A PropTech firm claims its new interactive property reports are “the most comprehensive on any UK property” and reduce the need...
Archive
18 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Leading leasehold experts have sharply criticised the much-hyped reforms announced by the government last week. The Leasehold Group of Companies - formerly led by...
11 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Millions of leaseholders will be given the right to extend their lease by a maximum term of 990 years at zero...
07 January 2021
From: Breaking News

A leasehold group has written to Housing Minister Chris Pincher pressing for an update on the government’s approach to reform for...
19 November 2020
From: Breaking News

2020 has been a testing year right from the start. With Storms Ciara and Dennis causing £184m+ worth of damage to...
27 October 2020
From: PropTech & Innovation

Another attempt is being made to introduce property logbooks to the selling and buying process, and agents are invited to play a...
26 October 2020
From: Breaking News

Many agents, certainly those in London, will have faced the difficult task of selling a flat with a shorter lease. A...
09 October 2020
From: Sponsored Content

A right wing magazine once edited by Boris Johnson has called estate agents “spivs with tape measures” who conceal information from...
09 October 2020
From: Breaking News

Survivors and bereaved family members from the Grenfell Tower fire have joined forces with residents trapped in allegedly dangerous flats in...
28 September 2020
From: Breaking News

NAEA Propertymark has thrown its weight behind a Competitions and Markets Authority investigation into whether consumer protection law has been broken...
07 September 2020
From: Breaking News

The Competition and Markets Authority is today opening enforcement cases focusing on the sale of leasehold homes by four leading housebuilders. They...
04 September 2020
From: Breaking News

It’s fair to say that UK estate agents don’t have the best of reputations, often featuring in the lists of the...
29 August 2020
From: Features

Wholesale reform of leasehold issues is still some years away, despite recent proposals by the Law Commission and pledges by the...
06 August 2020
From: Breaking News

The long-awaited proposals for leasehold reform produced by the Law Commission suggests giving owners the right to extend their lease for...
22 July 2020
From: Breaking News

It’s a big day for leasehold reform today with the Law Commission due to publish three residential leasehold and commonhold reports. They...
21 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Agents now have a chance to say what they think should be in a new Code of Conduct being discussed following...
20 July 2020
From: Breaking News

There are high hopes that the new stamp duty holiday will make an already busy market even busier - but not...
10 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Buyer registrations and sales enquiries are reportedly back to pre-Covid levels. Completions, however, are lagging behind. This is probably down to...
27 June 2020
From: Features

The death has been announced of one of the country’s leading campaigners against the injustices of the leasehold system, Louie Burns. Burns...
22 June 2020
From: Breaking News

The only story that has come remotely close to pushing coronavirus – and its various knock-on effects – off the top...
06 June 2020
From: Features

The government is jeopardising the success of the housing market relaunch through the inflexibility of the furlough scheme, claims a group...
27 May 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman. The figures refer...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News

At the moment, it somehow seems like tempting fate to think too far into the future, especially in terms of the...
25 April 2020
From: Features

Hello and welcome to Conquering Corona, our bid to help agents through the crisis. If you have appropriate advice to share with...
16 April 2020
From: Breaking News

Welcome to the latest edition of our daily service dedicated to advice and guidance on how agents can best cope with...
01 April 2020
From: Breaking News

Trading Standards says agents must include more “material information” in property details even if this may not be a wholly positive...
03 March 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been a broad welcome from agents and other industry organisations for the latest report from the Competition and Markets Authority...
02 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The government is being urged to make commonhold ownership compulsory on all new apartments - and the move could even begin a...
21 February 2020
From: Breaking News

Unfortunately for consumers, buying and selling properties is rarely plain sailing. But fortunately for agents, this provides you with an opportunity to...
03 February 2020
From: Breaking News

A leasehold reform campaigner claims estate agents face “growing calls to be held accountable for mis-selling leasehold properties.” Louie Burns, managing director...
21 January 2020
From: Breaking News

