Archive

As we motor towards the next major global climate change conference – the UN’s COP26 being held in Glasgow from 31...

The UK’s largest review website for the property industry has announced that its first ever in-person awards event will be held...

It’s been a dramatic week in the world of politics – and this has led to another new Housing Secretary, in...

The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) – the umbrella property brand which incorporates well-known names such as EweMove, Ellis & Co, Martin...

One of the biggest trends since Covid, in the property world and elsewhere, has been a shift towards more hybrid, flexible...

Hello and welcome to another round-up of our industry’s wonderful work for good causes. Before we salute this week’s heroes, our usual...

Self-employed agents working for Purplebricks who want to resist the instruction to become fully employed are being wooed by a Midlands...

Hybrid agency EweMove has continued growing with the sale of 37 new territories in the first six months of the year...

Hello and welcome to the latest Property Jobs Today, your chance to catch up with who’s on the move. Let us know...

While running customer identification and verification checks is part and parcel of the onboarding process for estate agents, under UK anti...

Movebutler, the digital onboarding platform from online auction specialist iamproperty, says it has some 900 agency branches signed up. These include Martin...

It’s now over a year since the property market officially reopened after an unprecedented two-month shutdown at the height of the...

A controversial league table of corporate agents’ market share is deliberately excluding Purplebricks and other online agencies.  This is despite Purplebricks this...

Brexit means that the UK’s anti-money laundering laws are no longer governed by the European Union (EU), but any estate agents...

Another major agency group has agreed to repay substantial sums it claimed under the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, introduced to...

The Property Franchise Group, which earlier this year completed a buy out of franchise rival Hunters, has expanded its senior management...

Propertymark has set out a four point strategy for the future of the organisation. The body - which encompasses the National Association...

The extraordinary consolidation in the estate agency industry continues apace today with two of the biggest deals reaching critical points. Firstly Hunters’...

An agent has told a court she was 'heartbroken' to discover her accountant had stolen cash from her business, which then...

As the official advice over holidays descends into farce - can we go this year? if so at home or away?...

At the back-end of last year and the start of this, the biggest news stories in town – besides debates over...

Hello and welcome to Agents Do Charity, the regular round-up of industry good work. Whatever the cause, it’s great to publicise agents’...

Talks continue between The Property Franchise Group and Hunters with both companies agreeing a new deadline of next Friday, January 29. Just...

The New Year lull is well and truly over and this week’s Agents Do Charity show fundraising is back in business despite...

Hello and welcome to the end of a busy, busy week for agency news.  It’s easy to assume the agency business is...

The UK outlet of Warren Buffett's estate agency empire is launching its first TV advert in this country.  Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Kay &...

Hello and welcome to our latest doffing of the cap in honour of those in our industry fund-raising for great causes....

The Property Franchise Group has approached Hunters about a possible takeover. Confirmation came this morning in a statement from Hunters, which you can...

Hello, and if it’s Friday it can only mean Charity day as we celebrate the industry’s continuing fund-raising despite challenges from...

Purplebricks founder Michael Bruce has batted away a stinging attack on him made by allAgents, a review website. allAgents has set up...

The soon-to-launch Boomin portal has signed up a national firm and now claims to have recruited 40 per cent of the...

High profile franchise hybrid agency EweMove has announced ambitious plans to double agent numbers within two years. The firm - which has...

A five-branch agency in the westcountry is the subject of a management buy out by two directors. Westcoast Properties - with branches...

Hello and welcome to your regular Friday charity round-up from the industry - appropriately enough on the day of the latest...

A new report funded by high profile consumer champion Martin Lewis says the government must do more to help ‘mortgage prisoners’. These...

The six brands that make up The Property Franchise Group are the latest signings for yet-to-launch portal Boomin. TPFG’s brands are national...

A leading firm of conveyancers will this week tell new clients that their property purchases are likely to miss the stamp...

The property market, and therefore, estate agents have been accused of being the 'weak link' in the UK’s money laundering defences. This...

Shorter days and darker nights deflate the spirits, especially in today’s challenging circumstances, but there’s some bright news - a large...

One of the latest 10 agents joining the still-to-launch Boomin portal says it could be the go-to website for all property...

