Archive

If you thought - perhaps hoped - that five weeks of prorogued Parliament meant a break from politics, think again: the...

One of the biggest changes seen in the property market over the last decade is technology growth. With the likes of Rightmove...

A leading London estate agent has written to The Times dismissing MPs who have been squabbling over Brexit and a possible...

It’s been quite a week for news so you might have missed this story - there is yet another boost for...

In the run up to his appointment as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson suggested that he might cut Stamp Duty Land Tax...

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

Seemingly-endless uncertainty over Brexit and now speculation over whether there will be an easing of stamp duty on transactions is making...

Housing experts have expressed their concerns that speculation about a radical stamp duty reduction to be introduced by Boris Johnson’s government...

Our own industry’s upheaval over recent years has been no less dramatic than the turmoil at Westminster. The political earthquake has seen...

Friday is Agents Do Charity day and as the country enjoys the delights of Wimbledon and rues the Lionesses' departure from...

The latest report commissioned by the Labour party to resolve the UK’s housing problems would crash the housing market rather than...

I want to take the time this week to look at an area of PropTech and real estate which is seeing...

The minister at the centre of reforms to the estate and lettings industry sector has apologised for what she calls “inappropriate...

Britain lives in fundamentalist black-and-white times - all the more surprising when the country's most divisive point of contention sits on...

Four years ago, as we approached the general election, Andrews Property Group held a roundtable debateon the impact the election might have...

In the first Q&A Natter for a while, I catch up with Angelica Donati - CEO of Donati Immobiliare Group, PropTech...

While media attention has been on Theresa May, Brexit and the Tories, chatter in the agency industry has been about what...

It appears almost certain that there will be another new housing minister named when a new Conservative leader - and thus...

The National Association of Estate Agents has welcomed the commitment by the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the mis-selling of...

There’s a silver lining to another set of stodgy housing market figures - at least one sector, for those buying their...

Labour is proposing two methods of controlling house price rises should it win the next General Election - and the ideas...

When you think of the best ad campaigns – from moustachioed opera singers and talking meerkats to millions of bouncing balls...

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

Over the last few years, there have a number of changes to the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) regime, which have...

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

It’s time, surely, for government to crackdown not just on rogue agents and landlords but on rogue councils that confuse the...

Labour’s housing spokesman, John Healey, has spoken out against the split in the party which has so far seen eight MPs...

A London council is considering a borough-wide ban on agents’ boards of all kinds. Labour-controlled Camden already has a ban for a...

It’s the word on everyone’s lips: after two and a half years of debate, and months before that leading up to...

A slew of property experts and commentators have put the blame on Brexit for a surprise drop in house price growth...

Another year is nearly done – and what an eventful year it’s been. We’ve had more than our fair share of breaking...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in our lives – from virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and...

A London buying agent has called for a second referendum on Britain’s EU membership, suggesting that it would give more certainty...

A city’s housing market that suffered badly because of the collapse in North Sea oil prices is now likely to rebound...

It seems a lifetime ago but in fact we’re approaching just the first anniversary since the government triggered its Call for...

Emoov’s founder Russell Quirk has outlined how he would help Britain get out of its current housing crisis to a Labour...

Sales of holiday homes could be hit as a result of a new £560m tax proposal put forward by Labour.  Under the...

In a surprise announcement, house prices picked up in July with the annual rate of growth rising from 1.8 per cent...

Labour says stamp duty receipts and other tax income from properties in the capital should go to the Mayor, Sadiq Kahn,...

A Labour MP has used Parliamentary privilege to name a quick buy company and to make accusations about its practices. During Prime...

It may not be a good idea for a journalist to be personal about a politician, so I write about our...

Labour says it wants ‘Healthy Homes Zones’ in a bid to reduce housing-related health inequalities which are estimated to cost the NHS £1.4...

Estate Agent Today is 10 years old this weekend. We hope you’ll agree that’s a cause for celebration and a great...

House prices rose at their slowest annual rate in five years in June according to the latest indicator of this summer’s...

A Labour MP who has in the past been fiercely critical of estate and lettings agents now says that property is...

House prices in the three months to the end of April were 2.2 per cent higher than in the same period...

