Archive

Further estate agency regulation won’t be too expensive for the industry, Lord Best has said. Lord Best, who led the Regulation of...

The increased focus on upfront material information could push up estate agency professional indemnity (PI) requirements, an industry trainer has warned. Michael...

The Law Society is exploring concerns that Propertymark's Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) puts agents at risk of legal issues, Estate Agent...

It’s time to abolish what is colloquially called Landlord Licensing. If you’re a casual reader and perhaps not in our industry, a...

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has questioned if allowing agents to choose their own redress scheme damages consumer trust. Speaking to the House...

The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has set out the key questions it could ask agency representatives as its...

Representatives from Propertymark, Trading Standards and The Property Ombudsman (TPO) are set to discuss estate agency regulation in the House of...

Two London firms have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for failing to pay compensation to consumers. This brings the total...

It may be a measure of the government’s incompetence in the area of housing that two recent major announcements were sorely...

If you’ve paid even scant attention to Landlord Today or other trade titles, you’ll be familiar with the headlines about rogue...

Compliancy expert Legal Eye has launched a new product to help agents ensure they are properly following all rules and regulations. Its...

Introduced to Parliament in May, the Renters (Reform) Bill seeks to improve the private rental sector for both tenants and landlords....

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has welcomed two new non-executive directors to its independent board. Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards...

And suddenly it’s autumn. It’s just six weeks before the clocks change, days are getting shorter and - the real sign...

Andrews Lettings Director Angharad Trueman has identified two priorities for her forthcoming term as President of the Association of Lettings Agents. Known...

Estate agents have been urged to be wary of complaints around market appraisals and the handling of offers. The latest annual review...

Just one agent was expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) redress scheme in the latest quarter. TPO has revealed that Price Point...

Following publication of the Renter’s Reform Bill and the media coverage surrounding it, many agents and their landlords will understandably have...

Agents are being urged to be clearer about their terms of business with clients after the public face of The Property...

Sleight of hand, optical illusion, card up the sleeve – we all love a good conjuring trick, don’t we? And they say...

The dreaded ‘C word’ – compliance – has been facing Estate Agents for years now and it’s not going anywhere. Looking ahead...

Eight agents were excluded from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme during the first quarter of 2023 including collapsed online brand Doorsteps for...

Zoopla has become the latest accredited supplier of the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) for its software that supports housebuilders. It come...

Property professionals, including agents, are being urged to make use of a dedicated small business banking dispute scheme before it closes...

High transaction volumes are likely to lead to more complaints about agents, a compliance expert claims. Paul Offley, compliance officer at The Guild...

The chair of the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has warned firms that it shouldn’t be seen as a ‘light-touch’ regulator. Speaking at...

Given their leading role in the recent upfront information revolution, interest in the work of the National Trading Standards Estate &...

Increasing numbers of complaints about agents are being resolved without formal investigation but issues are becoming more complex, The Property Ombudsman...

Over the last few months, The Letting Partnership has seen an increase in calls from agents who are struggling to open...

A new Code of Practice for builders and an independent Ombudsman for consumers in the new-build sector went live this week. Customers...

The National Association of Professional Sourcing Agents (NAPSA) has partnered with The Property Ombudsman (TPO) to boost compliance and working practices in...

A wide range of upcoming legislative changes will affect the private rented sector. From new carbon monoxide alarm regulations to renters...

Sales remain the predominant source of income for most estate agency brands, research claims. The analysis warns that agents shouldn’t ignore lettings...

After years of delays and upheaval, the Renters' Reform Bill finally appears to be back on the agenda, in an effort...

Millions of people use online property portals every year to conduct their property search, whether it be for sales or for...

Agents have pledged to keep a close eye on planning reforms amid a proposed overhaul announced in the Queen’s Speech yesterday. Prince...

The property industry is fortunate in including many great people, doing great work across a range of businesses – from traditional agency...

A new Deputy Ombudsman, Lesley Horton, has been appointed by The Property Ombudsman Scheme. She will work alongside Property Ombudsman, Rebecca Marsh,...

It was a quiet first quarter this year for sanctions at The Property Ombudsman (TPO). The redress scheme has revealed that just...

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said it may consider complaints about ‘misleading SSTC listings’ on portals but suggests it may...

Trading Standards has advised agents to update listings once they reach the "sold subject to contract" (SSTC) stage. It comes after legal...

The market’s likely to slow this year as the rising cost of living saps some buyer confidence, so agents are understandably...

Industry figures have come out in favour of the long-term programme of new compulsory information to be contained on property listings. From...

The Property Ombudsman should ban agents from using so-called exclusivity agreements on sales, claims a law firm.  Donal Blaney, founder of Griffin...

The most senior Trading Standards officer policing the agency industry says he hopes the public will ask about referral fees in...

An hour-long webinar this week aims to inform agents how to deter property fraud by greater emphasis on compliance, due diligence...

Estate Agent Today understands that the civil servant who has been at the heart of plans to reform the house buying...

EAT readers may have seen a piece in Friday’s property section of The Times about the long-running Simplify saga, which has...