Ed Mead has joined a growing chorus demanding government action on the cladding crisis. He is one of the industry’s leading figures from...

There’s no stopping our industry - whether it’s local lockdowns or early autumn storms, agents and suppliers continue doing great work for...

Hello and at the start of another working week, welcome to our regular jobs slot announcing who’s moving where within the...

Share prices for many quoted estate agencies and property portals fell in trading as fears grew about Coronavirus. London-focussed agency Foxtons was one...

The Property Franchise Group has named high-profile industry veteran Eric Walker as managing director of Martin & Co (South and Scotland).  Walker...

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been criticised for its lack of enforcement of anti-money laundering (AML) legislation so far in...

Hello and welcome to the new working week. Here’s the latest information on key hires across our industry: if you have similar...

An estate agency founded in 1995 has undergone a management buyout from two existing director. Westcoast Properties is a north Somerset firm,...

Hybrid agency EweMove has outperformed its traditional sister companies within The Property Franchise Group over the past six months. That’s the clear...

It’s hotting up out there as a beautiful summer’s weekend beckons - an ideal time for some fund-raising in the sun,...

The EweMove hybrid agency has been singled out for special praise in a trading statement from its parent company, which also...

Agents Do Charity - as the summer heat is on… It’s hotting up outside and while this is set to be a...

Hello and welcome to the end of the week and the prospect of a sunny weekend. We appreciate fund-raising is difficult with...

Revenue for The Property Franchise Group was hit by 20 per cent cent thanks for the lockdown - but sales listings...

Purplebricks has instructed a new legal firm to support its sales and lettings activities. Business Insider reports that the commercial team at...

The Competition and Markets Authority - which yesterday announced it had disqualified two estate agency directors for their parts in a...

The Property Franchise Group - parent company of six agency brands including EweMove and Martin & Co - says all of...

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

A high-profile regional agency is “cracking on” with support for a hospice for children and young people that cannot raise funds during...

Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, we are all being told to stay at home as much as possible to contain...

Staff and senior management at a large franchise company running a string of major High Street agency brands are taking voluntary...

Hello and another Monday means PJT Day, your regular update on movers in the industry. You know the drill by now: if...

Hello and welcome to the end of the week…which must mean Agents Do Charity. There’s plenty to admire in this week’s entries;...

Hello and welcome to the start of a new week - and it’s been a frantic seven days since the last...

The Property Franchise Group - which owns Martin & Co, EweMove and three other brands - is to have a former...

The estate agency review site allAgents claims some of Trustpilot’s reviews “could be dubious.”  A statement from allAgents repeats an allegation made last...

Hello and welcome to a new week, and a new edition of PJT. If you’re on the move or your firm has...

The Property Franchise Group - which operates five High Street agency brands and the EweMove hybrid - has set up a...

It’s a substantial Tory government for the next five years: what does this mean for estate agents, property and the market? We have...

It’s beginning to look a lot like…we’re running a very popular service for agents, as we’ve been inundated with more fund-raising...

Congratulations from everyone at Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today to all those who triumphed at the Relocation Agent Network...

Election time means setting out your stall and getting support - so how about a vote of confidence for those agents,...

The Property Franchise Group has issued a trading statement that is upbeat on lettings but warns that the sales market has...

Well there’s little doubt that after this week’s weather winter is well on the way - the perfect time for fund-raising...

There’s plenty of action in and around Westminster these days, but while the political temperature rises, the marvellous work of agents,...

A distinctly autumnal storm seems to be gripping the UK for the early part of the weekend but as ever, nothing...

I missed the biggest property story of the week and it’s only scant consolation that almost everyone else seemed to miss it...

Welcome to this week’s ADC…and what a week it’s been. Politics? No, hot air of a different kind - the weather.  Yet...

A leading London estate agency with US connections says there has been a surge in high net worth American buyers in...

Welcome to the latest edition of Property Jobs Today. It's the time of the week when you can catch up with...

Hello there - if it’s Friday it’s Agents Do Charity, and as we prepare for a hot weekend for Glastonbury revellers...

If it’s Friday it’s Agents Do Charity day - and we’ve got another bundle of good work for you this week,...