Research from the Nationwide suggests that the share of cash transactions has declined over the past 18 months, at least partly...

If you want to know whether buy to let, landlords and letting agents will be in the firing line for more...

‘Respect’ is the new mantra for politicians: whether it’s about street gang leaders, social media trolls or those on either side...

A leading estate agent says his findings confirm those of the latest house price index in suggesting that prices are turning...

It’s probably unwise to write too much about politics these days. The most fanciful predictions turn out to be less wild...

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

It’s no surprise that figures don’t always show the results or consequences we expect - even if they are entirely accurate. Look...

A House of Commons committee has prepared a briefing document on areas of the UK residential and commercial properties sectors most impacted...

A conveyancers’ trade body has told the government that it wants the house buying process to be modernised by having estate...

Chris Philp, a Conservative MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chancellor Phillip Hammond, says 50 per cent of new homes in...

Here we are again: another much anticipated Budget has been and gone and, yet, still nothing much has changed! Yes, of course,...

As we hurtle towards the end of 2017, it’s time to reflect on the year that’s just been.   Even better, this property-based...

Agents and even the Labour Party have backed the government’s scrapping of stamp duty for first time buyers’ purchases up to...

Stamp duty reform for first time buyers has taken pride of place in the Budget speech of Chancellor Phillip Hammond.   From today,...

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

British politics is extraordinarily volatile right now and the ongoing battle between austerity and anti-austerity, Leave and Remain, and Conservative and...

Labour MP Justin Madders is working on a Private Members' Bill creating leasehold reform in a bid to help leaseholders who, he...

It’s something of an understatement to say it’s been a busy fortnight for the industry in terms of announcements, consultations and...

New Zealand’s new Labour prime minister elect has banned non-resident foreigners from buying existing homes anywhere in the country in a...

The government has launched a consultation this weekend calling for evidence on how to make the home buying process “cheaper, faster...

With the Budget just over a month away, the steady stream of ‘leaks’ continues to grow as journalists and the industry...

Like many of Labour’s recent policy proposals, its call for rent controls leaves more questions than answers.  There has been widespread criticism...

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

Westcountry estate agency Wilkinson Grant is standing  by its opposition to a ‘joke’ about dead bodies made by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson...

England faces a growing gulf between new build completions and new households being added to the population according to a new...

A Conservative council in London says it is to be the first local authority in the UK to levy a voluntary...

One of the more puzzling questions in London's estate agency industry has been resolved - how a company which appears to...

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

In this week’s Natter I’m going to get all political. Don’t worry, I won’t be giving my opinions on Brexit, Trump...

The average price of a home in the UK is now £211,6712 - up slightly on last month but with growth...

It’s not just the evenings drawing in that marks the approach of autumn - it’s also the return to work of...

The two main political parties have squared up to each other over the issue of increasing council tax on second homes...

Property has been changing hands for centuries, but when did estate agents as we know them today – with their branches,...

With several agent partner programmes available across the country, estate agents can often increase business by offering sales by auction, with...

When it comes to provoking anger in property professionals, taxation takes some beating. Press releases are still arriving berating the December...

The housing industry has responded with shock, joy, and jitters, after Theresa May’s snap general election went catastrophically wrong, leaving her...

British homeowners have the most confidence in the Conservative Party to run the nation's housing market. A survey of almost 4,500 homeowners,...

Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on June 8 took many by surprise. But estate agents have been broadly...

In years to come, students of political history might come to look at the 2017 General Election campaign with some interest....

The Conservative and Labour party manifestos do not go far enough to tackle problems with the leasehold system. That’s the view of...

Conveyancers have backed a call by the Conservatives for reform of the house buying process - and says more up-front information...

The Conservative Party says it wants greater competition and more digitisation to cut the costs and reduce the amount of time...

In November 2016 when the Autumn Statement was delivered by Chancellor Philip Hammond, the announcement was made to ban letting agent...

The Conservatives now say they are not resuscitating Home Information Packs, despite a suggestion by a prominent former minister that they "had...

Speculation has grown that the Conservatives may make a manifesto pledge to remove some family homes’ long-established exemption from Capital Gains...

