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KEYWORD "Investigation" - 100 RESULTS
How estate agents can help win the war on financial crime

Financial crime within the property sector is on the rise and the stats are alarming. According to data from Apex Bridging,...

23 March 2024

From: Features

Investigation launched into snagging rights

The Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA) has announced an investigation to uncover the tensions between developers and surveyors on snagging. The trade...

14 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Agent working in Jewish area suspended after ‘hoping’ Zionists die

An estate agency based in the heart of one of the UK’s largest Jewish communities has faced backlash after one of its...

28 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog: ‘Significant intervention’ needed in housebuilding market

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into the UK’s largest housebuilders as it warns of “fundamental concerns”...

27 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Boomin liquidation: ‘Insufficient funds to repay creditors’

The liquidator of collapsed portal Boomin is investigating a sale of the portal's intellectual property to My Bespoke Room as its...

11 January 2024

From: Breaking News

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

TPO expels two property firms

Two London firms have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for failing to pay compensation to consumers. This brings the total...

14 December 2023

From: Breaking News

CTS Cyber Attack: 'What lessons need to be learned?'

This week saw around 80 conveyancing firms across the UK paralysed by a service outage caused by a ‘cyber incident’ on...

02 December 2023

From: Features

Legal tech firm investigating cyberattack that could scupper sales

Legal sector infrastructure specialist CTS has said it is “urgently investigating” a cyberattack on its services that could impact property exchanges...

24 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Agent sacked by eXp after TV allegations

Self-employed agency brand eXp has terminated the contract of agent Ian Wyn-Jones following allegations about his working practices. Wyn-Jones, who joined eXp...

23 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Fraud pilot investigation launched into Help to Buy loans

It's emerged that Homes England and HMRC have explored possible fraud within the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme. This formed part of...

20 October 2023

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog highlights areas for housing investigation

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has highlighted land banks and planning blockages as potential areas for investigation. It comes as the...

29 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Agent must 'get a grip on pressure selling'

Agents have backed shining a light on pressure selling tactics within the industry. Speaking on the latest Agents MVMT Pass The Syrup...

25 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Who Has The Energy To Reform EPCs?

There is much debate about energy efficiency right now and about expected changes to minimum EPCs for private rental properties and...

12 August 2023

From: Features

Our award winner Marc hits the headlines again....and again!

Everyone at Estate Agent Today is delighted to announce that our Editor, Marc Shoffman, has won the prestigious Headlinemoney freelance journalist...

17 July 2023

From: Breaking News

The property industry must pull together to stop from falling apart, industry report reveals

Now more than ever, property professionals across the sector need to pull together and collaborate more closely to make business gains,...

15 July 2023

From: Features

Prison for conman who stole thousands from property buyers

A man has been jailed for fraud after conning potential property buyers out of nearly £16,000. Jaspal Singh Juttla, 64 of Northwood...

01 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog turns attention to housing market

The competition watchdog is set to shine a spotlight on property, with investigations into the housebuilding market and a separate project...

01 March 2023

From: Breaking News

The four must-have reports for all letting agencies

By David Boughtflower Business Analyst at Reapit, 14 years in Residential Sales and Lettings Having entered estate agency in the eye of the...

13 December 2022

From: Sponsored Content

Why estate agents need to be aware of social housing fraudsters

In this guest feature, Dillon Darbar, counter fraud manager at Network Homes, sets out why estate agents need to be aware...

26 November 2022

From: Features

Protecting your clients and your business

With the reported increase in agency staff turnover we thought it would be a good idea to look at how you...

09 November 2022

From: Features

Agent safety: New poll asks how safe you feel at work

Agents are being asked to complete a survey as part of a national newspaper’s investigation into the safety of property professionals...

04 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency sales complaints rise as issues become more complex - TPO

Increasing numbers of complaints about agents are being resolved without formal investigation but issues are becoming more complex, The Property Ombudsman...

02 November 2022

From: Breaking News

New AML webinar for Rightmove users to focus on ‘reliance’

FCS Compliance has announced the latest in its anti-money laundering (AML) series of webinars with Rightmove.  The latest is titled The Role...

