Archive

Interest rates made their biggest leap in 27 years yesterday, rising by 0.5% from 1.25% to 1.75%. It was the biggest...

When it comes to housing policy, the Conservative MPs have given their party a choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle DumDum. Rishi...

People in prominent positions in the housing industry aren’t always perfect role models. After all, Chris Pincher was housing minister for...

There’s talk of 50-year mortgages being introduced, loans that, along with the property they finance, could be passed to the next...

It’s often fashionable to criticise trade bodies and official groups, but right now I think that’s absolutely inappropriate. In well over 20...

This question is not as flippant as it sounds because over recent years the status of the private landlord has taken...

Estate agents are in a unique position – we handle the meeting of people’s aspirations probably more than any other profession....

Peta Milne, founder of Instagram growth and PR service Monimo, and a content writer at Choices Estate Agents, recently sat down...

Momentum is building up in support of the government’s probe into whether the London homes of oligarchs on the sanctions list...

The hot topic of rent controls has remerged in recent weeks, with passionate voices on both sides of the argument speaking...

Here’s the odd thing about interest rates - we all care about them, but they don’t directly affect that many people...

Propertymark has appointed an insider to the key role of policy adviser - effectively the position vacated last month by industry...

It appears almost certain that there will be limits imposed on the number and location of second homes in Wales, following...

We’ve probably all learned to be a little less cynical about politicians in recent weeks, given the tragic events. We perhaps...

Leading politicians operating in the housing industry have paid tribute to murdered backbencher Sir David Amess. Housing Secretary Michael Gove tweeted: “David...

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

A leading planning consultancy has claimed that ‘the myth’ that housing developers are hoarding land after gaining planning consent in order...

Few political policies have such a ring of the past as rent controls - they were last seen in this country...

There are some parts of the world, including in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, where estate agent isn’t seen as...

Politicians in one of the most exclusive property enclaves are complaining after average house prices have risen around £100,000 in just...

A nationalist party has blasted a Labour government in one national region of the UK for its lack of intervention in...

There’s gathering momentum to do ‘something’ about the unfairness of council tax and stamp duty. This isn’t new in principle. Agents have...

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

At first sight it’s a tough ask to defend holiday homes when there’s evidence that many who want to buy can’t,...

One of the country’s leading politicians says a yet-to-be-revealed way of taxing property sales could be one way of helping homes...

The new Mayor of London, to be decided in an election tomorrow, has just received a six point set of demands...

The biggest news story in town this last week – which has brought people who don’t usually like or watch football...

For many, the funeral of HRH Prince Philip will be a solemn affair, while for some it will also be a...

First the good news - estate agents are trusted more than politicians and no less than bankers. Now the bad news:...

Honesty is a concept that journalists will tell their readers is non-existent for estate agents. Yeah, right! But as the end...

Propertymark - still reeling over two senior resignations in less than a week - says its lobbying sessions with politicians are...

A housing market analyst says stamp duty, for all its unpopularity within the property industry, may not be so bad after...

Propertymark, the overarching body aiming to bring five different associations (ARLA, NAEA, NAVA, ICBA and APIP) into a single brand, was...

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

An agency in London which was stung by fierce criticism in the spring lockdown has announced its policy for branch activity...

“I’ve got 47 years of experience as an agent. Do I still have to get a qualification?” asked one attendee at...

Lawyers, politicians, bankers, insurance sellers – no matter where you go, there are some professions that are just always going to...

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

You have to feel for Rishi Sunak - well, at least a little. Leave to one side that he carries more presentational...

It may be that by the time you read this it’s all over for Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for...

The death has been announced of Colin Lowman, a veteran south London estate agent who had a 64 year career in...

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...

The government will not announce a Mansion Tax at next month’s Budget. It was first reported by the Sunday Telegraph a week ago,...

Now we’re well into the second month of the year, we have reached a crucial point in the ongoing plans to...

The chair of the working group introducing mandatory examinations and qualifications for estate and letting agents says senior politicians will meet...

After a challenging period for the UK property market, recovery is very much on the cards and the end to uncertainty...

Suddenly Brexit Day is nearly here. It may have taken three and a half years from the Referendum but the UK will,...

Data from HM Revenue & Customs shows tax receipts from stamp duty fell a further 5.2 per cent between 2018 and...

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...

