Archive

Despite the progress made in so many areas, particularly in terms of leasehold reform – although we are calling upon the...

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

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

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

The recent stamp duty holiday and the subsequent conveyancing logjam this triggered has acted as a wakeup call for the industry....

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...

In a day of unexpected drama, Boris Johnson carried out a surprisingly brutal and widespread Cabinet reshuffle which saw a number...

One of the biggest campaign groups calling for leasehold reform has welcomed the action taken by the Competition and Markets Authority...

In what will be seen as the latest win for leaseholders across the UK, it’s been revealed that – following action...

The Property Ombudsman says there’s been a big increase in enquiries to its service in recent months, despite the pandemic.  In its...

The lack of progress on the much-anticipated government reforms of the leasehold system is leaving thousands of homeowners stranded, according to...

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

The government and property industry have been talking about it for a long time, and there have been numerous initiatives introduced...

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

The Competition and Markets Authority has struck a deal with house builders over leasehold abuses. Aviva has committed to remove certain terms...

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 government has set up a committee to push forward ideas on the collective form of homeownership known as commonhold. Housing Secretary...

The government has launched a formal consultation process on a new residential property developer tax which is to contribute towards cladding...

A survey of 5,000 agents suggests the slow house selling and buying process is one of the biggest challenges facing the...

A leading conveyancing industry chief says the one factor that would help improve the slow house buying process today would be the...

Two of Britain’s largest house builders have reacted sharply to calls by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick and the Competition and Markets...

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

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

An estate agency is this month launching packs of up-front information for buyers in a bid to speed sales and reduce fall-throughs.  Miles...

The government has given details of two new taxes to provide funds to address the cladding problem on high rise tower blocks...

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...

A PropTech firm claims its new interactive property reports are “the most comprehensive on any UK property” and reduce the need...

Leading leasehold experts have sharply criticised the much-hyped reforms announced by the government last week. The Leasehold Group of Companies - formerly led by...

Millions of leaseholders will be given the right to extend their lease by a maximum term of 990 years at zero...

A leasehold group has written to Housing Minister Chris Pincher pressing for an update on the government’s approach to reform for...

2020 has been a testing year right from the start. With Storms Ciara and Dennis causing £184m+ worth of damage to...

Another attempt is being made to introduce property logbooks to the selling and buying process, and agents are invited to play a...

Many agents, certainly those in London, will have faced the difficult task of selling a flat with a shorter lease. A...

A right wing magazine once edited by Boris Johnson has called estate agents “spivs with tape measures” who conceal information from...

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

NAEA Propertymark has thrown its weight behind a Competitions and Markets Authority investigation into whether consumer protection law has been broken...

The Competition and Markets Authority is today opening enforcement cases focusing on the sale of leasehold homes by four leading housebuilders. They...

It’s fair to say that UK estate agents don’t have the best of reputations, often featuring in the lists of the...

Wholesale reform of leasehold issues is still some years away, despite recent proposals by the Law Commission and pledges by the...

The long-awaited proposals for leasehold reform produced by the Law Commission suggests giving owners the right to extend their lease for...

It’s a big day for leasehold reform today with the Law Commission due to publish three residential leasehold and commonhold reports. They...

Agents now have a chance to say what they think should be in a new Code of Conduct being discussed following...

There are high hopes that the new stamp duty holiday will make an already busy market even busier - but not...

Buyer registrations and sales enquiries are reportedly back to pre-Covid levels. Completions, however, are lagging behind. This is probably down to...

The death has been announced of one of the country’s leading campaigners against the injustices of the leasehold system, Louie Burns. Burns...

The only story that has come remotely close to pushing coronavirus – and its various knock-on effects – off the top...

The government is jeopardising the success of the housing market relaunch through the inflexibility of the furlough scheme, claims a group...

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman.  The figures refer...

At the moment, it somehow seems like tempting fate to think too far into the future, especially in terms of the...

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

Welcome to the latest edition of our daily service dedicated to advice and guidance on how agents can best cope with...

