Archive

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...

Instant gratification is nothing new. It’s been around for millennia. It’s an in-built survival instinct for humans – that want, that...

The south’s seaside resorts are stealing the headlines for all the wrong reasons and at the heart of the troublesome issue...

It’s always a privilege to publicise fund-raising work by our industry, to show the caring nature of a profession that is...

A former Countrywide director is joining estate and lettings agency franchise group Homexperts as its operations director. Mike Gowland, who originally qualified...

Sawyer & Co., an agency operating sales and lettings in Brighton and Hove, is the latest firm to be chosen to...

Property Service Holdings - parent company of the 150 branches trading under the Romans and Leaders names - has signed up...

A new website that will allow vendors and landlords to compare the expertise and fees of estate and letting agents has banned online...

Countrywide’s long-term share price decline and turbulent branch closure programme have not prevented a relatively positive endorsement of the group’s strategy and...

The rental market has had to face a raft of changes over the past year, including the introduction of the 3% stamp...

A post-Christmas treat this week, as I carry out a Q & A with one of the leading figures in property,...

Consolidation continues apace amongst traditional estate agents. The raft of pressures on agents is increasing and these pressures have two strong...

Countrywide’s controversial hybrid estate agency business has produced “fantastic results” according to Sam Tyrer, the group’s Managing Director, Retail & London. In...

Agents who subscribe to LonRes are being offered a personalised report builder offering sales and lettings data at postcode level, and...

I have a confession to make. In 1988 I became a Seekers franchisee. For those of you who don't know who...

If you provide a service, you expect to be paid for it. Sound fair? But with the forthcoming ban on tenant...

The head of a new ‘disruptive’ online mortgage service says 2017 will see more major estate agency and other property businesses...

Thomas Morris Sales & Lettings didn’t entirely shut down for the Christmas period - instead, one of its staff helped the...

Christmas is here - feet up, mulled wine ... a well-deserved break. As we know, however, it’s not just selling and letting houses...

Thanks for your continuing enthusiasm sending in your office photographs as we continue the countdown to Christmas. We’ll be publishing more next...

Only a week to the Christmas break and still our industry goes above and beyond the call of duty to raise...

A commercial and industrial property agency in Manchester has launched a residential sales and lettings business.   Founded in 1999 and based in...

Carpe diem, seize the day – whatever you call it, it’s something all of us in the property industry should be looking...

With effect from the 1st December 2016, amendments to the Immigration act 2014 were made through the Immigration Act 2016.    The soundbite...

A single-branch agency operating around Blackpool is offering vendors ultra-low fees if they register their homes for sale online on Boxing...

It’s understandably a little quieter in agents’ offices as Christmas approaches - obviously the ideal time to perfect acting abilities and...

They’re still coming thick and fast, so many thanks for sharing your office decorations with our readers. Remember, we’re also happy...

Thanks to agencies who have already responded to our request for photographs of their Christmas windows and office decorations - it’s...

There’s no shortage of acting and video skill in our industry is there? At least if your terrific Mannequin Challenge performances...

Many thanks to the good people at Templeton Robinson and Miles & Barr, the latest agencies to let us know about...

One of Britain’s most prominent property data companies says homes near London Underground tube stations with 24-hour trains will see a...

Chancellor Philip Hammond caught the lettings industry unaware with an incredulous Autumn Statement.  The buy-to-let sector took a bashing earlier in 2015...

A trading update released by Countrywide this morning shows a 29 per cent slump in London exchanges in the third quarter...

Share prices for both Foxtons and Countrywide took a significant tumble yesterday as news of the ban on letting agents’ fees...