Archive

Hello and welcome to your regular Monday PJT, the essential guide to who’s moving where in our industry. Everyone mentioned here got...

In a previous Natter, I promised to talk more about CRMs – and here I stick to that promise. Following on from...

Earlier this year, the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) working group announced the initial details of plans for mandatory qualifications and...

There are those who say that PropTech is at risk of becoming a bubble market, and others who say bubbles don’t...

A PropTech firm is marketing anti-money laundering audit checks for agents to help the industry comply with tighter regulation. Identity verification business...

Former Purplebricks US chief executive officer Eric Eckardt is seeking some £6m in funding from across the world for his latest...

Technology will drive the lettings and property management industry in the future. There is already a plethora of various software and other...

Innovate or Die. But What is Innovation? It Isn’t just PropTech A certain Mr Dick Whittington Esquire was once convinced that the...

The typical new real estate agency forms when an entrepreneurial high performer quits their job at a leading chain and sets...

Is this the ultimate in accountability or a desperate bid to win back public support for a company damaged by the...

I wrote last week about Keller Williams and how their leader, Gary Keller, is doing an admirable job of driving innovation through...

Have you asked yourself why technology is so important in letting agency today? Just look around and you will know why. Almost...

I feel I am in a fortunate position. I have been central to the PropTech movement for a number of years,...

A leading figure in the PropTech sector says clarity and speed are vital to ensure agencies can adequately prepare for a...

The introduction of technology to an industry can be daunting, due to changes in executing daily tasks, and also a fear...

Estate agents have been urged to ensure they are carrying out an annual independent audit of their anti-money laundering (AML) processes. ID...

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

It’s been a busy year for Giraffe360. Following its £1 million successful funding round in January and moving its headquarters from...

When employing a new member of staff there are a lot of checks and balances put in place by any business...

It’s easy to understand why people are hesitant towards processes becoming digital. It is the fear that the digital world is...

The Innovative Collaboration Group - a collection of high-profile tech suppliers to the agency industry - has unveiled a raft of new...

A new sales progression tool that claims to have been hugely successful over an 18-month pilot is being rolled out across...

An IT firm says small and medium-sized estate agencies without the infrastructure of large corporates are putting themselves and their customers...

A survey undertaken by the respected Economist Intelligence Unit and a risk solutions company suggests that estate agency may be one...

Consumer habits have changed massively over the past few years, and regardless of which market you operate in, being able to...

London agency Chestertons is launching a franchise offering which will allow businesses outside of the capital to operate under the Chestertons...

A statement from London-focussed agency Chestertons claims to have bucked the poor market in the capital - and says it’s partly...

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

The head of the new Trading Standards authority regulating estate agents says Online firms are treated exactly the same as High...

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

By the time you read this article, I’ll be in Nigeria. My first ever visit to the continent of Africa. Sitting here...

PropTech players behind a recent trial claim that use of Blockchain can cut a transaction time from a typical three months...

When they first came onto the scene, online-only estate and lettings agents were predicted to swiftly spell the end for traditional...

Four high-profile industry figures have sent an open letter urging agents to think about what they call “smarter marketing” in a...

Thinking about the state of communication across residential property chains is enough to induce a severe migraine. We work in a world...

Many of the industry’s best known and widely respected suppliers have set up a new group which they say offers agents...

To get the absolute most from your estate or letting agency business, it’s vital that you partner with the right software...

Estate agent anti-money laundering (AML) compliance is under scrutiny again following the publication of figures detailing the fines levied for AML...

Countrywide’s executive chairman and group managing director have spoken to Estate Agent Today about the impact of Brexit on the company,...

Competition for landlords will be fiercer than ever this year. Landlords are facing a raft of changes and will likely be...

The huge £215,000 fine levied on Countrywide for failing to abide by anti-money laundering procedures is a demonstration that estate agents...

When you recruit a new member of staff, training should be one of your main priorities.  After initial training, ongoing training and...

The Money Laundering Regulations require estate agents to risk assess their business relationships and apply an appropriate level of investigation to...

We all know the three essential things an estate agent must have on their website include the ability to be able...

The Property Ombudsman’s annual conference is to hear from the chair of the government’s ‘Property Agents Working Group’ - just days...