06 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog secures ground rent reductions for leaseholders

Thousands more leaseholders are expected to see ground rents cut and some may even receive refunds. It forms part of the Competition...

25 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Watchdog drops investigation into builder’s leasehold sales

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has closed its investigation into alleged mis-selling of leasehold houses by Barratt Homes. It is the...

17 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Dye & Durham considers possible appeal against CMA merger decision

Dye & Durham says it could potentially appeal the decision by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) to effectively disallow its acquistion...

04 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Natter – why is the property market joining the podcast party?

If there’s one thing that received a boost as a result of Covid and lockdowns, it’s podcasts – which reached whole...

16 July 2022

From: Features

Property data company hits back amid watchdog's merger concerns

Property data company Dye & Durham has promised to “work collaboratively” with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after the watchdog...

19 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Competition watchdog blocks property data merger

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has warned that it may block the merger of two property search firms as it...

18 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Natter – will the challenger banks ever become major lenders?

Many people in recent years will have become familiar with challenger banks such as Monzo, Starling and Atom. Many will have...

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

Purplebricks removes social media claim about local home sales

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint regarding claims made by Purplebricks about home sales. The advertising watchdog revealed...

27 April 2022

From: Breaking News

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

Essex online agent expelled from TPO scheme

It was a quiet first quarter this year for sanctions at The Property Ombudsman (TPO). The redress scheme has revealed that just...

08 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Are Reviews Faked? Trustpilot bats away claims of ignoring breaches

The international reviews service Trustpilot has batted away criticism from a property website that it ignores breaches of its guidelines. Last week,...

15 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Review row over company making allegations about OnTheMarket

A row has broken out over a company which has made allegations about Trustpilot reviews of OnTheMarket. A company called KwikChex says...

07 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Russian property sanctions will only hit prime central London

A leading surveyor in London says the likely introduction of a register of overseas property ownership and sanctions making it difficult...

02 March 2022

From: Breaking News

One in 10 sellers guilty of trying to avoid fees, some agents report

Some agents say they have as many as one in 10 vendors taking their properties off the market and seeking to...

01 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Sanctions on Russian property could prompt exodus from UK - claim

An estate agency says retrospective investigations into Russian ownership of London properties could lead to substantial amounts of wealth moving out...

24 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Searches not revealing new road schemes, claims angry conveyancer

Property searches are not showing up some new road schemes because they are classified by local councils as planning consent for...

24 February 2022

From: Breaking News

A Lesson for Agents from the Ukraine Crisis

If the UK and its allies have been played by Russia over the Ukraine ‘invasion’, and it’s beginning to look that...

19 February 2022

From: Features

Short term lets - what’s the extent of the problem?

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, analyses the impact that the lack of available data is having on...

19 February 2022

From: Features

Allegation of agency staff at ‘drugs party’ in branch

The Mail Online website alleges that an after-hours party at an estate agency office involved staff apparently inhaling drugs from balloons. The...

17 February 2022

From: Breaking News

British estate agent shot dead by former tenant

A British estate agent working in Florida has been shot dead while preparing to show a property. Sara Trost, 40, was from...

29 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Breakthrough in ground rents and leasehold controversy

A probe by the Competition and Markets Authority has led housebuilder Taylor Wimpey to make changes for the benefit of leaseholders.  Taylor...

23 December 2021

From: Breaking News

250,000 homes may be unmortgageable because of insulation - claim

A surveyors’ trade body claims as many as 250,000 homes could find themselves impossible to sell or secure a mortgage on...

21 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Investigation opens into Purplebricks as agency hit by latest crisis

Propertymark is to probe Purplebricks over its lettings fiasco - and as the agency becomes a subject of ridicule in the...

14 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Agent Regulation ‘may be tested in one part of the UK’

One part of the UK is to get a taste of the mandatory estate agent regulation that many want to see...

14 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Controversial football boss links with Bruce Brothers and Boomin

An England football manager who resigned after a newspaper sting is in a podcast series launched by Boomin and Purplebricks founders Michael and Kenny...