Agents and property industry figures have given a clear message to the government six weeks ahead of the General Election -...

There are many adjectives that can be applied to Boris Johnson, probably very few of them complimentary, but there’s one that...

It’s only a week to the Big Day when gore-splattered figures wreak havoc on an unsuspecting industry and nation. But enough about...

In recent years, governments and local councils have sought to change the private rented sector (PRS) to make it more appealing...

If you thought - perhaps hoped - that five weeks of prorogued Parliament meant a break from politics, think again: the...

A well-respected agent who was president of the NAEA just five years ago has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking...

Recently a number of politicians and charities have been calling for the introduction of rent controls or rent freezes in the...

With Boris Johnson winning the Conservative leadership election and becoming Prime Minister, he has spent his first few days in office...

Esther McVey is to be the new housing minister - one of the most seasoned politicians to take the job in...

The industry press has given substantial space to recommendations from the Regulation of Property Agents, the government’s working party which has...

A new industry regulator is likely to be in place within two years according to the chair of the government’s Regulation...

Theresa May arrived in Downing Street some three years ago - but her premiership has not been a smooth ride. As she...

Britain lives in fundamentalist black-and-white times - all the more surprising when the country's most divisive point of contention sits on...

In the first Q&A Natter for a while, I catch up with Angelica Donati - CEO of Donati Immobiliare Group, PropTech...

It’s clear that some agents are not fans of Trading Standards officers, described in the comments sections of the trade press...

No, this isn’t about Brexit. But as the saga of leaving the EU is likely to bring about the downfall of...

Labour is proposing two methods of controlling house price rises should it win the next General Election - and the ideas...

Campaigning groups like Generation Rent and Shelter like to think they are simultaneously edgy and radical; likewise some think tanks believe...

This article was originally written for City AM in response to an article it published attacking letting agents. See more here.  A...

Last week, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a number of measures aimed at further tackling homelessness, including...

With the home buying and selling process firmly on the news agenda of late – everything from a possible ban on...

Kit Malthouse has been making headlines this week, but – in keeping with his tenure as Housing Minister so far -...

The British Property Federation has made an outspoken intervention into the Brexit debate, telling politicians that No Deal is the worst...

Politicians and officials are studying a ‘model’ two page reservation agreement drawn up by a law firm as a possible way...

I often speak of my wish to see property taken out of the hands of politicians. Indeed, this is likely to...

The civil servant leading work to reform the house buying has revealed key areas of government thinking - with a ban on...

It’s the word on everyone’s lips: after two and a half years of debate, and months before that leading up to...

Phil Spencer is on the warpath against “constant tinkering” by government in housing matters - and instead, he wants the problems...

There’s nothing new about identifying 10 figures who have helped shape an industry over the past year, but that doesn’t mean...

The chief executive of failed online agency Emoov has been named this week as one of the 500 top “tech influencers”...

The title may be unfamiliar but most agents know by now that in the corridors of Whitehall a working party exists...

A new book has revealed that one of the long line of recent housing ministers was known as “the invisible minister”...

Bank of England governor Mark Carney says a no-deal Brexit exit could lead to a 35 per cent house price crash. The...

It’s holiday time: schools have broken up, quite a few estate agents are taking time off, and the MPs are in...

First things first, I have to mention the World Cup. The dream is over, football’s not quite coming home (not until...

A leading agency chief says the frequent churn of housing ministers means there is only one answer if our industry wants...

To say this is a turbulent time for UK politics would be something of an understatement. As I write, the Brexit...

As housing market stakeholders we’ve all had a month or so to try and digest the government’s own response to its...

James Brokenshire - yesterday appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government - joins the rank of senior politicians...

The game of musical chairs that has so often gone on with politicians in charge of housing continues today with the...

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

‘Respect’ is the new mantra for politicians: whether it’s about street gang leaders, social media trolls or those on either side...

Have you noticed a new turf war going on on the fringes of the agency world? It’s not a high-profile battle like...

The Ernst & Young ITEM Club - a group of economists highly regarded by politicians and some sectors of the property...

An estate agent and former chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says the government’s latest drive to build new...

It’s probably unwise to write too much about politics these days. The most fanciful predictions turn out to be less wild...

Here we are again: another much anticipated Budget has been and gone and, yet, still nothing much has changed! Yes, of course,...