The Law Commission has set out three ways to cut the cost that leaseholders have to pay to buy the freehold...
10 January 2020
From: Breaking News

The government has given details of a scheme allowing 30 per cent reductions for what it calls ‘local first time buyers’...
19 December 2019
From: Breaking News

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...
07 December 2019
From: Features

A London estate agency says a new scheme of apartments being launched for sale this weekend will be the first ever...
07 November 2019
From: Breaking News

A 10 point manifesto to drive forward leasehold reform has been published by prominent campaigner Louie Burns, of The Leasehold Solutions Group. The 10...
06 November 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents have issued their manifesto for next month’s General...
05 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Hello there and welcome along to the latest PJT, your weekly catch-up on who’s moving where in agency, amongst suppliers and...
04 November 2019
From: Breaking News

A London estate agency is attempting to help leaseholders with short leases who may be finding it hard to raise funds...
01 November 2019
From: Breaking News

A London agency has told Estate Agent Today that it makes some of its buyers pay upwards of £5,000 in Reservation...
23 October 2019
From: Breaking News

First details have emerged of the information vendors may have to provide up-front In future transactions if government house buying reforms...
21 October 2019
From: Breaking News

There’s no doubt that we live in politically charged times and every day appears to bring something new to the ‘party’. For...
05 October 2019
From: Features

The price premium paid by purchasers for a freehold property rather than a leasehold is at its highest for eight years. An...
26 September 2019
From: Breaking News

Hello and welcome to your regular Monday PJT, the essential guide to who’s moving where in our industry. Everyone mentioned here got...
23 September 2019
From: Breaking News

Is this the ultimate in accountability or a desperate bid to win back public support for a company damaged by the...
14 August 2019
From: Breaking News

A retirement development specialist is warning buyers on such schemes to beware unexpected clauses or restrictions which they may not have...
09 August 2019
From: Breaking News

One of the largest surveys of housing concerns amongst consumers suggests that agents fees - once a major issue - is...
08 August 2019
From: Breaking News

Estate and letting agents are being urged to check that they are signed up with an approved redress scheme that covers...
25 July 2019
From: Breaking News

This may be the final full day in office for Kit Malthouse, the latest politician to occupy the short-term position of housing...
23 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The industry press has given substantial space to recommendations from the Regulation of Property Agents, the government’s working party which has...
20 July 2019
From: Features
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A leasehold reform campaigner says government proposals risk creating a two-tier market and do nothing to assist leaseholders already hit by...
02 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The minister at the centre of reforms to the estate and lettings industry sector has apologised for what she calls “inappropriate...
24 June 2019
From: Breaking News

A conveyancing body is calling on mortgage lenders to standardise their policies in respect of unexpired lease terms in order to...
12 June 2019
From: Breaking News

The Competition and Markets Authority has formally launched an investigation into the sale of leasehold properties - including possible mis-selling. This follows...
11 June 2019
From: Breaking News

It may well seem that the government is pre-occupied with one issue, and one issue alone. While preparations for Brexit take up a...
01 June 2019
From: Features

A firm supporting leaseholders across the UK says the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority probe should “punish” what it calls “rip off...
24 May 2019
From: Breaking News

Hello there and we’re at the start of another Bank Holiday weekend - but no rest for you lot, working hard...
24 May 2019
From: Breaking News

So far in our contribution to the campaign to replace leasehold with commonhold we have outlined the stories of some of...
18 May 2019
From: Features

The National Association of Estate Agents has welcomed the commitment by the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the mis-selling of...
17 May 2019
From: Breaking News

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has launched its long-awaited ‘How to sell a home’ and ‘How to...
08 May 2019
From: Breaking News

The issue of ‘intergenerational fairness’ has been raised in recent weeks, some might say somewhat ironically by a House of Lords’...
04 May 2019
From: Features

In recent weeks our campaign to replace leasehold with commonhold has continued to gather momentum both in the press and across...
02 May 2019
From: Breaking News