Yesterday’s decision by MPs to agree to Theresa May’s snap General Election on June 8 means that the current government -...

My apologies if this causes you to break your Easter egg with a little too much aggression, but I reckon the...

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

We’re almost nine months on from the EU Referendum and yet the issue remains the big divide across the nation: an...

A trade publication claims the UK’s statistics watchdog is to hold talks with a Whitehall department about the government’s much-vaunted 'one...

If you work in lettings, I’ll already have a pretty good idea on how you feel about the current Conservative Government.  The...

The chronic shortage of housing supply in the UK relative to demand has been a national issue for decades. The Government...

A row has broken out over council tax funds being used to pay 18 estate agencies to find homes for a...

The government appears to have slipped back on two deadlines concerning measures key to the property industry. Firstly the consultation on the...

Confusion surrounds the timing of the government’s eagerly-anticipated White Paper on housing. Respected property industry weekly magazine Estates Gazette has tweeted that...

Now I’m not one to lose sleep over politicians, but it strikes me that Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Housing Minister...

The chief executive of one of Britain’s top house builders is warning that the industry must do more to prevent an...

This is the final Estate Agent Today until Tuesday January 3 2017, so everyone at Angels Media sends all good wishes for...

Housing minister Gavin Barwell says the government will put forward proposals in the new year to stop abuses of the leasehold...

The Nationwide is the latest major industry forecaster to predict a sluggish average house price rise of two per cent in...

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

The Daily Mail has calculated which of the 13 housing ministers in office before this autumn has been the most successful,...

It may still be too early to start compiling a Christmas wish list, but it is the right time to provide...

Forecasts are a tricky business. And as I wrote in a recent Industry Views opinion piece, any prediction in the current...

London agency Stirling Ackroyd is the latest to call for reforms to stamp duty, with a claim that prices for the most expensive...

The long-awaited Redfern Review has recommended that improved access to mortgage finance and improved income levels for first time buyers are...

Labour’s long-awaited Redfern Review, set up a year ago after the party’s defeat in the general election, finally reports tomorrow. Although it...

The latest forecast for the housing market in 2017 and beyond includes a warning that Brexit uncertainty will create a slowdown...

It's enough to make the typical Islington resident splutter over their breakfast muesli, or perhaps feel too nervous to drive their...

One of Britain’s most respected veteran estate agents, Hugh Dunsmore-Hardy, is urging new recruits to the industry to join what he...

London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan says some 270,000 homes in London have been granted planning permission but have not yet been...

A Labour MP says a deal is now on the cards for an estate to be purchased after months of controversy,...

Some of this week’s headlines - ‘Firms must list foreign workers’ and ‘NHS to no longer rely on foreign doctors’ -...

The government has signalled that it is going to publish a housing White Paper later this year with “significant measures” to...

The Labour Party claims there has been a strikingly large reduction in the number of under-45s who own a home -...

A former Lancashire councillor has been banned from entering a local estate agency. Noel O'Brien, who has served as a Labour and...

With the number of new homes being built across the UK still significantly below the level needed to meet demand, housebuilders...

The importance of overseas buyers in underpinning increasing elements of the capital’s housing market and won support from an unlikely quarter...

Average house prices across the UK increased by 0.6 per cent in August, taking the annual rate of growth to 5.6...

The National Association of Estate Agents says a huge shortage of bricks and the possible consequences of Brexit are two reasons...

This week, 25 years ago the world's first website went live to those of us who were around then.  Amazingly, despite the...

Wales has confirmed that it is to scrap the former flagship Thatcherite policy of Right To Buy. Since 1980, 138,423 homes have been...

The morning after the EU referendum, and Westminster, Britain, Europe and the world were left in shock at the news that...

The Centre for Economics and Business Research says that house prices across the UK are set to increase by 5.7 per...

Older readers may recall a terrific movie called Network where a character, disillusioned by life, shouts from a window: “I’m as...

London house prices rose by 251 and 209 per cent respectively during Thatcher’s and Blair’s time at Number 10 - but...

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents have asked new housing minister Gavin Barwell to...

It has been revealed that the new housing minister, Gavin Barwell, appears to be campaigning to oppose a new housing scheme...

