A trade body says it’s been contacted by the government explaining how agencies can get Coronavirus asymptomatic testing for staff. The Guild of...
Archive

It’s now more than a year since the government offered an additional £4 million to councils to combat rogue landlords. At the...
13 February 2021
From: Features

The government has given details of two new taxes to provide funds to address the cladding problem on high rise tower blocks...
11 February 2021
From: Breaking News

Agents and a wide range of property experts have demanded yet more government funds to end the cladding crisis that is...
11 February 2021
From: Breaking News

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced “an exceptional intervention” promising that leaseholders in high-rise buildings above 18 metres will bear no...
10 February 2021
From: Breaking News

An estate agent has shut both branches of his business for safety reasons and wants tighter Coronavirus restrictions on the industry. ITV...
20 January 2021
From: Breaking News

The Westminster government has published extensive guidance on the operation of the new Tier 4 Coronavirus restrictions in England. This includes a...
21 December 2020
From: Breaking News

A scathing document produced by MPs slams the government for its “deplorable” housing policies which are "invented, abandoned and reinvented" -...
09 December 2020
From: Breaking News

Propertymark is in touch with the government to see how the new Tier structure being introduced on December 3 will affect...
24 November 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s one key takeaway for agents from the weekend’s announcements on the next England-wide lockdown - the housing market is staying...
02 November 2020
From: Breaking News

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

The Times has revealed new allegations concerning the behaviour of Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick. The Cabinet member has been under the spotlight...
25 September 2020
From: Breaking News

Since June 1, under The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, landlords in England have been...
26 August 2020
From: Features

New guidance on face coverings for agents working in branches, and for those dealing directly with visitors, was issued last evening. A statement...
24 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Home owners in England will be entitled to add up to two storeys to the height of their home via a...
22 July 2020
From: Breaking News

A London Labour council has won draconian powers to effectively ban For Sale and To Let boards in several parts of...
17 July 2020
From: Breaking News

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 - which require increased electrical testing in rental properties...
15 July 2020
From: Features

More than 24 hours after the government's announcement about the compulsory wearing of facemasks by shoppers in England, and there is...
15 July 2020
From: Breaking News

A PropTech supplier claims that an agency has secured the first ever transaction where the complete chain used Reservation Agreements. Harrison Residential,...
08 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Government guidelines regarding future Leicester-style local lockdowns suggest that branches can remain open and viewings can continue. However auction houses must shut. So...
07 July 2020
From: Breaking News

It may be that by the time you read this it’s all over for Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for...
27 June 2020
From: Features

Housing minister Chris Pincher has now been named in media investigations into allegations concerning his political boss, Robert Jenrick, and the...
15 June 2020
From: Breaking News

Guidance issued by the government explicitly advises agents, buyers and sellers that more activity should be done online if possible. “The process...
14 May 2020
From: Breaking News

There has been much speculation about when agents will be allowed back to work, and what the new office working environment...
09 May 2020
From: Features

There’s been a furious response to the agent who appears to have breached government rules by opening his branch to the...
07 May 2020
From: Breaking News

NAEA Propertymark has made a series of demands on the government in the light of the Coronavirus crisis. In a formal written...
07 May 2020
From: Breaking News

Agencies, many of which campaigned vigorously to be included in the business rates holiday announced in March by the government, have...
07 May 2020
From: Breaking News

A trade body has reported some council search departments to the government for refusing to provide email details and forcing search...
16 April 2020
From: Breaking News

It’s been reported that the government is talking with banks and building societies about putting the housing market ‘on ice’ during the...
27 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The government has at last issued extensive advice on home moving and the activities of estate agents during the continuing Coronavirus crisis. This...
27 March 2020
From: Breaking News

Propertymark has been told the agents should shut their offices immediately - they are not “essential businesses” under the new Coronavirus...
24 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The head of a firm that has been creating digital property log books for well over a decade says the house-moving...
06 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The government has launched a competition to attract what it calls “the best and brightest talents of the housing industry” to...
03 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The Trading Standards report on the future of referral fees is almost completed and will be sent to government next week. However, James...
28 February 2020
From: Breaking News

Trials of reservation agreements for buyers and sellers have been delayed until the late spring. Statements last year from the Ministry of Housing, Communities...
28 February 2020
From: Breaking News

The government has - once again - announced the introduction of a New Homes Ombudsman. The news came yesterday when Housing Secretary...
25 February 2020
From: Breaking News

Earlier this month, Boris Johnson carried out a reshuffle of his cabinet, telling ministers they must 'repay the trust of those...
22 February 2020
From: Features

Esther McVey has been sacked as housing minister; she was the ninth housing minister in as many years. Her successor is the...
13 February 2020
From: Breaking News

