Archive

You will perhaps have seen recently that the Government has decided to boost funding to the regulator, the National Trading Standards...

In our previous 2 blogs we have covered the definitions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) and what the practical...

In 2014 The Properties Misdescriptions Act was repealed and replaced with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, otherwise known as...

For too long the private rented sector has been complacent towards customer satisfaction. In the changing rental landscape, the smartest letting...

In our previous blog, we looked at the definitions outlined by the CPRs. In our next blog we’ll look at the...

The Property Redress Scheme says it’s recruited another 1,750 members following the shake-out last week when one of its rival redress...

With all the recent change and upheaval in the rental sector it may be time to consider how letting agencies will...

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has this morning issued a warning to agents that they must be signed up to...

Renting has long been characterised as a stepping stone onto the housing ladder for the younger generations. But in recent years,...

100 years ago, 90% of the UK population rented a home. Today, that figure has flipped, and over two thirds are...

There is a common misconception that the private rented sector (PRS) is entirely made up of young professionals and students. While...

Recent void statistics have had me wondering how agents can juggle client and consumer demands in the face of the impending...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Ben Robinson, Director of Agency Services at Landmark What is Landmark...

If you want to know whether buy to let, landlords and letting agents will be in the firing line for more...

The Property Redress Scheme - one of the three government-approved redress schemes handling complaints about sales and lettings agents - has...

The Property Ombudsman has launched an online training module which it describes as the first of its kind.  The interactive module -...

Thanks once again for your contributions to this weekly round-up of agents’ good works; we love covering these stories which show...

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

A new year means new predictions for what’s to come in the letting industry. Sometimes things come to fruition as expected....

Another new year is nearly upon us and, once we’ve got the season of mince pies, mulled wine, pigs in blankets,...

As we hurtle towards the end of 2017, it’s time to reflect on the year that’s just been.   Even better, this property-based...

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

A large part of the DCLG’s Call for Evidence on the home buying and selling process focuses on the role of...

Like many of Labour’s recent policy proposals, its call for rent controls leaves more questions than answers.  There has been widespread criticism...

The UK is home to four million leasehold properties in private ownership, according to government figures. The majority of which require...

It used to be so easy. Around 20 years ago there were what we now call full-service estate and letting agencies, and...

I’ve written before about the impact of headlines on the property industry. Interest rate speculation.   Market booms and busts. Demand...

Whenever any research is released, part of me can’t help thinking of that old adage, ‘lies, damn lies and statistics’ especially...

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

Jamie Lester, the former Apprentice reality TV star who ran a high-profile estate agency in London until last autumn, has resurfaced...

It seems prop-tech is exploding at a scary rate, and the latest brands are all trying to grab our attention by...

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his first Budget this week pledging extra funding for the NHS, transport in the Midlands and the...

With tax relief changes, a rise in Stamp Duty for second homes and strict mortgage affordability checks now in place, it...

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

The chronic shortage of housing supply in the UK relative to demand has been a national issue for decades. The Government...

Annoying isn’t it. You take on a stunning property, agree a compelling asking price and your Vendor is desperate to get the...

The end of 2016 saw the launch of 30,000 new build-to-rent (BTR) projects in London alone. With market growth projected to...

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

One of the key factors associated with an active private rental market in the UK, as detailed in the Dataloft PRS...

Listening to all the coverage of the tenant fee ban, all I hear is consumer groups talking about how some agents...

London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s aim of creating a 24-hour city is one step closer with the appointment of London’s first Night...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is the latest body within the industry to warn its members against portal juggling. Following statements...

When a tenant paid his initial one month’s rent in addition to a tenancy deposit in exchange for the keys to...

The growing size and scale of the private rented sector is not new news. Headlines shout about the changing profile of...

As many northern cities struggled to recover from the 2008 global financial crisis, the north-south divide returned to plague the British...

The key lies in improving your customer experience through technology For Agents, the tremendous growth in online estate agents highlights a strong...

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

With an anticipated “Call for Evidence” from the Dept of Business Innovation & Skills looking into the home-buying experience ETSOS is...

The Property Redress Scheme, one of three official redress schemes for the sales and lettings sector, has now signed its 5,000th...

An estate agency has been fined after a trading standards team accused it of making misleading statements on its website. Warwickshire county...