Housing appears to have a disappointingly low priority in the new Theresa May-led Cabinet - at least judging from the time...

I’m indebted to one of the most enthusiastic estate agents I’ve had the pleasure of meeting for suggesting the subject of...

What a month it has been. By the time you read this, we'll have a new Prime Minister, a new Cabinet,...

House owners and buyers with mortgages in today’s market should budget to ensure they can “have enough headroom” for a rise...

An online petition to scrap Energy Performance Certificates has received only modest support so far. The petition has been put forward by eMoov...

With the new Formula One season now well underway, we delve into the fast lane to take you on a whirlwind...

In case you were wondering, it appears that the Labour party has still to find someone to replace John Healey as...

The controversy over whether the Land Registry should be sold off will now not be resolved until a new Prime Minister...

It’s over. A win is a win, whichever side you backed. It’s true that everyone seems a lot less happy than...

Never in my lifetime have I seen so much enthusiasm and passion for politics. Brexit awoke the sleeping dog in almost...

The chief economist who compiles Nationwide’s monthly house price index says it is too early yet to see the impact of...

The haemorrhage of Labour spokespeople now includes the party’s respected shadow housing minister John Healey. His letter to party leader Jeremy Corbyn...

The timing of Labour’s housing review, which has until now been closely associated with John Healey, appears uncertain following the shadow housing...

Property software supplier VTUK is the latest to warn that a Brexit could have a damaging effect on the supply of...

Housing minister Brandon Lewis has joined many others across the country in paying tribute to Jo Cox, the Labour MP murdered last...

The sense of gathering momentum for the Leave campaign ahead of the upcoming EU referendum is causing high levels of uncertainty...

Access to labour is a continuing problem for the construction industry and may worsen if Britain leaves the European Union, according...

Tomorrow, June 8, is the closing date for submissions to the Labour Party’s latest consultation on housing policy: it is seeking...

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

The National Association of Estate Agents and Association of Residential Letting Agents say that although there are no conclusive ‘leave’ or...

The race to replace London Mayor Boris Johnson has entered its final few days, and like never before, housing is the...

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the free market Centre for Policy Studies think tank says the proposals put forward by Labour’s London Mayor candidate...

House prices in the three months to March were 10.1 per cent higher than in the same quarter a year earlier...

Agents' boards get a lot of stick. Many see them as stains on the landscape, some see them as useless in...

When it comes to Budgets and Property, you have to hope that the old adage that ‘things happen in threes’ turns...

A high-end estate agent who was one of the founding directors of Agents' Mutual says a British exit from the EU may not...

As we all know, Peter Redfern is critical to the future of the British housing market and.... What? Wait? You don’t know...

A suggestion that up to 50 per cent of new homes built in London should be affordable has come in for...

Housing market appreciation continued at 4.4 per cent in the year to late January, continuing an eight month run of price...

In January readers of Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today were given the opportunity to give their views on proposed...

Edinburgh city council is seeking the permission of the Scottish Government to introduce a local mansion tax through new bands of...

There’s bad news today for Labour members living in homes valued at £1m or more - one of their own MPs...

There’s been plenty of forecasting in recent weeks - banks, consultancies and high-end estate agents have predicted house prices in the...

It’s time to take a pause, to reflect and put into context—and what a year it has been for our industry...

Diversity is a hot topic in offices across the UK as issues regarding the difference in pay and opportunities are being...

The National Association of Estate Agents has given a cautious welcome to new government plans to expand shared ownership.  David Cameron has...

You might recall a collective sigh of relief emitted by stakeholders in the housing market and private rental sector back in...

Once you go beyond the industry’s anger about the Chancellor’s three per cent stamp duty surcharge – and that’s an anger...

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

Scotland’s home building industry says at least 100,000 homes of all tenures are needed by the end of the next Scottish...

Property journalists, and more than a few estate agents, are beginning their annual autumn ritual – forecasting what’s going to happen...

One of Britain's leading buying agencies say transactions at the very highest end of the London market may be as much...

The new shadow housing minister says Labour will build 100,000 new council houses and housing association homes a year with more...