The HomeOwners Alliance, a leading property consumer group, has now suggested it has some concerns about the government’s First Homes scheme. This...
11 February 2020
From: Breaking News

One of the leading consumer groups has backed the government’s controversial First Homes policy, which aims to give 30 per cent...
10 February 2020
From: Breaking News

Now we’re well into the second month of the year, we have reached a crucial point in the ongoing plans to...
08 February 2020
From: Features

The government has announced its First Homes scheme - a policy under which it says some new homes will see their...
07 February 2020
From: Breaking News

It is possible that agents and their business partners in the conveyancing, mortgage and survey industries could be obliged to have...
29 January 2020
From: Breaking News

The group charged with pioneering Reservation Agreements in the house buying process admits both the industry and the public are split...
27 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

It’s one of the most crucial aspects of the homebuying and selling process but is too often bogged down by frustrating...
21 December 2019
From: Features

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

A law firm has spoken out about two possible problems in the government’s much-publicised idea of considering Reservation Agreements as a...
17 December 2019
From: Breaking News

Yes, believe it or not, we’ve nearly reached the end of a whole decade. And what an eventful decade it’s been. We’ve...
14 December 2019
From: Features

In the firmest sign yet that PropTech has entered the mainstream, Housing Minister Esther McVey recently launched an expert advisory council...
14 December 2019
From: Features

Reservation Agreements are the subject of the moment in the agency industry. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is to...
09 November 2019
From: Features

A London council wants government backing for a borough-wide Section 7 direction - effectively banning all agents’ boards being erected without...
06 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Housing Minister Esther McVey has launched an expert advisory council that the government says is “dedicated to the digital transformation of...
06 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Buyers and sellers changing their minds lie behind almost a third of fall-throughs - the single biggest reason why transactions collapse,...
05 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Reservation Agreements may require bigger financial penalties than the £500 to £1,000 currently envisaged if they are to work. That’s the view...
01 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Another estate agency has come out in favour of reservation agreements. High-end agency Chestertons says transactions currently fall through too frequently and the...
29 October 2019
From: Breaking News

There are many adjectives that can be applied to Boris Johnson, probably very few of them complimentary, but there’s one that...
26 October 2019
From: Features

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

It was in this very column, back in July, when I wrote about how the British government was starting to take...
23 October 2019
From: Breaking News

One of the country’s most prominent estate agents has given renewed backing to a pilot project on reservation agreements, being tested...
22 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

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has given more details of the trial of reservation agreements likely to take...
21 October 2019
From: Breaking News

Reservation agreements locking in buyers and sellers could be trailed with some agencies and conveyancers early in 2020, a government official...
15 October 2019
From: Breaking News

The reform of the buying process is to take centre stage at a special conference called Bold Legal LIVE! taking place...
30 September 2019
From: Breaking News

The Guild of Property Professionals has welcomed government steps to provide buyers and sellers with greater transparency in transactions - and...
11 September 2019
From: Breaking News

A £3.6 billion Towns Fund to support towns across England to build prosperous futures through innovative regeneration is a perfect chance...
10 September 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has issued a revised version of its official How To Buy and How To Sell documents, aimed at consumers...
09 September 2019
From: Breaking News

There has been a sceptical response by agents and others in the property industry to the government’s latest headline-grabbing tweaks to...
29 August 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has told the government that it wants one single Ombudsman to provide redress across all...
29 August 2019
From: Breaking News

A briefing note for MPs prepared from government statistics shows that housing starts and completions have increased from the lows observed...
20 August 2019
From: Breaking News

There’s been only a vague government response to the recommendations for an estate and lettings agency regulator. Last month the Regulation of...
12 August 2019
From: Breaking News

With Boris Johnson winning the Conservative leadership election and becoming Prime Minister, he has spent his first few days in office...
03 August 2019
From: Features

Esther McVey is to be the new housing minister - one of the most seasoned politicians to take the job in...
25 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government is the relatively unknown Robert Jenrick - but his new housing...
24 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has published proposals for far-reaching changes to the way estate and letting agents are regulated, trained and licensed. The proposals...
18 July 2019
From: Breaking News

Some of the most radical reforms ever proposed for estate and letting agents are expected to be signed off today by...
15 July 2019
From: Breaking News

A new industry regulator is likely to be in place within two years according to the chair of the government’s Regulation...
11 July 2019
From: Breaking News

Increasing legislation and regulation has arguably been the biggest talking point in the private rented sector (PRS) over the last few...
29 June 2019
From: Features

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

The National Audit Office says many users of Help To Buy would have been able to purchase a home anyway, without...
13 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Housing minister Kit Malthouse appears to have some difficulty being taken seriously as a candidate for Conservative party leader and Prime...
04 June 2019
From: Breaking News

The head of the Property Redress Scheme is urging agents to prepare for yet more regulation and legislation changes likely to...
28 May 2019
From: Breaking News