A firm that offers a white-labelled online agency platform to traditional High Street agents has signed up a new customer. love2move was...

Hello - it’s that time of the week again when we celebrate the agency industry’s fantastic fund-raising. We were delighted that our...

There’s been a mixed response to the government’s surprise announcement that it would make permanent the right of home owners to...

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

The founder of franchise giant Belvoir, Mike Goddard, has now stepped down as chair of the company, two years after quitting...

Franchise giant Hunters is to be the subject of a Channel 4 TV show on air this evening at 8pm.  When I...

For the industry's football lovers, the notable achievements and never-say-die attitude of both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on the European stage...

Proceedings against an estate agent at the centre of a fees cartel case have been dropped following his agreement not to stand as...

It has been a long time coming, but the tenant fees ban, which forbids landlords and letting agents in England from...

More than 800 property transactions fall through daily, which can have repercussions both practically and financially, as agents fail to get...

There’s a distinctly northern flavour to some of the great fund-raising this week - and in particular Yorkshire. This isn’t the only...

A family is raffling a £3m home on the Hampshire/Dorset border after a series of sales fell through. Mark and Sharon Beresford...

So this is (almost) it. Next week may be a quiet one for business as vendors and landlords alike begin to...

Hello and welcome to the Wednesday edition of your Christmas agency branch decorations - and what a festive lot you are.  Before...

Amidst all the Brexit chaos let’s remember that it’s Children In Need day...always a time when Britons’ generosity raises the spirits,...

Hello and welcome to our latest edition of Property Jobs Today, a weekly run-through of the key job moves within our...

You don’t need EAT to remind you that Christmas is now just next month.  Many agents are gearing their fund-raising to that...

If it’s Monday it must be Property Jobs Today, your round up of the industry’s key moves. Are you changing jobs yourself?...

Bored with Brexit? Baffled by the backstop? Troubled by the transition period?  Well here’s a promise - there’s no mention of the...

Google celebrated its 20th birthday last month. Yes, it might be hard to recall a time when it wasn’t integral in...

Hello and welcome to this week’s Agents Do Charity - another chance to hear about the remarkable fund-raising done by our...

The rise and rise of Equity Release continues with a more-than-doubling of the number of product options on the market in...

As summer turns to autumn over the next few weeks, that won't stop the nation's agents and property professionals from raising...

Independent review website allAgents says its ultimate ambition is to be a serious rival to existing portals like OnTheMarket. Unveiling a new...

A maverick Cornish estate agent who falsely gave the impression to customers that his business was highly successful has been hit...

Welcome to this week’s Property Jobs Today - and as ever we have a breakdown of key moves within our industry. To...

The business editor of right wing political weekly The Spectator says “what’s bad for Foxtons is on the whole likely to...

Does your company apply adequate customer due diligence measures when carrying out estate agency work?  Does it establish and maintain appropriate policies...

With the weather scheduled to get a little cooler this weekend, fund-raising is clearly still a hot topic in the industry...

Hello and welcome to the regular Monday feature, Property Jobs Today. There’s plenty going on despite the summer holidays beginning for many...

A PropTech company boss says evidence given to MPs confirms the need to improve anti-money laundering processes through greater automation and...

It is understood that an estate agent from Cornwall is to face trial over allegations that he misled potential customers over...

London estate agency Kay & Co says it is targeting Chinese buyers following research data produced by a portal. The China property...

A magazine which earlier this year claimed that two big corporates pressured customers to use their preferred mortgage brokers has now...

Hello and welcome to this week’s Property Jobs Today, our weekly feature on who’s moving where throughout our industry. And it’s...

Hello and welcome to this week’s celebration of the industry’s fund-raising activities. Remember it’s easy to get publicity and additional support for...

Review service allAgents has relaunched its property portal, saying it may become an agent-owned service and pledging to turn it into...

The long running spat between review website allAgents and hybrid agency Purplebricks reignited over the weekend following a Facebook post. A Purplebricks...

ZPG has announced that it has signed a listings agreement with Chestertons, one of the estate agencies involved in the founding...

A EweMove branch operating from a franchisee’s home in Staffordshire has taken over the running of a bricks and mortar agency. EweMove’s...