The Dispute Service has been selected to operate the New Homes Ombudsman scheme, following what has been called ”a fiercely competitive...

Within weeks the focus of the industry will be on the White Paper to be issued on rental reform before Christmas. Let’s...

Agents are being advised to go above and beyond the legal requirements for anti-money laundering requirements.  Paul Offley, compliance officer for The...

The recent stamp duty holiday and the subsequent conveyancing logjam this triggered has acted as a wakeup call for the industry....

As virtual tours start to get even more popular, and in some cases become the norm for the majority of letting...

Day in, day out, I see how good estate agents really are.  Whether it’s in my day job on Location, Location, Location...

The Property Ombudsman says there’s been a big increase in enquiries to its service in recent months, despite the pandemic.  In its...

Tim Balcon, who lasted just four months in the role of Propertymark chief executive before a mystery resignation, has now become...

One of the most senior politicians involved in the property industry is embroiled in a row over her anti-Marcus Rashford social...

No fewer than seven estate and lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme today. Most of them are now...

A consultation into the draft New Homes Quality Code has been published with a consultation period for the industry ending on...

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

We have more regulations controlling the sector than ever before and we have more ‘regulators’ involved in controlling the sector than...

Agents are being advised on what course of action they should take to safeguard their right to fees should they be dis-instructed...

Our recent state of the property nation survey, which yielded nearly 350 responses from directors to junior negotiators, and many others...

From 4 May 2021, your agency could be blocked from charging late fees, compounding interest on missing rent and taking any...

Automatically changing the main marketing photo on a portal listing can attract up to 40 per cent more traffic, it has...

In this tips article, the experts at GoodMove provide expert insight into the remortgage process. Remortgaging is the process of changing your...

Being a letting agent today means keeping up to date with the long list of rules and regulations governing how a...

Members of Propertymark are left wondering today what if any future there is for the industry’s trade body. The shock resignation yesterday...

Scams are rife in the quick house buying sector with many companies seeking to take advantage of sellers in desperate situations. That’s...

A new body which says it will “champion better outcomes for buyers” is described as independent but is to be chaired...

Countrywide and Foxtons have thrown their weight behind an idea to identify every single UK residential property with a unique number. The...

Start-up letting agents looking to enter the market are finding it increasingly difficult to set up in business as banks point...

The Property Ombudsman says there have been more complaints lodged about agents so far in 2020 than in 2019. This is despite...

First off, hello and welcome to this new series – appearing in Estate Agent Today’s Breaking News section each month –...

‘Many are in complete denial about the time it takes and still think it’s eight to 10 weeks.’ I won’t tell you...

The industry regulator who comes into force when the Regulation of Property Agents’ recommendations are adopted may take over versions of...

The Property Ombudsman has joined calls for greater disclosure of referral fees by agents.  The issue has become a hot topic in...

The mandatory qualifications expected of agents have not been forgotten and will come into effect in two or three years. That’s the...

A progress report on the Regulation of Property Agents recommendations will be made today by a key RoPA committee member, Mark...

Customers must be told about third party referral fees when buying or selling a home says the National Trading Standards Estate...

The cross-sector group looking at reforming the sales process has agreed a new pledge which it says introduces greater transparency for...

It’s no surprise the mainstream news remains dominated by coronavirus - not so much the actual effect of it right now,...

It’s fair to say that UK estate agents don’t have the best of reputations, often featuring in the lists of the...

An agency that has now closed down has been expelled by The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay an award of...

A PropTech firm that regularly claims London homes are mis-measured in property descriptions has taken a swipe at Purplebricks. Pupil, a spatial...

Earlier this month, it was revealed that property industry bodies have joined a new Code of Practice Steering Group to enact...

The new code of conduct for estate agents has been dismissed as “a waste of time” - and the senior industry...

They are the names we hear about often, pushing for this or seeking clarifications on that. They are the representatives of...

A new estate agency Code of Practice is to be written by a group set up by the Royal Institution of Chartered...

The recommendations to regulate and train the estate agency industry put forward a year ago remain on the Housing Secretary’s desk...

The new Property Ombudsman taking over from October is Rebecca Marsh. She is currently Chief Ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman and was...

Over the last few years, there have been a number of high-profile court cases in which renters took action against letting...

The industry should continue to prepare for large-scale reforms such as mandatory agency training, the licensing of agents and a new...

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman.  The figures refer...

The Property Ombudsman has announced the expulsion of eight agencies, all for contravening TPO codes of practice. Most of the expulsions were...

The Property Ombudsman is advising agents to use virtual viewings only as a filtering process with offers being agreed only ‘subject...

The Property Ombudsman’s office is still receiving 40 to 50 calls a day from the public, even though most transactions with...

If it’s really the case that estate agents’ offices could be in the category of High Street premises first allowed to...

To many less fortunate on the follicle front, high profile industry supplier Ed Mead has enjoyed an infuriatingly good head of...

Sellers are being warned to make strict checks before responding to advertisements apparently from prospective buyers.  The National Association of Property Buyers...