be an unknown entity to many agents but he has a track record of supporting...

07 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Simon Clarke named new Housing Secretary

Simon Clarke has been confirmed as the new Housing Secretary in the Cabinet of new Prime Minister Liz Truss this evening. He...

06 September 2022

From: Breaking News

What do we do about a problem like Airbnb?

Some people will say: What problem? But they are getting fewer as the detrimental effect of increasing numbers of short lets on...

03 September 2022

From: Features

More housebuilding clarity needed in levelling up law, MPs warn

MPs have criticised the lack of detail in the government’s flagship Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill when it comes to housebuilding...

25 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Rees-Mogg set for housing brief in a Truss Cabinet - reports

Jacob Rees-Mogg is reportedly being lined up as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities should Liz Truss win...

22 August 2022

From: Breaking News

4 key findings from the English Private Landlord Survey

On 23 June 2022, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) released its English Private Landlord Survey, the first...

17 August 2022

From: Features

Housebuilding more than just a numbers game, government warned

The government is being urged to not just treat housebuilding as a numbers game. It comes as the Department for Levelling Up,...

12 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Buying reform continues despite Cabinet chaos; leasehold uncertainty remains

A senior member of the Home Buying and Selling Group has insisted work on reforms is ongoing despite the ministerial merry-go-round...

11 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Exclusive - what makes an agency industry leader tick 

People in prominent positions in the housing industry aren’t always perfect role models. After all, Chris Pincher was housing minister for...

09 July 2022

From: Features

Agent calls for housing tsar as minister quits and Gove is sacked

Independent agent Barrows and Forrester has called for the appointment of a housing tsar for a fixed term as yet another...

07 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Older leaseholds homes could become harder to sell until full reform - claim

New rules on leasehold homes came in this week, banning ground rents on new leases but a property expert warns this...

30 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Why haven't politicians listened to our industry?

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

25 June 2022

From: Features

Government unveils self-build boost

The government has launched a new equity loan scheme for the self-build market. The Help to Build scheme aims to help thousands...

24 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Housing Secretary: 'We don't know how Right to Buy will be funded yet'

The government’s new Right to Buy policy for housing association tenants appeared to unravel last night after the Housing Secretary said...

14 June 2022

From: Breaking News

MPs set to quiz Housing Secretary on property market proposals

Housing Secretary Michael Gove and minister Stuart Andrew are set to be grilled by MPs on their property market plans today. The...

13 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Property market questions pace and funding of PM's housing reforms

Property professionals and MPs were left wanting more after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s much-anticipated housing announcements yesterday. Johnson yesterday promised a review...

10 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Trade body hopes empty homes clampdown will boost agency stock

Propertymark has expressed hope that the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will help boost much needed agency supply. The trade body has...

16 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Extending Right to Buy won’t fix the housing shortage

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...

14 May 2022

From: Features

Property Natter – the who’s who of the industry

The property industry is fortunate in including many great people, doing great work across a range of businesses – from traditional agency...

30 April 2022

From: Features

Leasehold reform - what do agents and conveyancers need to know?

You will hopefully have seen that the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 has now received its Royal Assent, meaning it...

30 April 2022

From: Features

Agency trade body backs ground rent ban and hopes for further reform

Propertymark has given its backing to the ban on ground rents for new leasehold properties and has reminded agents of their...

25 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Cladding Crisis - government STILL doing too little, say cross-party MPs

Too many leaseholders will fall through the cracks of the government’s “piecemeal measures” to combat the cladding crisis.  That’s the view of...

16 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Homes For Ukraine launched by Housing Secretary

The government has now formally launched the Homes For Ukraine scheme, heavily leaked in recent days. The Secretary of State for Levelling...

15 March 2022

From: Breaking News

New housing minister named in government mini-reshuffle

A new housing minister has been named this afternoon, to replace Chris Pincher. Stuart Andrew has been confirmed by Downing Street as...

08 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Agents are not shysters - Industry figure  rejects lawyer’s attack

A leading estate agency figure has hit back at a lawyer’s claim that agents who use exclusivity agreements are “shysters”.  Last week...

08 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Exclusivity Agreements? They’re for “shysters” claims lawyer

The Property Ombudsman should ban agents from using so-called exclusivity agreements on sales, claims a law firm.  Donal Blaney, founder of Griffin...

03 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Tax clampdown on second homes announced by government

Owners of second homes who abuse a tax loophole by claiming their often-empty properties are holiday lets will be forced to...

14 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Exclusive: Setback for house buying reform as top expert moves job

Estate Agent Today understands that the civil servant who has been at the heart of plans to reform the house buying...

13 January 2022

From: Breaking News

New tax likely to fund additional cladding removal from low-rise flats

Leaseholders in lower-rise blocks of flats will not have to take out loans to remove dangerous cladding under new government rules...

10 January 2022

From: Breaking News

New guidance on house moves for un-vaccinated buyers and tenants

The government is clamping down - at least a little - on unvaccinated buyers and tenants in some specific circumstances.  New guidelines...

07 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Banned: Developer kicked out of Help To Buy because of Grenfell link

A company linked to the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower is being excluded from the government’s Help to Buy scheme, pending the outcome...

20 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Propertymark blasts government as house building figures plummet

Propertymark has criticised the government over poor house building figures. New figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show...

01 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Labour changes shadow housing minister after just six months

Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer has promoted housing minister Lucy Powell to a more senior position after just six months. This leaves...

30 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Challenges facing the housing market in 2022

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

17 November 2021

From: Features

Commonhold - does anyone really want it?

There’s been a very low expression of interest in Commonhold, despite the government pushing the new tenure as an alternative to...

04 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Housing leaders pay tribute to murdered MP

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

18 October 2021

From: Breaking News

By jove, Gove is off at full steam ahead!

There’s good news and bad news from the shake-up in government ministers and ministries that was presented to the nation last...

25 September 2021

From: Features

Developer land banking ‘myth’ debunked by study, major builders say

A leading planning consultancy has claimed that ‘the myth’ that housing developers are hoarding land after gaining planning consent in order...

23 September 2021

From: Breaking News

How affordable is it to buy a new-build house?

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

22 September 2021

From: Features

Ministry of Housing rebrands but it’s still a bit of a mouthful

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has changed its name to reflect the government’s levelling up agenda. The department’s...

20 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Jenrick fails to show for key question as ‘cash for favours’ row grows

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

Replacing leasehold with commonhold – we’re backing the campaign!

The leasehold scandal has received plenty of press coverage, with horror stories of people living in homes that are impossible to...

06 April 2019

From: Features

Shock as Ombudsman stops handling agency complaints - for now

One of the three government-approved redress schemes for estate and letting agents says it’s quitting the sector this year - but...

06 February 2018

From: Breaking News

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