Consultation closes today on a Law Commission proposal to radically reshape leasehold and the Right To Manage. Right To Manage was introduced...
30 April 2019
From: Breaking News

The leasehold scandal continues to generate plenty of column inches, with fresh stories emerging almost daily of people living in unsellable...
18 April 2019
From: Breaking News

No, this isn’t about Brexit. But as the saga of leaving the EU is likely to bring about the downfall of...
13 April 2019
From: Features

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

Hello, welcome to a new week and to PJT, your regular Monday round-up of jobs news in the industry. Do please let...
01 April 2019
From: Breaking News

Almost as soon as the government yesterday made its latest announcement to outlaw rogue leasehold deals, the measure was branded “pathetic. More...
29 March 2019
From: Breaking News

A large-scale survey by a consumer group has revealed that over half of home owners regard stamp duty as a growing...
26 March 2019
From: Breaking News

Over the last few years, there have a number of changes to the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) regime, which have...
23 March 2019
From: Features

When it comes to major issues confronting housing, and in particular the direction that the government would like to take the...
23 March 2019
From: Features

A survey of owners has revealed that recent leasehold scandals have deterred many would-be buyers from considering new build homes. The survey,...
21 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The Law Society claims that the unforeseen charges faced by some purchasers of leasehold properties could be addressed “if developers and...
20 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The leasehold system has created many unsellable and unmortgageable homes and should change, MPs say. The all-party Housing, Communities and Local Government...
19 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The proliferation of big data is paving the way to improving our economy on almost every front as entrepreneurial digital companies...
09 March 2019
From: Features

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency team has issued new guidance for those seeking redress over leasehold disputes. This guidance contains a...
30 January 2019
From: Breaking News

There’s been a dramatic improvement in the speed of searches being completed and returned by local authorities, the government claims. Housing minister...
28 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The civil servant leading work to reform the house buying has revealed key areas of government thinking - with a ban on...
18 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Our latest case study come from a recent news item to have hit the industry and national press. A disgruntled tenant is claiming...
16 January 2019
From: Sponsored Content

The head of a property management company says conveyancers must do more to ensure buyers of leasehold properties fully understand the...
10 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Developers have continued to sell thousands of new-build houses with leaseholds, despite a government pledge to ban the “unscrupulous” practice a...
24 December 2018
From: Breaking News

The cost of new-build leasehold properties has surged 16 times faster than freeholds according to research from property investment platform. The revelation...
16 October 2018
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has welcomed the government’s move to ensure most future new-build houses are sold as freehold...
15 October 2018
From: Breaking News

The vast majority of new-build houses are to be sold as freehold with ground rents for new leases capped at £10...
14 October 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has unveiled a new body which, it claims, will raise agency standards. There is a long-standing commitment from the government...
12 October 2018
From: Breaking News

A series of leasehold roadshows beginning next month in Manchester aims to throw a spotlight on problems associated with the tenure,...
08 October 2018
From: Breaking News

You will perhaps have seen recently that the Government has decided to boost funding to the regulator, the National Trading Standards...
29 September 2018
From: Features

The National Association of Estate Agents has given broad support for radical proposals from the Law Commission to end leasehold abuse...
21 September 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has urged the government to bring the new homes build sector under consumer redress. New builds are not currently...
10 September 2018
From: Breaking News

Almost all buyers of new build houses who purchased a leasehold regret doing so, and the vast majority say they definitely wouldn't...
07 September 2018
From: Breaking News

A specialist property law firm is calling on the government to speed up changes in the law to avoid abusive leasehold...
23 August 2018
From: Breaking News

In our previous blog, we looked at the definitions outlined by the CPRs. In our next blog we’ll look at the...
21 August 2018
From: Sponsored Content

The parent company of Your Move, Reeds Rains and other agency brands has succeeded where Foxtons yesterday did not - in...
31 July 2018
From: Breaking News

You will notice that there is a new author for this regular column for Estate Agent Today. Last month I was...
21 July 2018
From: Features

