Archive

The Property Ombudsman has expelled a London lettings and estate agency for a year and is warning that the firm may...

As someone who spends his days peering into the PropTech world, one thing I’ve observed is the way in which certain tech prompts...

Not so long ago, new UK car sales were racing ahead, fuelled by confidence in the economic recovery, but car production...

Are you protecting your data right? This may sound like the sort of direct warning you get from cold callers or...

Research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research has shown that the cost of the average rental deposit is expected...

Sources within Countrywide say the latest senior management figure to leave the company is Sam Tyrer, who under her title of...

An online estate agency with a website claiming “a saving of 50 per cent” on local agents, is seeking £100,000 to £250,000...

Regional agency Manning Stainton has completed its second acquisition in the last four months with the purchase of independent agency Clear...

Humberts, which yesterday launched an online-only option for landlord clients, says it is “not closing the door” on expanding the idea...

Humberts, a member of Agents’ Mutual, is today launching an online-only option and claims it can list online-only properties on OnTheMarket. Such...

Let’s face it - summer seems to be on holiday itself, if the weather in the UK is anything to go...

Facebook appears to be interested in entering the sales and lettings world with its first advertising product geared solely towards industry professionals. The...

Agents’ Mutual has confirmed that it proposes to form a new company, OnTheMarket plc, to list on the AIM market of...

LSL Property Services - owners of Your Move, Reeds Rains and Marsh & Parsons amongst estate agency brands - has enjoyed...

Adam Day, the founder of Connells-owned online estate agency Hatched, has been announced as head of operations at easyProperty.    In a statement...

In its latest report to shareholders, Rightmove has revealed yet more growth in agent numbers, traffic to its website, revenue per...

Three agencies have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman for two or more years, after failing to pay awards...

Countrywide says the roll out of its online sales and lettings service is on schedule to reach 50 per cent of...

Countrywide has revealed a massive plunge in its profits for the first six months of 2017.   Pre-tax profit for the six months...

Foxtons has reported its half-year figures for the six months to the end of June and, as expected, they show how...

The Competition and Markets Authority has released the full wording on its decision to give the go-ahead to ZPG’s acquisition of Expert...

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

Franchise estate and lettings group HomeXperts has announced the latest areas where it has recruited local property experts. They are Berkshire, Essex, Kent and...

You may have heard that Airbnb and property management company, Lavanda has closed a £1 million angel investment round.  Backers include Purplebricks...

LSL Property Services does not report its figures for the first half of 2017 until August 1, but even so it...

Purplebricks has released more details of expansion plans to recruit hundreds of additional Local Property Experts. The recruitment drive was launched yesterday...

Foxtons - a company seen by many as a barometer of the London housing market - is likely to face a...

Living next to inconsiderate neighbours can be a nightmare, but letting to bad tenants can prove costly, especially when issues, which...

As an agency business, how much are you spending on professional body memberships? Perhaps it’s time to question how much you...

It’s hot outside but that’s no deterrent to agents helping others, even at the height of summer. Before we honour this week’s...

A nine-branch agency in Manchester claims a new app is behind a 20 per cent improvement in its Rightmove statistics. Thornley Groves...

Haus Properties - the estate agency set up by former Apprentice finalist Jamie Lester, who quit the company suddenly last year...

ZPG, owner of digital platforms including Zoopla, uSwitch, PrimeLocation, Hometrack and Property Software Group, has been cleared by the Competition and...

The Queen’s speech to the British parliament this week was a scaled-back affair, which was unsurprising given the Grenfell Tower fire,...

Two leading property analysts have written a fiercely critical assessment of the merger between easyProperty and the Guild of Property Professionals.   The...

The managing director of lettings at Foxtons says Brexit and domestic political uncertainty have become ‘the new norm’ in the London...

Industry trade bodies NAEA and ARLA Propertymark have announced the appointment of their new presidents. At an AGM on Friday, Katie Griffin...

Knight Frank has recruited an estate agent from Foxtons to run its Tower Bridge branch.  Daniel Woods joins from the firm’s London...

Former housing minister Gavin Barwell has been appointed as Theresa May's chief of staff. Barwell lost his Croydon Central seat – and...

Independent estate agency network The Guild of Property Professionals has announced that its training scheme has been given formal approval. The Associate...

There’s barely a week that goes by when you don’t read about an estate or letting agency business that’s been acquired...

GPEA Ltd - the parent company of the Guild of Property Professionals and Fine & Country - has announced it has...

MPL Interiors was brought in to execute an office fit-out in a former paint shop in Wantage, Oxfordshire, for estate agent...

A distinctive boutique estate agency that describes itself as a hybrid between traditional and online operators, and which set up a...

Carter Jonas has promoted one of the best known figures in lettings, Lisa Simon, to equity partner level, together with six...

The recent rise in consumer complaints against sales and letting agents suggests that there is a general lack of trust and...

Since we last spoke, the ESTAS – the biggest and best property awards ceremony in the UK – has been and...

Student accommodation is positively luxurious compared with the drafty digs of my student days. En-suites, studio flats, even cinemas in halls...

