Archive

Borrowers are currently rolling off relatively favourable two-year fixed-rate deals agreed at the start of 2022, but the pain from higher...

Agents faced more complaints and paid out higher levels of redress last year, industry data shows. Annual figures from the Property Redress...

Now the dust has settled on what many described as an ‘underwhelming’ Budget, we take a look at what two business...

Renting a flat or house in the UK has never been more difficult. The market is tight, supply is limited and...

Leaks and water-based issues are more likely in rental properties than any other type of emergency, according to data we gathered...

As the world marches relentlessly forward to 2024, the government’s flagship legislation for the private rented sector (PRS) remains in limbo. This...

The Able Agent has launched a Consumer Protection Regulations (CPR) guidance short course to support agents amid new Trading Standards material...

The private rental landscape has been undergoing a profound transformation, with technology playing a pivotal role in shaping the way tenancies...

Property visits remain one of the greatest time intensive activities for the letting agent. From prospecting visits, show rounds, inventories and...

Rightmove has launched a course for estate and letting agents to help them understand and remain compliant with the Consumer Protection...

When Chancellor Jeremy Hunt gets to his feet on Wednesday to deliver his Autumn Statement, he should consider offering support to...

Housing supply rather than the private rented sector (PRS) made the headlines during the Conservative and Labour Party conferences this year...

Despite the announcements, the publicity, the guidance and the acres of website information, the most common complaint surrounding house sales is...

To help or not to help: that is the question the government is facing with regard to under-pressure private rented sector...

Estate agency has changed. No longer is it required to sit in a high street office working the old way. Provide a...

The term mixed-tenure development usually refers to residential developments where different residential tenures are provided on the same site. Typically, tenure was...

In recent years, the UK private rented sector has witnessed a significant increase in government regulation aimed at raising standards for...

A cost-of-living crisis, higher interest rates and an increase in bureaucratic regulation might point to a bleak future for the lettings...

Housing Minister Rachel Maclean MP is probably looking forward to her summer break this year. But wherever she's going and whatever she's...

Like most parts of the UK, the one I live in has a bit of a beef about parking. More precisely,...

Success with your chosen CRM solution should not be a one-and-done package. Once you team up with a stellar CRM provider,...

CRMs can be superheroes for your business, but not all of them possess the necessary powers to save the day. As...

By adopting a top-notch Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, you're not only opening doors to acquiring new customers and nurturing existing...

The proposals to shake the Private Rental Sector (PRS) to its foundations will, depending upon your political persuasion and housing status,...

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

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

Despite most businesses across industry now adopting some form of digital alternative to traditional work methods, many in the private rental...

Landlords are exiting the market in droves. According to an accountancy firm who analysed HMRC data, 70,000 buy-to-let landlords left the sector...

The RICS Residential Survey Report for March caused a bit of a stir this week – despite the fact that it...

A controversial change due to be brought about in the proposed Renters’ Reform Bill is the abolition of Section 21 ‘no...

So next week we get to know how high housing is on the Government’s list of priorities. As we wait to see...

I’ve found myself in contemplative mode this week, looking forward to the future and remembering times past. In the immediate future –...

Listings are down, mortgage rates are high, regulations are becoming even more complex and already stretched tenants are feeling the effects...

Black mould associated with condensation is becoming an increasing problem for homes in the UK and following the tragic death of...

Vaboo is a Customer Engagement and Reward Platform enabling Tenants and Landlords to give their insights into the relationships that matter...

We’re only in February and it’s already clear that this year will set the future direction of the private rented sector...

Lies, damned lies, and statistics this week. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I’m being bombarded...

The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) has formed a new member panel that will be chaired by senior industry figure Eric Walker. The...

The property sector braced itself for the chill wind of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement this week. His pre-Budget comment that he...

Mortgage rate hikes have already halved landlord profits according to latest research, and a base rate rise to 2.5% will see...

Propertmark is calling for a 12 month exemption on additional Stamp Duty rates to boost rental property supply. The issue will be...

The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) has named the members of its new advisory panel. It will replace the PRS Advisory Council and...

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

Over the last five years, the Government has introduced a range of measures to regulate the property market, particularly in the...

Property seekers can now search for a home through OnTheMarket based on “accessible features.” The portal has introduced a new “accessible features”...

A leading agent has called on the Scottish government to reduce property taxes rather than freezing rents if it wants to...

First off, my own quick tribute to the Queen, who died on Thursday afternoon aged 96. Despite her age and declining...