In its first release of performance figures under the ownership of BNP Paribas, the UK agency Strutt & Parker says it...

The Charter for Independent Estate and Letting Agents says Purplebricks is still not complying with a ruling made by the Advertising...

The Property Franchise Group’s trading statement this morning reveals a huge 23 per cent rise in revenue for 2017 - £10.2m...

The war between AllAgents review website and Purplebricks has continued with the site naming the hybrid agency the “worst rated one...

The business editor of right-wing political weekly The Spectator has made an attempt to defend the controversial £109m bonus paid to...

Howard Quirk, a prominent estate agent in the 60s, 70s and 80s, has passed away, aged 71. He was the senior partner...

A Happy New Year to all our readers and their families - and all the very best for a successful, profitable...

Andy Martin, the popular and respected senior partner at Strutt & Parker from 2009 to earlier this year, has been appointed...

Christmas is just around the corner and we’re all looking forward to a break - but before then we know many...

The Property Franchise Group has launched five new websites, one for each of its high street brands.  These are CJ Hole, Ellis & Co,...

allAgents has today reinstated Purplebricks’ reviews on its site - this includes the majority of the negative reviews which have been...

allAgents, the review website in dispute with Purplebricks, says a “major announcement” is expected about its next step in the saga...

allAgents, the specialist review website which has had a bitter dispute with Purplebricks, has poured cold water on the hybrid agency’s...

Hybrid agency Purplebricks and website allAgents have failed in their bid to reach agreement over the accuracy and source of a...

Earlier this week, Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered the Autumn Budget with a strong focus on housing.  The decision to cut stamp duty...

Training for Agents Giving’s Strictly Come Dancing event is now entering its final two weeks - and Estate Agent Today readers...

Belvoir has this morning withdrawn its merger offer to The Property Franchise Group, after some weeks of talks. As recently as Tuesday,...

Belvoir has revealed that it has won the backing of a minority shareholder in The Property Franchise Group to resume merger...

An estate agent branded as "thoroughly dishonest" following a Gumtree scam has been jailed for 20 months, suspended for two years....

Estate Agent Today has been told that the website AllAgents has been holding peace talks with Purplebricks over its dispute about...

Belvoir has announced that it has made an approach to The Property Franchise Group regarding a possible merger. In a statement to...

The upcoming national conference for the Relocation Agent Network is introducing an innovative format for part of its agenda - speed...

There’s a particularly heart-warming theme to Agents Do Charity this week...several of our heroic industry figures are raising funds for children and...

Strutt & Parker has revealed its new board following the takeover by the real estate arm of French bank BNP Paribas.  The...

Every week we carry reports of how great causes are helped by individual agents and other property professionals - this week...

Agents’ charity fundraising obviously spans a wide range of genuinely good causes, but it’s noticeable that at the end of each...

Simon Gerrard, a past president of the National Association of Estate Agents, has called on the government to switch the burden...

Long-established central London estate agency Kay & Co is opening what it calls “a stylish new boutique office” on the ground...

When a tenant failed to pay any rent after the first month his tenancy last year, the landlord did not expect...

A new managing director has been named for EweMove - with the promise of more high-level appointments to come for the...

The real estate division of French bank BNP Paribas has exchanged on the acquisition of Strutt & Parker, bringing together some...

It’s been an undeniably tough year for agents so far and no one can say the industry doesn’t deserve a summer...

Former RICS residential chief Jeremy Leaf says he is not downcast by the latest Halifax house price index which shows prices...

How many property professionals are truly happy with their revenue? High levels of competition from new market entrants is a significant...

The chief executive of Purplebricks, often criticised by detractors for failing to reveal completion rates as opposed to listings, says his...

Today we’re publishing what we think is our longest-ever list of charitable activities being conducted by agents and their supporters -...

The housing industry has responded with shock, joy, and jitters, after Theresa May’s snap general election went catastrophically wrong, leaving her...

Average house prices in the three months to May were 3.3% higher than in the same period of 2016, according to...

June marks the start of what professional weather folk call summer - and even if the temperatures are a little variable,...