Trading Standards says agents must include more “material information” in property details even if this may not be a wholly positive...

There’s been a broad welcome from agents and other industry organisations for the latest report from the Competition and Markets Authority...

The government is being urged to make commonhold ownership compulsory on all new apartments - and the move could even begin a...

Unfortunately for consumers, buying and selling properties is rarely plain sailing. But fortunately for agents, this provides you with an opportunity to...

A leasehold reform campaigner claims estate agents face “growing calls to be held accountable for mis-selling leasehold properties.” Louie Burns, managing director...

The Law Commission has set out three ways to cut the cost that leaseholders have to pay to buy the freehold...

The government has given details of a scheme allowing 30 per cent reductions for what it calls ‘local first time buyers’...

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

A London estate agency says a new scheme of apartments being launched for sale this weekend will be the first ever...

A 10 point manifesto to drive forward leasehold reform has been published by prominent campaigner Louie Burns, of The Leasehold Solutions Group. The 10...

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents have issued their manifesto for next month’s General...

Hello there and welcome along to the latest PJT, your weekly catch-up on who’s moving where in agency, amongst suppliers and...

A London estate agency is attempting to help leaseholders with short leases who may be finding it hard to raise funds...

A London agency has told Estate Agent Today that it makes some of its buyers pay upwards of £5,000 in Reservation...

First details have emerged of the information vendors may have to provide up-front In future transactions if government house buying reforms...

There’s no doubt that we live in politically charged times and every day appears to bring something new to the ‘party’. For...

The price premium paid by purchasers for a freehold property rather than a leasehold is at its highest for eight years. An...

Hello and welcome to your regular Monday PJT, the essential guide to who’s moving where in our industry. Everyone mentioned here got...

Is this the ultimate in accountability or a desperate bid to win back public support for a company damaged by the...

A retirement development specialist is warning buyers on such schemes to beware unexpected clauses or restrictions which they may not have...

One of the largest surveys of housing concerns amongst consumers suggests that agents fees - once a major issue - is...

Estate and letting agents are being urged to check that they are signed up with an approved redress scheme that covers...

This may be the final full day in office for Kit Malthouse, the latest politician to occupy the short-term position of housing...

The industry press has given substantial space to recommendations from the Regulation of Property Agents, the government’s working party which has...

A leasehold reform campaigner says government proposals risk creating a two-tier market and do nothing to assist leaseholders already hit by...

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

A conveyancing body is calling on mortgage lenders to standardise their policies in respect of unexpired lease terms in order to...

The Competition and Markets Authority has formally launched an investigation into the sale of leasehold properties - including possible mis-selling. This follows...

It may well seem that the government is pre-occupied with one issue, and one issue alone. While preparations for Brexit take up a...

A firm supporting leaseholders across the UK says the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority probe should “punish” what it calls “rip off...

Hello there and we’re at the start of another Bank Holiday weekend - but no rest for you lot, working hard...

So far in our contribution to the campaign to replace leasehold with commonhold we have outlined the stories of some of...

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

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has launched its long-awaited ‘How to sell a home’ and ‘How to...

The issue of ‘intergenerational fairness’ has been raised in recent weeks, some might say somewhat ironically by a House of Lords’...

In recent weeks our campaign to replace leasehold with commonhold has continued to gather momentum both in the press and across...

Consultation closes today on a Law Commission proposal to radically reshape leasehold and the Right To Manage. Right To Manage was introduced...

The leasehold scandal continues to generate plenty of column inches, with fresh stories emerging almost daily of people living in unsellable...

No, this isn’t about Brexit. But as the saga of leaving the EU is likely to bring about the downfall of...

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

Hello, welcome to a new week and to PJT, your regular Monday round-up of jobs news in the industry. Do please let...

Almost as soon as the government yesterday made its latest announcement to outlaw rogue leasehold deals, the measure was branded “pathetic. More...

A large-scale survey by a consumer group has revealed that over half of home owners regard stamp duty as a growing...

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

When it comes to major issues confronting housing, and in particular the direction that the government would like to take the...