A new website has been set up specifically to help leasehold flat owners who have been served a Section 5 Notice...
04 July 2018
From: Breaking News

The government says its funding schemes such as Help To Buy will no longer be applied to what it calls “unjustified...
03 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Estate Agent Today is 10 years old this weekend. We hope you’ll agree that’s a cause for celebration and a great...
29 June 2018
From: Breaking News
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To say this is a turbulent time for UK politics would be something of an understatement. As I write, the Brexit...
23 June 2018
From: Features

As housing market stakeholders we’ve all had a month or so to try and digest the government’s own response to its...
19 May 2018
From: Features

A leasehold reform campaigner has called on the government to ensure it publishes its report on leasehold reform before the summer recess at...
04 May 2018
From: Breaking News

One of the three official redress bodies serving the estate and lettings agency industry has conducted a survey of complaints across...
02 May 2018
From: Breaking News

People living in leasehold properties should extend the remaining terms of their leases before they drop beneath 80 years, according to a...
26 April 2018
From: Breaking News

A leasehold reform campaigning group is warning that “it is likely to be many years” before promised leasehold reform becomes law. Leasehold...
24 April 2018
From: Breaking News

Stubbornly high house prices and concerns over leasehold-related charges top the list of worries amongst the public about the housing market. That’s...
19 April 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has announced further measures which will, in its words, “professionalise” house buying and the estate agency business. In yet another Sunday...
08 April 2018
From: Breaking News

At any given moment it’s difficult to say which issue dominates our marketplace, but I think it’s fair to acknowledge during...
31 March 2018
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman has launched an online training module which it describes as the first of its kind. The interactive module -...
29 March 2018
From: Breaking News

Representatives from estate and lettings agencies as well as professional organisations have formed The Home Buying And Selling Group with a...
26 February 2018
From: Breaking News

Home owners seeking lease extensions may now have to pay more as a result of a controversial judgement handed down by...
25 January 2018
From: Breaking News

The Court of Appeal is today expected to rule on a legal battle which may be critical in determining the value...
16 January 2018
From: Breaking News

While there is a distinct market for flats held on particularly short leases, there is a middle ground where flat owners...
13 January 2018
From: Features

It’s no surprise that figures don’t always show the results or consequences we expect - even if they are entirely accurate. Look...
06 January 2018
From: Features

The Society of Licensed Conveyancers says it is worried that HM Land Registry’s decision to publish details of apparent errors in...
03 January 2018
From: Breaking News

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,...
22 December 2017
From: Breaking News

A new EU crackdown on money laundering requires estate agency businesses to adopt a collaborative approach if they are to avoid...
11 November 2017
From: Features

Labour MP Justin Madders is working on a Private Members' Bill creating leasehold reform in a bid to help leaseholders who, he...
10 November 2017
From: Breaking News

It’s something of an understatement to say it’s been a busy fortnight for the industry in terms of announcements, consultations and...
04 November 2017
From: Features

The government has launched a consultation this weekend calling for evidence on how to make the home buying process “cheaper, faster...
22 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Another week, yet more consultations - the agency industry can’t complain about not being asked for its views recently. The latest were on...
21 October 2017
From: Features

The UK is home to four million leasehold properties in private ownership, according to government figures. The majority of which require...
30 September 2017
From: Features

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform has made a hard-hitting submission to formal government consultations on the...
25 September 2017
From: Breaking News

Labour’s shadow housing minister John Healey is reported to be one of a number of prominent front bench opposition spokespeople being...
18 September 2017
From: Breaking News

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

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

There has been general support from the industry for the government’s apparent intention to ban new homes in England being sold...
26 July 2017
From: Breaking News

The government says it wants to ban “unfair” leasehold charges imposed on buyers of new-build homes in England. Under the measure, subject to...
25 July 2017
From: Breaking News

A leasehold enfranchisement expert wants government action over what he calls the "forgotten casualties" of the recent ground rent scandal. Louie Burns,...
14 July 2017
From: Breaking News

