Archive

There’s been broad support from within the agency and wider property sectors for Labour’s proposal to build on selected parts of...

It’s tempting to think that Michael Gove’s proposed clampdown on Airbnb-style short lets is a uniquely British form of small-mindedness, part...

Keir Starmer set out Labour’s policy for housebuilding this week and targeted ‘ugly’ parts of the Green Belt. It will be a...

Inflation has eased to 3.2% down from 3.4%, official figures from the Office for National Statistics show, the lowest level since...

Propertymark has urged the UK Government to consider other ways of boosting the supply of homes for purchase.  The Government has two...

Propertymark has welcomed the reappointment of Julie James as the new Welsh Housing Minister. Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at...

Both 'beauty' and ‘gentle density’ are central themes of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).. The notes which accompany the NPPF state...

Interest rates were held for the fifth consecutive time after the latest Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting yesterday. The...

The best news for the property sector to come from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget statement came not from any fiscal...

The Government has taken the unusual step of intervening in the London Plan to boost housebuilding in the capital.   Housing Secretary Michael...

Today, I am reflecting on the Chancellor’s surprise Spring budget decision to abolish multiple dwellings relief for Stamp Duty Land Tax...

One of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders has reduced its upper age limit in a blow for home buyers . Halifax is...

Female agents have shared their view on representation and opportunities in the sector to mark International Women’s Day. Industry data shows while...

Agents are hopeful of support for the property market in today’s Spring Budget. It could be the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s final fiscal...

Agents would be happy to pay for regulation but the sector should be wary of costs, a Propertymark executive has told...

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

Peers in the House of Lords have launched an inquiry into agency regulation. The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee will...

The Government’s proposal to introduce a new 1% deposit mortgage scheme to help young people onto the property ladder is unworkable...

Every year the media writes a lot about house price crashes, and often pose the question whether this is the year...

Last weekend, Levelling Up and Housing Secretary, Michael Gove wrote in the Sunday Times that the nation’s housing crisis was so...

Two brothers who previously worked as estate agents have launched a new networking platform for property professionals in the UK. Chris Tremlett,...

Building more homes is a better solution than mortgage schemes to support first-time buyers, a Zoopla executive has claimed. Richard Donnell, executive...

Sir Simon Clarke’s call for Rishi Sunak to be ousted from Downing Street may well express what many of his MP...

Whether a General Election is held in May, November or in January one thing is guaranteed -  we can expect to...

After months of negative messaging and anti-development sentiment, espoused both nationally by the Government, and locally during May’s local election campaigning,...

As Conveyancers we operate in such a volatile market, where government economic policy can and has repeatedly made our professional lives...

Housing policy should focus on making better use of existing stock as well building more homes, a new report claims. A report...

The debate over the Green Belt, and the newly branded ‘grey belt’, has made the headlines a lot recently and will...

Landowners seeking to sell their land for development will have to adjust their expectations as the market, the planning system and...

New homes – we need more in ‘24 2023 was a year which saw the 'need to moves' active in the housing...

The Government has published long-awaited reforms to its National Planning Policy Framework, confirming that local housebuilding targets will be advisory rather...

The supply of new homes could reach the lowest level since 2014, builders have warned. It comes as the Government is due...

Agents are hoping for further support for the housing market north of the border as the Scottish Government prepares to set...

The factor most likely to influence the housing market next year is entirely outside the industry’s control: the General Election. Knight Frank...

In July the Government committed to ‘a new era of regeneration, inner-city densification and housing delivery across England, with transformational plans...

The Bank of England maintained interest rates at 5.25% yesterday, raising hope among agents that this would boost buyer confidence and...

When almost all agents and developers use the tried and tested formula of floorplan, professional photography  and a well-crafted description, what can be...

There has no doubt been many commenting on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s recent Autumn Statement held a couple of weeks ago. We...

There has no doubt been many commenting on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s recent Autumn Statement held a couple of weeks ago. We...

House prices increased for the third month in a row during November but are still down annually, Nationwide data shows. The lender’s...

A series of webinars have been unveiled to help agents prepare for new material information rules. Rightmove said it is providing a...

Leaders Romans Group (LRG) has launched a new staff benefit to support employees undergoing fertility treatment.  The benefit allows staff time off...

There has been much barn conversion activity in recent years perhaps as a result of the change in farming methods making...

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

Propertymark has expressed its opposition to Scottish Government plans to increase council tax premiums on second homes. Speaking to the Scottish Parliament’s...

Propertymark has written to the Housing Secretary Michael Gove to reiterate its longstanding call for regulation of property agents. The agency trade...

Rightmove has secured guests from the Bank of England to join a live webinar for agents today. The event aims to break...

Interest rates were held for a second consecutive month yesterday, giving agents renewed hopes that the cost of borrowing has reached...

Why professional indemnity claims are on the rise In today's volatile economic landscape, the uncertainty faced by landlords and tenants has reached...