10 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Property Fraud - how agents can combat a growing threat

Property fraud is on the rise and early in 2022 agents will have an opportunity to attend a webinar featuring a...

08 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Ban Referral Fees For Agents - petition demands government action

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

Are you fit to fight financial crime in property transactions?  

I’ve worked in financial crime for the past seven years, beginning my career as a white collar crime litigator in a law firm. I know that the...

04 December 2021

From: Features

RICS names veteran ex-civil servant to lead independent review

RICS has appointed Lord Michael Bichard to lead a wide-ranging independent review into the governance and purpose of the institution. The review...

02 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Cyber-Attack: Agents must learn from Simplify IT catastrophe

Agents must have a robust plan in place in case they are subjected to a ransomware cyber attack, says the Guild...

23 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Police probe conveyancing cyber-crash as it begins third week

The police have been called in to investigate the ongoing cyber-security incident which has led to many firms in the Simplify...

22 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Conveyancing Crash - update on how to contact affected brands

There’s been an update this morning on the dramatic systems crash that has hit the conveyancing services operated by the Simplify...

10 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Property Fraud: A house is sold without owner’s knowledge

A BBC investigation has revealed that a man’s house was sold and his furnishings removed without his knowledge, in the latest...

02 November 2021

From: Breaking News

House price rises prompt HMRC to launch Inheritance Tax probes

Increasing house prices has encouraged HM Revenue and Customs to launch huge numbers of probes into Inheritance Tax payments. According to law...

01 November 2021

From: Breaking News

RICS Scandal: Establishment trio named as interim leadership team

The bid by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to re-establish itself as a trusted body continues with the naming of...

14 October 2021

From: Breaking News

HMRC uses Rightmove and Zoopla to snoop on tax payments

It’s been revealed that HM Revenue & Customs scours the listings on both Rightmove and Zoopla to assess whether property investors...

12 October 2021

From: Breaking News

Watchdog intervenes after complaint about Countrywide property

The Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in following a complaint about a property advertised by Connells-owned Countrywide estate agents. The issue revolves...

06 October 2021

From: Breaking News

Reservation agreements – they have been here all along

In this guest editorial, experienced property solicitor Lorraine Richardson argues that reservation agreements - designed to reduce the number of fall-throughs in...

25 September 2021

From: Features

How can letting agents help tenants with rent arrears?

Almost a million tenants have built up rent arrears since March 2020, according to research by National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)....

15 September 2021

From: Features

Police probe into sacked Savills agent still ongoing

The police investigation into the Savills agents who allegedly racially abused England players on Twitter after the Euros 2020 final is...

10 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Savills sacks 'racist abuse' agent after Euros tweet

The Savills member of staff who allegedly racially abused England players online after the Euros 2020 final has been sacked. The Metro...

09 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Estate agency scandal shows Trading Standards work is vital - claim

The work of the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team is “vital” it claims - and the case of the...

27 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Banned estate agent given custodial sentence

A banned West Midlands estate agent has today been sentenced to a custodial sentence of six weeks, suspended for two years, and fined £4,000 at Wolverhampton Crown Court after pleading guilty...

26 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Agents warned after HMRC reveals protocol breaches

Propertymark has issued a warning to agents following the fines imposed on three property agencies by HM Revenue & Customs for...

19 August 2021

From: Breaking News

HMRC targets property transactions after slump in tax income

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

Trading Standards “sought to discredit me” claims former estate agent

A former estate agent has accused the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team of trying to discredit him. Chris Wood,...

04 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Property Natter: half-year review – what has 2021 brought so far?

Well, we’re technically more than halfway through the year already, but we’ll let that slide. And what a year it’s been...

31 July 2021

From: Features

RICS governance scandal - another delay before report appears

The publication of a report following a controversial RICS investigation has been pushed back another month. Last month it was announced that...

22 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Savills agent arrested by police over racist tweet

Greater Manchester Police have arrested the Savills estate agent who allegedly posted a racist tweet about black England football stars after...