A survey of owners has revealed that recent leasehold scandals have deterred many would-be buyers from considering new build homes.  The survey,...

The Law Society claims that the unforeseen charges faced by some purchasers of leasehold properties could be addressed “if developers and...

The leasehold system has created many unsellable and unmortgageable homes and should change, MPs say. The all-party Housing, Communities and Local Government...

The proliferation of big data is paving the way to improving our economy on almost every front as entrepreneurial digital companies...

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency team has issued new guidance for those seeking redress over leasehold disputes.  This guidance contains a...

There’s been a dramatic improvement in the speed of searches being completed and returned by local authorities, the government claims. Housing minister...

The civil servant leading work to reform the house buying has revealed key areas of government thinking - with a ban on...

Our latest case study come from a recent news item to have hit the industry and national press. A disgruntled tenant is claiming...

The head of a property management company says conveyancers must do more to ensure buyers of leasehold properties fully understand the...

Developers have continued to sell thousands of new-build houses with leaseholds, despite a government pledge to ban the “unscrupulous” practice a...

The cost of new-build leasehold properties has surged 16 times faster than freeholds according to research from property investment platform. The revelation...

The National Association of Estate Agents has welcomed the government’s move to ensure most future new-build houses are sold as freehold...

The vast majority of new-build houses are to be sold as freehold with ground rents for new leases capped at £10...

The government has unveiled a new body which, it claims, will raise agency standards. There is a long-standing commitment from the government...

A series of leasehold roadshows beginning next month in Manchester aims to throw a spotlight on problems associated with the tenure,...

You will perhaps have seen recently that the Government has decided to boost funding to the regulator, the National Trading Standards...

The National Association of Estate Agents has given broad support for radical proposals from the Law Commission to end leasehold abuse...

The Property Ombudsman has urged the government to bring the new homes build sector under consumer redress. New builds are not currently...

Almost all buyers of new build houses who purchased a leasehold regret doing so, and the vast majority say they definitely wouldn't...

A specialist property law firm is calling on the government to speed up changes in the law to avoid abusive leasehold...

In our previous blog, we looked at the definitions outlined by the CPRs. In our next blog we’ll look at the...

The parent company of Your Move, Reeds Rains and other agency brands has succeeded where Foxtons yesterday did not - in...

You will notice that there is a new author for this regular column for Estate Agent Today. Last month I was...

A new website has been set up specifically to help leasehold flat owners who have been served a Section 5 Notice...

The government says its funding schemes such as Help To Buy will no longer be applied to what it calls “unjustified...

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

To say this is a turbulent time for UK politics would be something of an understatement. As I write, the Brexit...

As housing market stakeholders we’ve all had a month or so to try and digest the government’s own response to its...

A leasehold reform campaigner has called on the government to ensure it publishes its report on leasehold reform before the summer recess at...

One of the three official redress bodies serving the estate and lettings agency industry has conducted a survey of complaints across...

People living in leasehold properties should extend the remaining terms of their leases before they drop beneath 80 years, according to a...

A leasehold reform campaigning group is warning that “it is likely to be many years” before promised leasehold reform becomes law. Leasehold...

Stubbornly high house prices and concerns over leasehold-related charges top the list of worries amongst the public about the housing market. That’s...

The government has announced further measures which will, in its words, “professionalise” house buying and the estate agency business. In yet another Sunday...

At any given moment it’s difficult to say which issue dominates our marketplace, but I think it’s fair to acknowledge during...

The Property Ombudsman has launched an online training module which it describes as the first of its kind.  The interactive module -...

Representatives from estate and lettings agencies as well as professional organisations have formed The Home Buying And Selling Group with a...

Home owners seeking lease extensions may now have to pay more as a result of a controversial judgement handed down by...

The Court of Appeal is today expected to rule on a legal battle which may be critical in determining the value...

While there is a distinct market for flats held on particularly short leases, there is a middle ground where flat owners...

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

The Society of Licensed Conveyancers says it is worried that HM Land Registry’s decision to publish details of apparent errors in...