With the government releasing details on the Fairer Private Rented Sector, landlords and letting agents are looking for ways to maintain...

The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) is putting together an advisory panel to improve governance, accountability and sector representation when formulating policies. It...

Anyone working in the property market should have at least one eye on supply. Of course, it’s a constant issue for...

The government’s Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper has initially caused some consternation and a strong adverse reaction from some within...

Agents remain positive about the prospects for their business and the property market despite talk of slowing house price growth and...

The number of complaints about estate and letting agents increased last year but fewer gripes were upheld. Data based on members of...

PayProp’s recent Rental Confidence Index survey polled property professionals about their biggest concerns for 2022. Unsurprisingly, new regulations were a top...

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...

Agents will be able to grill Rightmove’s legal and compliance director David Cox this morning as part of the portal’s webinar...

Hello and welcome to another Agents Do Charity, the weekly round up of fund-raising in our industry. Once more our thoughts are...

Alexander Siedes, CEO of Homeppl, reveals the top five ways people try and commit tenancy fraud and how to spot and stop...

I am often guilty of this myself, where I think I am the bees’ knees in all walks of life; whether I...

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

Almost a million tenants have built up rent arrears since March 2020, according to research by National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)....

Propertymark says a new pay-per-viewing service is “interesting” but warns agents to protect themselves by abiding by consumer protection regulations. The warning has come following...

There are an estimated 2.7 million landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) providing rental accommodation to multiple generations of tenant,...

In an industry which is faced with constant changes in day-to-day practices and even more so given the Covid terrain which agents...

On 28 April 2021, Fixflo ran the first in a series of quarterly legal update webinars with David Smith, Partner at...

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

Licensing of the short-term lets sector in Scotland was due to be introduced next month. However, it was recently announced that...

Earlier this month, Fixflo held a webinar with David Cox, legal and compliance director of Rightmove, to discuss key government policies...

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

A high-profile London agency is asking the police and property industry bodies including Trading Standards to investigate a fake company posing under...

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

There is little doubt that the last year was one which none of us will easily forget both personally and professionally....

By any available metric, Belvoir had a good 2020. Already a well-known and well-established name, it was highly praised for its...

With the Government announcement this week of another national lockdown across England amid the surging coronavirus infections, it once again puts...

Here’s hoping you managed to have as good a Christmas and New Year as Covid rules allowed. Journalism in early January is...

As we approach the end of the year, there is no doubt that it has been a turbulent 12 months for...

This is a time of year when many people consider buying a pet as a present but for the millions of...

Recent debate about urgent need for reform and better collaboration within the property industry, has once again come under the spotlight...

Back in September, Westminster Council launched a new strategy to help 'protect tenants' and 'ensure they live in good-quality and well-managed...

The Boomin portal, which incentivises agents to cross-sell and benefit from referral fees, is to receive advice on fee disclosure from...

It’s been an unexpected year for the property market, shaped by the effects of the pandemic. We didn’t quite anticipate the...

The announcement of the Renters’ Reform Bill in the Queen’s speech last December caused a collective groan across the country from...

In recent years, the extent and role of the private rented sector (PRS) in the housing market has seen significant changes. The...

Book review by Graham Norwood, editor of Estate Agent Today, Letting Agent Today and Landlord Today. If a letting agent wants to...

The pandemic and the way the government has reacted to the private rental sector (PRS) has got me thinking about the...

Life as we know it has changed – for everybody – and what tenants want, need and expect in this post-pandemic...

There’s been a very large rise in the number of complaints submitted by consumers to the Property Redress Scheme. This is partly...

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

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

Letting agents up and down the country have undoubtedly felt the financial strain added by the outbreak of COVID19. Whilst this will continue,...

In these unprecedented times, Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) aims to reassure letting agents, landlords and tenants on any legislative changes, relating...

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

This month saw the introduction of the final stages of the Section 24 tax changes, first introduced in April 2017. Whereas buy-to-let...

The last five years have seen unprecedented changes to the property market and agents and their clients have never faced such...

Much like PropTech, Open Banking has been used as a buzzword in recent years. However, when it comes to the rental...

Purplebricks Local Property Experts are asking sellers who are not allowing agents into their homes during the virus crisis to draw...

By now, most letting agents and landlords will have heard about the draft legislation laid in Parliament concerning a mandatory minimum...

The Trading Standards report on the future of referral fees is almost completed and will be sent to government next week. However, James...

Foxtons is warning that 2020 will be yet another difficult year for the agency despite the so-called Boris Bounce helping the...