14 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Agency chief demands action now over racism in the industry

A prominent London estate agency owner wants an industry anti-racism campaign to counter what she describes as the “discrimination and prejudice...

14 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Criticism of agency over racist tweet controversy - but is it fair?

There is growing criticism of Savills on social media following the controversy over a racist tweet apparently sent from the personal...

13 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Racist Tweet: Agent suspended, Police now investigating

The police have now received complaints about the tweet believed to have been sent from a personal account of a Savills...

12 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Estate agency issues statement over racist football tweet

High end agency Savills is conducting “a full investigation” into a racist tweet posted overnight. A Savills statement posted on Twitter this...

12 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Disgraced agent’s accomplice charged over Chris Whitty incident

The second man to appear in a notorious video showing an estate agent accosting Professor Chris Whitty has now been charged...

07 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Tragedy as well-known industry expert dies suddenly

The founder and managing director of FCS Compliance, Jerry Walters, has died suddenly. A statement from the company says he died during...

01 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Seven rogue sales and lettings agencies expelled by Ombudsman

No fewer than seven estate and lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme today. Most of them are now...

30 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Ground Rent refunds: Agents demand rest of industry must follow suit

NAEA Propertymark says the news that two major players in the leasehold sector have reformed their activities must be just the...

24 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Propertymark: your voice matters, make sure it’s heard

In an industry which is faced with constant changes in day-to-day practices and even more so given the Covid terrain which agents...

22 May 2021

From: Features

Q&A with Jerry Walters – why the AML clock is ticking for letting agents

With property fraud on the rise and an ever-increasing number of transactions taking place in the lettings sector, having strict anti-money laundering...

22 May 2021

From: Features

Agency investigating Nazi swastika appearing on property details

An estate agency is investigating how a swastika appeared in a photograph accompanying property details about a house on sale. The Grantham...

26 April 2021

From: Breaking News

Fake Reviews: Watchdog pushes Facebook into action

The Competition and Markets Authority says it has pushed Facebook into taking new action to combat fake reviews - an issue...

12 April 2021

From: Breaking News

Property directors banned for 25 years after investment scam

Two property directors have been banned from holding company office for a total of 25 years after abusing £7.7m taken from...

31 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Wrongdoing in an agency? Whistleblowers urged to come forward

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

Leasehold scandal: Top house builders ordered to change contracts

The Competition and Markets Authority has written to two top house builders ordering them to change their leasehold terms. In September the...

19 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Agent warns public of perils of Modern Method of Auction

A prominent estate agent has warned buyers and sellers about the perils of the controversial Modern Method of Auction. MMA is now...

15 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Mystery witness named in new Suzy Lamplugh documentary

Another TV programme will this weekend examine the fate of Suzy Lamplugh, the London estate agent who disappeared 35 years ago...

12 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Fraudster agent escapes prison after scamming insurance company

An agent working for a Countrywide brand in Lancashire has been given a suspended jail sentence after being found guilty of...

23 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Stamp Duty panic may lead to Japanese Knotwood legal action

Experts are warning that buyers rushing to complete before the March 31 cliff edge for the stamp duty holiday may miss...

08 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Customer Data Breach: Foxtons at centre of newspaper allegations

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

HMRC names agencies breaching anti-money laundering processes

Estate agencies have been named by HM Revenue & Customs for breaching anti-money laundering regulations. The list of those breaching the rules...

12 January 2021

From: Breaking News

Referral Fees - agents should disclose them up-front insists Ombudsman

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

 Rightmove cleared - watchdog throws out complaint about TV advert

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

18 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Watchdog to probe merger of popular agency crowdfunding sites

The Competitions and Markets Authority is to probe the proposed merger of two crowdfunding sites used by numerous property industry companies. Crowdcube...

13 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Foxtons data breach but “no sensitive data compromised”

Foxtons is alleged by a newspaper to have suffered a malware attack and data breach which closed its MyFoxtons client website. The...

19 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Huge property empire collapses after National Crime Agency probe

A businessman with links to serious criminals has lost his vast investment property empire worth nearly £10m after a National Crime...

08 October 2020

From: Breaking News

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