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

The newly-appointed shadow housing minister says his first priority is to arrest the long-term fall in home ownership in Britain. John Healey...

Labour’s newly-elected candidate for next year’s London mayoral election says he will name and shame rogue landlords and create a public...

John Healey - a former housing minister from when Tony Blair was prime minister - has taken the housing post under...

Labour’s low profile housing spokesperson during the coalition government Emma Reynolds has resigned from the opposition front bench in protest at...

Labour leadership front-runner Jeremy Corbyn has suggested a party run by him would consider a ban on the purchase of homes...

One of the candidates for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party says she wants pensioners to invest in bonds which...

David Lammy, one of six contenders for the Labour nomination for next year’s Mayor of London election, says he wants to...

Communities Secretary Greg Clark will be sacked if there is no improvement in the number of homes built in the next...

Statistics have been published to suggest that much of Britain’s housing crisis is down to a shortage of skilled labour and...

No one likes to be called and told, your boiler has broken down or a burst pipe has caused damage to...

Labour leadership front-runner Jeremy Corbyn says he would vote for a complete end to all forms of Right To Buy and...

Labour’s housing spokesperson on the London Assembly wants estate agents and mayor Boris Johnson to take money laundering in property more...

A new All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing and Planning has been announced to address what it calls “the national housing emergency”...

Watch the latest weekly video round-up of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on contradicting figures...

Watch the latest weekly video round-up of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on contradicting figures...

Three of the four candidates standing for the Labour leadership have effectively dismissed any possibility of reintroducing mansion tax if they...

Islington’s Labour-controlled council has adopted pioneering new planning measures that require new homes in the borough to be regularly occupied in...

Consider the scene. It is July 8th and new Chancellor, Ed Balls, stands at the Dispatch Box giving his first Budget...

An MP has tabled an Early Day Motion calling on the Land Registry to require greater transparency for overseas company purchases...

The Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors says it supports a call by housing minister Brandon Lewis for personnel retiring from the...

The long running story of the south London pub which Foxtons wants to convert to a new office has taken another...

Andy Burnham, one of four candidates in the electioin to become next Labour leader, is the latest prominent party member to...

Given that I wrote my last article on the day of the General Election but well before the result was known,...

Labour’s low-profile shadow housing minister, Roberta Blackman-Woods, has come out for Yvette Cooper - herself a former housing minister - in...

One million people will need to be recruited by 2020 if the housebuilding industry is to build the number of homes...

Moving abroad is a dream for many Britons. There are thousands of us who sit in our offices, day after dreary...

Now that the General Election results have been counted and verified, and now that a new parliament has been sworn in,...

One of London’s biggest property sales of the year so far completed a few weeks before last month’s election, despite fears at...

An estate agent whose office window had displayed Labour posters says he is devastated at an arson and vandalism attack which...

This week RICS reported a further drop in the number of people putting their homes up for sale; new instructions fell...

A little over four weeks ago I was here musing what impact the impending general election might have on the property...

Stella Creasy - a long-time campaigner against what she regards as rogue practices by estate agents and letting agents - now...

Sky News has tipped London Labour MP Stella Creasy - a long-standing critic of estate agents and lettings - as a...

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

After a night of remarkable election results, it looks likely that much of the residential property industry - which was strongly...

Zoopla says a Labour victory would be “likely” to lead to falling house prices and rising interest rates and suggests “a...

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

To the surprise of some, the National Association of Estate Agents says Labour’s proposals to scrap stamp duty for first time buyers...

There's bad news for Britain’s politicians who are using house-building targets as policy objectives in the election - over two thirds...

The Economist appears to have cut through the arguments over mansion tax - and its conclusion may upset those who think...

In a dramatic intervention in the sales market, Labour says it will scrap stamp duty for first time buyer purchases of...

Labour would introduce the mansion tax within its first 100 days in power, according to party leader Ed Miliband. He says the...

With another hung parliament looking increasingly likely, the so-called ‘challenger parties’ look set to have a major say in who forms...

Looking back to the 1980s, it was General Election time and Michael Foot had released the Labour party manifesto. The party was...

Around 120,000 home owners will have to spend around £110m to revalue their homes if Labour’s mansion tax policies come into...