The political ebb and flow continues - seemingly with all the subtlety of a Boris Johnson rugby tackle on a 10-year...
01 July 2017
From: Features

A cluster of conveyancing and legal experts, known as the Legal Sector Group, has published a raft of proposals on leasehold...
21 June 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority says it has “partly upheld” a complaint regarding a claim that a leasehold property was Sold STC. Greenslade...
21 June 2017
From: Breaking News

Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on June 8 took many by surprise. But estate agents have been broadly...
03 June 2017
From: Features

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

The Conservative and Labour party manifestos do not go far enough to tackle problems with the leasehold system. That’s the view of...
30 May 2017
From: Breaking News

The Conservatives have this morning announced a reform of the house buying process in the party’s manifesto for the June 8...
18 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Analysis of over 500,000 transactions shows that completions are slowest in London and the South East. The average progress from an offer...
15 May 2017
From: Breaking News

There has been widespread praise for the Nationwide building society's crackdown on criteria for mortgages for leasehold new build homes. From May...
05 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Not only did Theresa May stun everyone with her decision to call a ‘snap election’ but with the campaign now underway...
29 April 2017
From: Features

A two year investigation by the Law Commission has ended with a claim that some owners of leasehold retirement properties, and...
03 April 2017
From: Breaking News

Peter Robinson, CEO of AIPP – Association of International Property Professionals – shines a light onto the international property market. Some UK...
01 April 2017
From: Features

The Conveyancing Association wants the creation of a ‘log book’ and ‘Home Reports’ for each home on sale - reminiscent in...
15 March 2017
From: Breaking News

The Conveyancing Association (CA) has this week published a consumer guide on leasehold property. The document, released yesterday, has a specific focus...
07 March 2017
From: Breaking News

A sales progression tool claims to have reduced the average transaction time for a property from around 94 days to around...
27 February 2017
From: Breaking News

The housing market has not been short of a White Paper over the last few months, and while you might just...
25 February 2017
From: Features

The government has set out 29 key points in its Housing White Paper. Introducing it in the Commons this afternoon, Communities Secretery Sajid...
07 February 2017
From: Breaking News

Housing minister Gavin Barwell says the government will provide “substantial investment” to ensure more transparency in leasehold tenure. “We are determined to...
03 February 2017
From: Breaking News

Housing minister Gavin Barwell says the government will put forward proposals in the new year to stop abuses of the leasehold...
21 December 2016
From: Breaking News

I recently came across a consumer comment expressing frustration at the length and complexity of UK conveyancing and raising the question...
17 December 2016
From: Features

A firm is warning of “a wave of litigation from home owners who were given inadequate advice from their solicitors or...
29 November 2016
From: Breaking News

Leaseholds Solution - the company behind the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners - says it wants recent proposals to modernise the...
28 November 2016
From: Breaking News

The Conveyancers' Association has called for sweeping changes to the house buying and moving system to create a "more certain and...
14 November 2016
From: Breaking News

Working relationships between estate agents and conveyancers can be mutually beneficial with the referral of work between parties. However, they are missing...
12 November 2016
From: Features

Several estate agencies have announced expansions and new offices - and once again a former Countrywide management figure is revealed to...
21 October 2016
From: Breaking News

The Conveyancing Association says it is continuing to campaign to reform the leasehold transaction process, despite the government saying there is...
02 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The Conveyancing Association has set out recommendations to end what it claims are significant delays and overcharging taking place within the...
03 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The possibility of short-term falling house prices caused by Brexit may be good news for the UK’s four million leasehold flat...
12 July 2016
From: Breaking News

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners says more leaseholders are complaining of inflated service charges for maintenance, upkeep and communal areas. The...
27 April 2016
From: Breaking News

A conveyancing firm claims there has been a 140 per cent increase in the number of properties requiring leasehold extensions in...
23 December 2015
From: Breaking News

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