Another week, yet more consultations - the agency industry can’t complain about not being asked for its views recently. The latest were on...

With party conference season around the corner and the next Budget just a couple of months away, more industry players are...

It’s not just the evenings drawing in that marks the approach of autumn - it’s also the return to work of...

A new survey commissioned by a property firm suggests that 31 per cent of people feel uncomfortable about the idea of...

It’s traditional for estate agents to support each other when they come under attack from the press or public. After all,...

That the private rental sector has become the government’s whipping boy for housing problems - landlords in particular, letting agents almost...

When it comes to provoking anger in property professionals, taxation takes some beating. Press releases are still arriving berating the December...

The Queen’s speech to the British parliament this week was a scaled-back affair, which was unsurprising given the Grenfell Tower fire,...

A cluster of conveyancing and legal experts, known as the Legal Sector Group, has published a raft of proposals on leasehold...

The property industry has broadly welcomed the appointment of a new housing minister, which was made yesterday evening. Reading West MP Alok...

The banning of letting fees levied on tenants has dominated the industry headlines in recent months but this election campaign suggests...

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

In this Natter we have an exclusive interview with David Cox, CEO of ARLA Propertymark and one of the best-known figures...

We’re almost nine months on from the EU Referendum and yet the issue remains the big divide across the nation: an...

Grant Shapps, housing minister between 2010 and 2012, has said the measures in the current government’s White Paper are not bold...

The south’s seaside resorts are stealing the headlines for all the wrong reasons and at the heart of the troublesome issue...

2016 was quite a year – eventful, dramatic, shocking and impossible to predict. In no particular order, we saw Leicester winning...

Now I’m not one to lose sleep over politicians, but it strikes me that Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Housing Minister...

Welsh politicians have called for clarity over the new Land Transaction Tax that will replace stamp duty from April next year. In September...

Following a strong start to 2016, particularly in the lower to middle range of the UK housing market, that lasted up...

Let me set out my stall from the beginning. Firstly with two buy to lets managed by an agency, I understand and...

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

Some of this week’s headlines - ‘Firms must list foreign workers’ and ‘NHS to no longer rely on foreign doctors’ -...

It’s curious how gloom, gloom pre-Brexit Britain’s property market has gained a much brighter outlook now that the result of the...

With the number of new homes being built across the UK still significantly below the level needed to meet demand, housebuilders...

The importance of overseas buyers in underpinning increasing elements of the capital’s housing market and won support from an unlikely quarter...

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

A housing body says that, rather than presiding over a worsening housing crisis as many suggest, David Cameron has actually left...

Older readers may recall a terrific movie called Network where a character, disillusioned by life, shouts from a window: “I’m as...

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

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

It’s over. A win is a win, whichever side you backed. It’s true that everyone seems a lot less happy than...

One estate agency leader - you’d all recognise his name - described the victory of the Leave camp in the referendum...

The old and eternal debate over whether or not tenant fees should be banned continues to rumble on. It’s a major concern...

So what is it with young people failing to stand up for themselves and not making the most of their money...

The race to replace London Mayor Boris Johnson has entered its final few days, and like never before, housing is the...

This website recently published a piece ahead of the nationwide launch of our new property platform, Be Street Smart.  It explained how...

There are to be significant increases in council tax paid by the owners of the most expensive homes across Scotland, in...

As we all know, Peter Redfern is critical to the future of the British housing market and.... What? Wait? You don’t know...

Estate agents and journalists don’t always have a lot in common but in a new opinion poll they rank side-by-side in...

In January readers of Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today were given the opportunity to give their views on proposed...

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

Scotland’s home building industry says at least 100,000 homes of all tenures are needed by the end of the next Scottish...

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

An independent estate agent based in Leicestershire has urged agents to play a more active and altruistic role in their community. William...

When do we really start to worry about rising rents and house prices? Despite an apparent slowdown in house price inflation...

This week RICS reported a further drop in the number of people putting their homes up for sale; new instructions fell...

So, a sigh of relief.  Most agents will be pleased with the election result - even if they are not Tory supporters...

I write this article on the day of the General Election so you’ll forgive the political analogies. In particular, how any...

The chief executive of Andrews estate agency chain says housing policy should be decided not directly by politicians but by an...

There's bad news for Britain’s politicians who are using house-building targets as policy objectives in the election - over two thirds...