An estate agency group operating from two offices close to Heathrow airport has announced it is to open a third, ultimately...

Our recent roundtable on the proposed ban on tenant fees generated ten tips for growing a lettings business. We’re exploring each tip in more...

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

This might just be one of the busiest Agents Do Charity columns we’ve ever had with many firms having a mixture...

One of the industry’s best known training operators, TM training & development, is giving away free places on its next five...

Countrywide has announced an extensive reorganisation of senior management at its Hamptons International brand - with a pledge to "reach into...

Belvoir is continuing with its strategy of selling off its corporate offices, with a new franchisee just completing on the purchase...

The Property Franchise Group says it has seen 13 consecutive years of growth for the five High Street brands within its...

I was recently contributing to whitepaper by a major bank about the future of the property industry and, as I was...

Lomond Capital has secured up to £37.5m for new acquisitions of sales and lettings agencies across the south of England -...

There’s no sign yet that the snap General Election is distracting our industry from continuing its fine record of doing good...

Estate agents have been broadly supportive of the decision by Prime Minister Theresa May to push for a snap General Election...

More than three quarters of developers want to see the government go into reverse on its stamp duty and mortgage interest...

Savills has acquired Granville Residential, an independent agency covering the high-end Marlow, Maidenhead, Bourne End and Cookham areas in Berkshire and...

The seven branch independent sales and lettings agency Andrew's Estates has acquired a single office firm, Huyton Roberts, in the Wirral. Originally...

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

It’s peak business season for many agents right now and yet they still have time to do good work for charities...

“I predict that within a few years, folks advertising properties for rent or to buy will start to show if their property is a...

It’s been revealed that next month’s Future: PropTech conference will feature a debate between ‘technologists’ and ‘traditionalists’ over the future of...

HomeXperts, the network of franchise agents operating from their homes and covering sales and lettings, has announced three new franchisees. They are...

Property Franchise Group - formerly known as Martin & Co - has announced that 12 EweMove franchises have been sold in...

A firm that offers online, hybrid and traditional estate and lettings agency services says the digital side of its business is...

For my latest Property Natter I have sought the opinions of two well-known property consultants - Michael Day, managing director of...

Winkworth’s annual figures for 2016 reveal a franchise turnover drop of six per cent and a pre-tax profit fall of 25.6...

Countrywide has promoted Shane Ballard to become one of London’s Retail Directors in the organisation. He will cover sales and lettings for...

Concern is growing over the stagnation in transactions in London generally and in prime central areas in particular. Consultancy JLL says there...

Purplebricks has agreed to remove a claim from its website that “on average it takes us just 14 days to find...

A year ago, we were days away from the introduction of a 3% stamp duty surcharge on second homes – a...

The number of residential sales vacancies registered with one industry personnel firm in the first quarter of 2017 has more than...

In a week that I am recovering from the exuberance of MIPIM (I didn't want to focus on it in this...

Women may make better estate agents than men even though males dominate the sales sector, explains one of the industry’s most...

Dust off your black tie and grab a tissue as we’re entering a period of mourning. It’s a bold claim, but...

Former clients of a Scottish estate and letting agency and mortgage company are being asked by a corporate insolvency firm to...

One of Countrywide’s most senior management figures has become the managing director of the UK activities of US estate agency Keller...

A new statement by Countrywide’s John D Wood & Co says its now-completed merger with Faron Sutaria has had the effect...

There was nothing doing in the Budget - no stamp duty reform, no second look at mortgage interest tax relief changes,...

Foxtons' figures released to the City this morning confirm a huge slump in sales in 2016 - and even lettings revenue...

The Prime Central London (PCL) property market finished 2016 on a high with transactions increasing by 36% between Q3 and Q4,...

Looking ahead to the Spring Budget this week, the Chancellor Philip Hammond will be obliged to face up to the implications...

Connells Group has announced strong figures for 2016 with the total number of properties sold rising five per cent and lettings...

One thing that can be guaranteed in the property world each year is a range of conferences and awards dinners. Very...

Zoopla has acquired Expert Agent - the latest of a string of acquisitons by the portal. This follows the portal company's...

Martin & Co wants its shareholders to agree that the firm’s name should be changes to The Property Franchise Group.  A note...

A data portal called REalyse and aimed at professional property investors is launching today after raising £500,000 in seed capital.  The site...

Another senior Countrywide figure is leaving the organisation to join an independent agency - itself set up by a former Countrywide...

At least one estate agency and one letting agency have been listed on a ‘name and shame’ roll-call of companies not...

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

The National Association of Estate Agents is rebranding to Propertymark NAEA and the Association of Residential Letting Agents is to be...

Welcome to February! It means that 2017 is well under way and we’re edging closer to Spring – a time when...

Brexit and the economic uncertainty since the EU Referendum have not prevented Connells delivering overall growth in 2016 - despite a...

London multi-office estate agency Victorstone Property Consultants has won the ‘Best National Guild Member’ accolade at the annual awards of the...

Legal firm Kirwans have released shocking statistics which state that 70% of eviction notices issued by landlords to tenants may be...