Purchasing a property. It’s a key life goal that so many Millennials aspire to - yet one that has become frustratingly...

Outsourcing. Everyone has an opinion on it and there’s a stigma surrounding it in the lettings industry. But get this…letting agents ARE...

Chestertons says its profitability in 2018 doubled compared to the previous year, but appears to have relied heavily on lettings for...

The government has moved to crack down on money laundering in the UK with a new campaign focusing on the accountancy,...

Even with 2019 well underway, letting agents need to keep refining their long-term goals and business targets. For agencies with a...

It’s time to think about planning the 2019 events calendar. This year, there are more PropTech conferences scheduled than ever before,...

It’s safe to say that the majority of agents will be glad to see the end of the past two years....

In the past year it seems every other story has been about PropTech - the big stuff like Purplebricks and the...

It’s that time of year again where we start saying goodbye to 12 months of hard work and start looking forward...

Thanks to vast improvements in processing powers, the use of virtual reality (VR) in some sectors is becoming more evident than...

Investment platform Crowdcube has told Estate Agent Today that defunct online estate agency Emoov revised down its company valuation from £104m...

PropTech has been mainstream for a few years now, and as more agents are familiar with the range of products and...

When was the last time you looked at your business and really thought about what you could do to improve? Yesterday? Last...

Yet another estate agency has announced that it’s shutting branches and opening a centralised hub. This time it’s Newman Property Experts, a...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in our lives – from virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and...

People now expect a streamlined, digital-first experience from every single service they interact with - and the lettings industry is no...

For any business, regardless of size, age or industry, operating efficiently is fundamental to your success. When faced with challenges like we...

Given that ‘UK buyers are the most digitally active home hunters’, with HSBC’s Beyond the Bricks report stating that 90% of...

Not so long ago, the best estate agents were those who did the best work for their clients and therefore built...

A branch of EweMove - which operates from a traditional High Street office - claims to have generated £140,000 income in...

Increasingly cash-strapped traditional estate agencies should consider abandoning their High Street offices and work from serviced offices or similar lower-profile and...

Having delivered over 1,800 websites for estate agents over the last 15 years, I have come to recognise one major common...

A London estate agent who works closely with High Net Worth overseas buyers has hit out a proposed law which he...

The Property Ombudsman scheme (TPO) has announced a series of changes to both its board and internal processes. The organisation has also...

Technology is transforming the way we comply with Anti Money Laundering (AML) regulation. It is providing a consistent approach, reliable outcomes...

After gaining my MBA qualification from Edinburgh Business School in 2005, I took careful consideration over my career moves and prospective...

Why do we choose to engage with one application more than another, or find ourselves returning to the same piece of...

The buy-to-let sector, which has been under sustained pressure for a number of years now thanks to tax changes designed to...

Estate and lettings agency is arguably one of the most fierce, ruthless and relentless industries going. And, with fluctuating stock levels,...

When Oakland A’s, a small-market team, stunned the baseball world 16 years ago by transforming itself into world-beaters on a shoestring-budget,...

Running an effective property business in today’s market relies on the clever use of technology.  The right technology will make your agency...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

The former deputy chief executive at online agency Tepilo is launching a new training, recruitment and consultancy business for estate agents.  Catherine...

The big story to break this week in the property world was the announcement by the new owner of Humberts that...

Does your company apply adequate customer due diligence measures when carrying out estate agency work?  Does it establish and maintain appropriate policies...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

A PropTech company boss says evidence given to MPs confirms the need to improve anti-money laundering processes through greater automation and...

A ‘disruptor’ tech company claims that large numbers of people are dissastisfied with the conveyancing element of house moves, with many...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

Having recently attended FUTURE: PropTech in London, it struck me just how far the integration of property and technology has progressed...

A property portal that describes itself as free-to-list has launched today, taking the industry by surprise - however, at least one...

Is there really any true value to an estate agent in our current climate? Will there be a role for traditional agents...

Last time out I looked at the growing importance of content, social media and design – but these should only form...

Any letting agent appreciates the effort, dedication, and sometimes heartache, that comes with running a business yet equally knows that when...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 - has now become effective and is...

As the world becomes ever more digital and people increasingly look to technology to provide convenient solutions to sometimes complex problems,...