EweMove, the online brand owned by the Property Franchise Group, now has 108 franchisees - 97 are fully operational and 11...

The director of a respected mortgage broker is warning that market sentiment is changing with more down-valuations from surveyors and some...

Auctions are a great way to sell property competitively, with a wide range of homes often selling under the hammer, and...

Pole-axed by politics? Bored of ballots? Well, this is where you can escape from pledges, promises and politicians and instead read...

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

Average house prices across the UK in the three months to March were only 0.1 per cent higher than in the...

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

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

A branch of Martin & Co is changing the wording it uses on a leaflet following a complaint from a rival...

Both Strutt & Parker and the French bank BNP Paribas are declining to comment on speculation that the finance house is...

The Financial Times is reporting this afternoon that BNP Paribas, the largest bank in France, is in talks to acquire high-end...

LSL Property Services - which owns high street agency brands Your Move, Reeds Rains and Marsh & Parsons - is the...

An analysis of estate agents quoted on the London Stock Exchange suggests that almost all the traditional firms have suffered since...

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

Annual growth in house prices slowed in January - a taste of things to come in 2017 according to the house...

Estate Agent Today has been told that a deal between the Property Franchise Group and ZPG - the new name for...

Hybrid agency EweMove is rapidly expanding its network footprint this year and will be a “challenger brand” deliberately designed to be...

Lots of people buy new-build due to the perceived lack of hassle with maintenance, as they are built to the latest...

The East of England, which takes in areas from Hertfordshire to Norfolk, has recorded the biggest hike in property prices over...

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

EweMove - the hybrid agency now part of Martin & Co’s Property Franchise Group - is slashing its up-front franchise fee...

This is the final Estate Agent Today until Tuesday January 3 2017, so everyone at Angels Media sends all good wishes for...

The Halifax says house prices across the UK will rise between 1.0 and 4.0 per cent in the next 12 months...

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

Strutt & Parker has seen a fall in revenue and profits for the year ending April 30 - and it puts...

With under a fortnight left before Christmas your photographs have been coming thick and fast - but today we start with...

There’s been a bumper mailbag sent to press@estateagenttoday.co.uk this week to mark what must be the height of the fund-raising season...

The latest index from the Halifax shows that prices in the three months to November were 0.8 per cent higher than...

It may have been a challenging year for parts of the industry but there’s no lack of motivation when it comes...

An estate agency described as operating a ‘pay as you go’ business model says it wants to “disrupt the disruptors” operating...

Countrywide's regional director Martin Coombes has quit the company, having worked for it since the early 1990s. A statement to Estate Agent...

House prices in the three months to late October were on average 5.2 per cent higher than over the same period...

The chief financial officer of Foxtons is expected to resign this week - but is reported to be remaining with the...

House prices fell a negligible 0.1 per cent in the three months to September as compared to the previous quarter, but...

This week we have the Head Shepherd of EweMove, Glenn Ackroyd, in the hotseat. He’s been co-owner of EweMove Sales and Lettings,...

The Jones Robinson Group, a Newbury-based property firm with three branches, has expanded its network by acquiring an agency in a...

The huge rush to acquire buy-to-let property in the first quarter of the year ahead of the stamp duty change deadline...

Later on, the title of this piece should become clearer (at least I hope so). First, though, a few bits and...

I can’t remember a time when there were so many changes in the property industry. Forget Brexit and interest rates, the...

House prices dipped 0.2 per cent last month but remain 0.7 per cent higher than three months ago and a full...

Martin & Co is reported to have acquired EweMove, an estate agency which describes itself as the first ‘hybrid’ service -...

Schools going back, final Bank Holiday over until Christmas, and agents returning from their summer breaks. It can only mean September. But...

The morning after the EU referendum, and Westminster, Britain, Europe and the world were left in shock at the news that...

Plans for the Northern Powerhouse scheme, designed to rival London and the South East as the main driver of economic growth...

It’s the height of holiday season but despite the rival attractions of traffic jams and airport delays, many agents are still...

I’m indebted to one of the most enthusiastic estate agents I’ve had the pleasure of meeting for suggesting the subject of...

Average house prices in June rose 1.3 per cent but as the shock Brexit result was not known until late in...