What is Properstar? Properstar helps UK estate agents cross the chasm from local to global in respect of advertising their properties. Using...

Paying too much every month for your website? Move your website to us and we guarantee to halve your monthly bill I want...

With ever increasing obligations, estate agents know that compliance matters now more than ever.  However, being able to obtain access to the...

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team is warning agents not to engage in portal juggling - an activity it describes...

What a month it has been. By the time you read this, we'll have a new Prime Minister, a new Cabinet,...

So we now have a new 'official' index of house prices, and much good may it do us. For the chattering classes...

When, during his budget speech, George Osborne announced Capital Gains Tax (CGT) was going down to 20%, I experienced a mix...

Property has long been a safe investment. Before the downturn in 2008, sellers were able to gain a healthy capital return.  Post-economic...

In today's budget, the Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced a number of measures which will impact the property industry.  The Chancellor confirmed...

What are we going to do about Generation Rent? Only as recently as February 2016 did tenants steal the headline away...

Public relations used to be a minor part of estate agency, something only ‘the big boys’ paid for and with little...

One of the three approved Ombusdman-style operators, the Property Redress Scheme, is to hold its first agents’ workshop in March. The morning...

Let Mid West Displays get your window in shape! Never underestimate the power of high street presence. Image is everything, and what...

Who are you? I’m the Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme. I previously worked for Legal & General PLC dealing...

There are a number of fairly recent regulations that agents need to comply with. One of them, now just over a year...

You might recall a collective sigh of relief emitted by stakeholders in the housing market and private rental sector back in...

Once you go beyond the industry’s anger about the Chancellor’s three per cent stamp duty surcharge – and that’s an anger...

Negativity. There’s a lot of it about in the lettings industry right now. Where you might see barriers, hurdles and more...

I make no apologies for returning to Build To Rent, the institutional investment in building and managing blocks of flats to...

An insurance company claims that around 60 per cent of estate agents do not check with their vendor clients about disputes...

Someone told me the other day that it’s now only seven Mondays till Christmas. Now there’s a scary thought. Best get...

A reader of Industry Views is unlikely to need converting to the virtues of buy to let, but anyone involved in...

It would seem that now is a better time than ever for investors to join the buy-to-let market.  The Royal Institute of...

The party's over. It's probably the best double entendre in the world of politics right now. For centre or right-leaning Labour...

It’s been nearly a year since all lettings and property management agents have been legally required to join a redress scheme...

So housing made itself top of the list of questions by the new Leader of the Opposition’s first PMQs on Wednesday...

If there’s one thing that looks like a good move right now, it’s becoming a letting agent.  Whereas some years ago we...

A High Street estate agent has branded the latest guidance to the industry on Consumer Protection Regulations as “a complete mess”...

We’ve enjoyed a bit of an Indian summer this week. Not sure it makes up for one of the coldest and...

There have been concerns raised over new trading standards guidance for estate agents on having to reveal ‘significant defects’ about properties...

A new trading standards Guidance on Property Sales has been launched aimed at improving estate agency service to customers.  The Powys-based National...

This month analysis by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the average home in England and Wales cost a record...

The first annual report from Property Redress Services, one of the three government-approved redress schemes applying to both the sales and...

Consider the scene. It is July 8th and new Chancellor, Ed Balls, stands at the Dispatch Box giving his first Budget...

Watch the latest weekly video round-up of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on Channel 4's...

Watch the latest weekly video round-up of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on Channel 4's...

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has prepared a draft of revised guidelines on property sales, to replace the old...

Wednesday’s budget proved a grim viewing for those who have worked in the rental sector for some time and watched the...

Watch the latest weekly video roundup of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on the Scottish...

Watch the latest weekly video roundup of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on the Scottish...

The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) is delighted to announce their partnership with the award winning mediation provider, Small Claims Mediation (SCM) The...

Earlier this week we passed the official deadline for letting agents to fully publicise their fees as well as providing evidence of...

The Conservative Party’s manifesto pledge to extend the Right to Buy scheme was confirmed in yesterday’s Housing Bill.  The Bill was part...

The Brian Cox estate agency, at the centre of a weekend newspaper allegation about £2,000 deposits from buyers, has strongly defended...

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

Two rival redress schemes applying to sales and lettings agents are claiming increased business.  A press release from the Property Redress Scheme...

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