There’s been a mixed response to the government’s surprise announcement that it would make permanent the right of home owners to...
28 May 2019
From: Breaking News

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

Reforms to the house buying process in England and Wales to bring it more into line with Scotland could slash the...
16 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

It’s clear that some agents are not fans of Trading Standards officers, described in the comments sections of the trade press...
27 April 2019
From: Features

Estate Agent Today has been given details of the new National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agents Team - the body...
23 April 2019
From: Breaking News

With Easter now upon us (happy Easter, by the way, and hope you’re enjoying the long weekend, the Easter eggs and...
20 April 2019
From: Features

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

The jury appears to be out on whether the new enforcement body for estate and lettings agents will be resourced sufficiently...
18 April 2019
From: Breaking News

A new team has been set up to police all estate and letting agency legislation including the upcoming tenants' fees ban. The...
17 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

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

An industry provider of reservation agreements says its services can “entirely eliminate” fall throughs and reduce failed transactions “to almost zero.” PropTech...
19 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

There’s more fuel added to the current debate about reform of the house purchasing process, as new data reveals one buyer...
15 March 2019
From: Breaking News

Last week, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a number of measures aimed at further tackling homelessness, including...
09 March 2019
From: Features

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 head of residential property at a law firm is warning that referral fees can backfire on estate agents who may...
07 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The Guild of Property Professionals is seeking views from member agents on the government’s reform agenda. The Regulation of Property Agents working...
13 February 2019
From: Breaking News

The dust may have settled on the government’s recent announcement regarding housing and property complaints, but opinion is still split on...
09 February 2019
From: Features

A London estate agent says his system of ‘moral agreements’ between sellers and buyers prevents chains collapsing and means his company has...
08 February 2019
From: Breaking News

Kit Malthouse has been making headlines this week, but – in keeping with his tenure as Housing Minister so far -...
02 February 2019
From: Features

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Lettings Agents have thrown their weight behind the government’s latest...
25 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has this morning set out wide-ranging changes to redress systems for agents, the sales and lettings sectors, and other...
24 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Politicians and officials are studying a ‘model’ two page reservation agreement drawn up by a law firm as a possible way...
24 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

The man who is leading the government’s efforts to reform the house buying process will be one of the speaker at...
08 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The housing minister has made it clear that his government - and the property industry as a whole - must deliver...
03 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The government says it will be releasing details of its ideas to revamp redress systems concerning agents and new homes “in...
02 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Another year is nearly done – and what an eventful year it’s been. We’ve had more than our fair share of breaking...
22 December 2018
From: Features

The title may be unfamiliar but most agents know by now that in the corridors of Whitehall a working party exists...
24 November 2018
From: Features

The government says mobile home residents are to receive greater protection from dishonest site owners seeking to make a profit at...
23 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

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

Speculation is growing that the Help to Buy scheme is set to be discontinued following a review by government ministers. Recent research...
03 September 2018
From: Breaking News

In a surprise weekend announcement the government has almost doubled funding for the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team - the...
01 September 2018
From: Breaking News

More than 420,000 people have now used the government’s Help to Buy schemes to get themselves on to the housing ladder...
17 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has quietly scrapped a proposal to force councils to sell off their most valuable assets, which would have included...
16 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has revised its guidance to agents over redress schemes - amending it to take account of the fact that...
06 August 2018
From: Breaking News

It’s holiday time: schools have broken up, quite a few estate agents are taking time off, and the MPs are in...
28 July 2018
From: Features

Councils across England will have new powers to charge dramatically more council tax on homes left empty for many years following...
23 July 2018
From: Breaking News

We are currently engaged in consultations with our members to help to find a practical solution to the concern of the...
21 July 2018
From: Features

One of three schemes with government backing to offer redress for complaints about estate and letting agents has reignited the debate...
18 July 2018
From: Breaking News

The new housing minister, Kit Malthouse, has made his first formal statement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It...
12 July 2018
From: Breaking News

The little-known Conservative MP Kit Malthouse has been named as the new housing minister. He takes over from the high-flying Dominic Raab,...
09 July 2018
From: Breaking News

It’s been announced this morning that Dominic Raab - who became housing minister just a few months ago - is to...
09 July 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

James Brokenshire - yesterday appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government - joins the rank of senior politicians...
01 May 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has published data related to a claim by housing minister Dominic Raab, who prompted controversy last week by suggesting...
16 April 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman, Katrine Sporle, is to hold a briefing on the government’s redress reform on Wednesday - five days before...
09 April 2018
From: Breaking News

Ombudsman Services, which recently announced it was quitting its role as one of three approved redress schemes for estate and lettings...
12 March 2018
From: Breaking News

This week I carry out a question and answer session with one of the most high-profile names in property. Isobel Thomson has...