Agents have been giving their reaction to the shock Brexit referendum result - and their comments have ranged from the gloomy...

Worsening affordability caused by a sustained period of higher-than-earnings house price growth, should curb demand and result in a slowdown in...

It’s been another great week of fund-raising for good causes by our industry, as you can see from our roll of...

House prices dipped by 0.8 per cent in April, the first month of the stamp duty surcharge and the period when...

Winners’ reactions and views from a fantastic day of celebration! The Kings Group scooped the gold award for Best Estate Agent in...

Property has dominated many of the entries in the Sunday Times’ much-respected Rich List, which names the 1,000 wealthiest individuals with...

We talk about the unstoppable rise of buy-to-let and forget that it was only as recently as the early 1970’s that...

House prices in the three months to March were 10.1 per cent higher than in the same quarter a year earlier...

The Property Franchise Group - including the brands Martin & Co, Whitegates, CJ Hole, Parkers and Ellis & Co - has...

Two radio stations have announced dedicated property shows - both starting this month. Martin Roberts, the established property pundit familiar to many...

A new property search engine has spilt (or should that be spilled?) the beans on estate agents (or perhaps estate agent’s)...

March and spring are fast approaching - time for more entries to be listed on this regular Friday feature, giving respect...

An estate agency in Cornwall has opened on the site of a former filling station and allows people to drive up,...

With February around the corner and spring just about on the horizon (if you can see it for the driving rain...

One of the UK's largest property franchises has reported strong figures in an interim trading statement to the City - with group...

A Strutt & Parker senior partner has dismissed speculation that the residential arm of his agency is about to be taken...

Prices in the three months to the end of 2015 were 9.5 per cent higher than in the same three month...

One of the leading members of the Bank of England's influential Monetary Policy Committee has suggested that the recent fall-back in...

We’re into Christmas week and the distant rumble of sleigh bells, mingled with the unseasonal sight of daffodils, means the big...

It’s not just inside the offices that get decorated at Christmas - many of you have done a fine job at...

The traditional festive spirit of estate agency does not extend simply to decorating offices - it’s about doing good work, too. This...

Britain’s biggest mortgage lender, the Halifax, says the housing market will slow next year with average price rises of four to...

A big thanks to the Property Franchise Group for being quick off the mark, sending us images of their agents’ festive...

There’s no escaping it now. The John Lewis advert has been released, the weather is almost as cold as it should...

UK house prices are growing annually by 9.7 per cent according to the Halifax, which says "improving economic conditions" lie behind...

The founder of high-end shirt manufacturer Charles Tyrwhitt, Nick Wheeler, and the well-known stand up comedian Tim Vine, are amongst the...

A central London agency has launched a ‘try before you buy’ lettings offer on an apartment being marketed for sale at...

Franchise giant Martin & Co says there has been “very limited take-up” of a no frills estate agency service that it...

The Bank Holiday weekend heralds the end of August and the return to a more normal sales and lettings market for...

Every week we publicise the efforts of estate agents and property professionals who have been working extra hard in the name...

Mid West Displays have had the recent pleasure of working with Martin & Co at their Witney Office giving their window...

Frazer Fearnhead, a founder of The House Crowd property crowdfunding platform, has been sharply criticised in a ‘car crash’ moment on BBC...

The Halifax house price index says house prices jumped 1.7 per cent in June and 3.3 per cent over the past...

allAgents has revealed its 2015 winners based on reviews posted about what it describes as “80,000 individual staff members automatically entered”...

A new portal aimed at investors looking to purchase buy-to-let property has reported that it has thousands of listings from agents...

Hello and welcome to my brand new blog! Every month I’ll be giving you an insight into the varied, exciting and...

It’s the long Bank Holiday weekend and we’re here again to publicise the side of British estate agency that rarely presents...

Two of the UK’s largest agency groupings have announced new senior appointments. Martin & Co PLC, one of the UK's largest property...

Ian Wilson, the head of Martin & Co, recently threw his hat into the ring regarding Labour’s stated intention to cap...

With pension reform, council licensing changes and a General Election on the horizon, many are anticipating a boom in the buy-to-let...