Propertymark has given its backing to commitments from the Housing Minister on the long-awaited next steps of leasehold reform. Timothy Douglas, head...

The best way to judge the UK housing market is to check on what’s happening in Parliament, not the price indices...

A proposed cut in stamp duty by the Westminster government would be a welcome boost to homebuyers and would need to...

A client account is essential to your lettings business, but the rules and regulations you need to follow to keep this...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has published an updated UK supplement of its ‘Red Book’ – its master document...

The government should reverse some of its latest energy efficiency policies so owners, landlords and tenants can enjoy cheaper fuel bills The...

What a waste. Islington council announced in recent days that it will buy back 310 ex-council houses this winter, to add to...

An opinion piece by Sam Reynolds, CEO of Zero Deposit Just weeks ago, the Bank of England brought a halt to its...

Talk about a wasted opportunity. The Conservative party conference - just finished, and possibly the last one before a General Election -...

Propertymark is extending its political engagement and reach by exhibiting at the party conferences this week. The agency trade body will be...

After years - indeed a decade - of anti-rental sector policy and rhetoric it’s difficult not to see recent days as...

The Bank of England is facing calls to hold off on raising interest rates this week. Its Monetary Policy Committee is set...

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

Twenty-minute neighbourhoods, 15-minute cities, low traffic neighbourhoods, walkable neighbourhoods: these concepts are suddenly everywhere. They boil down to a simple idea:...

Check out some of the latest charitable endeavours from agency and property brands this week. If you have a charitable event or...

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

As money laundering compliance marks its twentieth year, more and more estate agents are being fined for breaches of HMRC’s ID...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has been granted observer status for this year's UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) to...

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

Keir Starmer’s announcement about building on the Green Belt attracted some contentious headlines. It immediately thrust housing and planning into the...

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has repeated calls for Stamp Duty to be scrapped as politicians prepare for party conference...

It was a genuine pleasure to read this week about Yorkshire estate agent Ian Bradbury who clocked up 40 years selling...

It is no secret that our climate is getting warmer. 2022 was one of the six warmest years on record globally,...

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

Average mortgage rates have dropped slightly, providing possible respite for homebuyers. The latest Moneyfacts data shows the average two-year fixed mortgage rate...

Agents should ban swearing from the workplace to boost employee wellbeing, a respected agency executive claims. Speaking on the latest episode of...

An improvement is defined by the Cambridge dictionary as ‘an occasion when something gets better or when you make it better’. ...

According to research, the average cost of home insurance was £300 in 2022 – a record low. However, this could increase...

A recent poll of 11,000 private renters by SpareRooom reveals that 81% spend more than 30% of their take-home pay on...

The publication of inflation figures by the government tomorrow will be a Do-Or-Die moment for the housing market, it’s been claimed. At...

MPs have cast doubt on the Government’s ability to achieve its target of 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-2020s...

Mortgage borrowers are facing higher costs but banks are ‘resilient enough’ to withstand a 30% fall in house prices, the Bank...

There’s a warning today that confusion over plans to transition rural properties to greener heating systems may be deterring buyers. Trade association...

Propertymark is working with an Anti-Money Laundering service to stage a webinar for agents wanting to know more about compliance. At the...

The long-awaited Renters Reform Bill was finally introduced in Parliament in May, but is it really good news for tenants? Several...

At present, the space heating of homes accounts for roughly 14% of the UK’s annual emissions. If we are to meet...

Two former housing ministers have criticised the Government for scrapping housebuilding targets. The Government officially watered-down proposals for mandatory local housebuilding targets...

A new survey suggests the overwhelming majority of the public are critical of the government’s apparent housing failures. A study of 1,323...

Labour says it will reform how land is valued under Compulsory Purchase Order powers in a bid to increase house building...

Real estate consultants SHW is advising leaseholders not to wait to extend their lease. The call follows the start of the Government’s...

A lack of direction and constant shifts in planning policy at local and national government level is putting a block on...

The Bank of England’s strategy to tackle inflation isn’t working, an agent has claimed, after policymakers hiked rates for the 12th...

Letting agents are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to opening a client account and getting Client...

Housing policy formation must go beyond electoral cycles, academics have warned. A group of Cambridge University alumni has teamed up to urge...

A Propertymark-supported amendment that aimed to bolster support for leaseholders in unsafe buildings failed to gain approval in the House of...

Homes have decreased in size every decade since the 1950s, despite house prices rising exponentially, according to new data. Intriguingly the average...

The Labour Party has outlined three ways it will help first-time buyers onto the housing ladder as it ramps up its...

THE grounding of foreign travel during successive lockdowns meant many employers were saved from the stress of dealing with holiday requests...

The election of Humza Yousaf as the new leader of the Scottish National Party yesterday was immediately met with concern from...

A financial adviser has hit out at the Bank of England, claiming homeowners and business should be furious about its interest...

  It's not often that I have sympathy for our glorious leaders – those who set the rules by which we all...