A specialist leasehold enfranchisement firm has branded government leasehold reforms as "incredibly weak". In an announcement lost in the noise following Damian Green’s sacking,...

A new EU crackdown on money laundering requires estate agency businesses to adopt a collaborative approach if they are to avoid...

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...

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

Another week, yet more consultations - the agency industry can’t complain about not being asked for its views recently. The latest were on...

The UK is home to four million leasehold properties in private ownership, according to government figures. The majority of which require...

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform has made a hard-hitting submission to formal government consultations on the...

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

Even so close to the event, I don’t think anyone will be deeming 2017 as the ‘summer of love’.  The summer of...

Without wishing to blow our own trumpet at this time, we did say at the start of the year that 2017...

There has been general support from the industry for the government’s apparent intention to ban new homes in England being sold...

The government says it wants to ban “unfair” leasehold charges imposed on buyers of new-build homes in England.  Under the measure, subject to...

A leasehold enfranchisement expert wants government action over what he calls the "forgotten casualties" of the recent ground rent scandal.    Louie Burns,...

The political ebb and flow continues - seemingly with all the subtlety of a Boris Johnson rugby tackle on a 10-year...

A cluster of conveyancing and legal experts, known as the Legal Sector Group, has published a raft of proposals on leasehold...

The Advertising Standards Authority says it has “partly upheld” a complaint regarding a claim that a leasehold property was Sold STC. Greenslade...

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...

The Conservatives have this morning announced a reform of the house buying process in the party’s manifesto for the June 8...

Analysis of over 500,000 transactions shows that completions are slowest in London and the South East. The average progress from an offer...

There has been widespread praise for the Nationwide building society's crackdown on criteria for mortgages for leasehold new build homes.   From May...

Not only did Theresa May stun everyone with her decision to call a ‘snap election’ but with the campaign now underway...

A two year investigation by the Law Commission has ended with a claim that some owners of leasehold retirement properties, and...

Peter Robinson, CEO of AIPP – Association of International Property Professionals – shines a light onto the international property market. Some UK...

The Conveyancing Association wants the creation of a ‘log book’ and ‘Home Reports’ for each home on sale - reminiscent in...

The Conveyancing Association (CA) has this week published a consumer guide on leasehold property.  The document, released yesterday, has a specific focus...

A sales progression tool claims to have reduced the average transaction time for a property from around 94 days to around...

The housing market has not been short of a White Paper over the last few months, and while you might just...

The government has set out 29 key points in its Housing White Paper.   Introducing it in the Commons this afternoon, Communities Secretery Sajid...

Housing minister Gavin Barwell says the government will provide “substantial investment” to ensure more transparency in leasehold tenure. “We are determined to...

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

I recently came across a consumer comment expressing frustration at the length and complexity of UK conveyancing and raising the question...

A firm is warning of “a wave of litigation from home owners who were given inadequate advice from their solicitors or...

Leaseholds Solution - the company behind the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners - says it wants recent proposals to modernise the...

The Conveyancers' Association has called for sweeping changes to the house buying and moving system to create a "more certain and...

Working relationships between estate agents and conveyancers can be mutually beneficial with the referral of work between parties. However, they are missing...

Several estate agencies have announced expansions and new offices - and once again a former Countrywide management figure is revealed to...

The Conveyancing Association says it is continuing to campaign to reform the leasehold transaction process, despite the government saying there is...

The Conveyancing Association has set out recommendations to end what it claims are significant delays and overcharging taking place within the...

The possibility of short-term falling house prices caused by Brexit may be good news for the UK’s four million leasehold flat...

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners says more leaseholders are complaining of inflated service charges for maintenance, upkeep and communal areas.  The...

A conveyancing firm claims there has been a 140 per cent increase in the number of properties requiring leasehold extensions in...

An unusual story of hard-to-sell homes has emerged from Northumberland where a kind of new town, established in the 1960s, is...

A number of my member firms (Bold Legal Group) have reported that, compared to three years ago, the time to get...