I’m writing this a week into my instruction decision. It has been a fascinating journey to date. As I discussed last week,...

The announcement that MPs will set up a Select Committee to probe the scale of money laundering in the UK property...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Awais Ahmad - Founder and CEO of Hystreet (I don’t...

To say I had a lot of reaction to last week's column about selling my flat would be an understatement. I've never...

The conveyancing industry regulator has thrown its weight behind the government’s proposals to improve the buying and selling process.  Stephen Ward, director of strategy...

Agents and representatives from other property sectors have reacted enthusiastically to proposals to professionalise the industry. As we reported yesterday, the government...

Just like that, the Easter Bank Holiday has come and gone and I find myself now looking ahead to the Summer.  The...

Last week, a story was published by CNBC about a couple who sold their home, for above the asking price, without...

Three weeks has flown by (I missed an early deadline last week - apologies) and I find myself writing the next...

Firstly, a huge thanks to everyone who shared and commented on my first blog and for all those that emailed me...

A mergers and acquisitions specialist says traditional agencies have been pushed into becoming more innovative by the rise of portals and...

In a show of changing consumer behaviour in the property market, new research has revealed that digital-savvy movers are favouring specialist...

Coming into force on May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 -...

Whisper it quietly, but there seems to be change in the air when it comes to agents recommending lawyers based on...

PropTech companies Gazeal and GetMeMoving have teamed up in a partnership which they claim goes some way to meeting the government’s...

The government has given its support to Land Registry proposals to increase the digitalisation of its services, with changes coming into...

For a while now, property and technology have been combining seamlessly to offer the industry innovative solutions to often complex problems....

The managing director of a bank has called for young people to be given more assistance in understanding the finances and processes behind...

A major industry supplier has reminded estate and letting agents that they have to check their responsibilities and systems ahead of...

This week, news broke of the ‘first bitcoin homes’ being sold in the UK by Go Move, an estate agency in...

A new book written by a PropTech expert and assessing the state of the industry has hit the Amazon best sellers’...

Hybrid estate agency eMoov has announced a new hire as chief operating officer with the remit of driving growth.  Guy Halfhead has previously...

The HM Land Registry has revealed more details of long-term plans to improve and speed up conveyancing processes in a five...

Hands up if you’ve read all of the property reports that have been published in the past week or so? Forever...

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

It’s something of an understatement to say it’s been a busy fortnight for the industry in terms of announcements, consultations and...

The spread and sophistication of financial crime in the UK in recent years has been unprecedented.  Figures from UK Finance show that...

When Kenneth Bruce, co-founder of Purplebricks, published an emotional post on social media this week, my first reaction was; what a...

The flotation of Agents’ Mutual on the London Stock Exchange could happen as soon as later this year following the endorsement...

Agents’ Mutual’s flotation will definitely go ahead following a meeting of the High Court today, at which the appropriate processes behind...

The industry today awaits the result of Agents’ Mutual’s formal Members’ Court in which agents will vote on the organisation’s proposed demutualisation and...

As the mainstream mortgage market braces itself for yet another clampdown on buy-to-let lending, a growing number of property investors are...

Adam Day, the founder of Connells-owned online estate agency Hatched, has been announced as head of operations at easyProperty.    In a statement...

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint over a Purplebricks website statement featuring testimonials from clients; the complaint was made...

Mark Goddard was the founder and CEO of The Property Software Group (PSG), a property software solutions firm established in 2007,...

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

A regional estate agency has urged the Government and the new housing minister to implement the policies outlined in the housing...

To give you a nice distraction from the post-election madness, here’s an interview with Charlie Wright, founder of CIELA (or The...

In November 2016 when the Autumn Statement was delivered by Chancellor Philip Hammond, the announcement was made to ban letting agent...

Ten years ago this month (April 2007) tenancy deposit schemes were first introduced in England and Wales.  You need to go a...

The bitter war of words against Purplebricks waged by the fledgling Charter for Independent Estate and Letting Agents reached a new...

For my latest Property Natter I have sought the opinions of two well-known property consultants - Michael Day, managing director of...

This week I’m lucky enough to be out here in Cannes as a PropTech Ambassador for MIPIM, the international real estate...

The rapid growth in popularity of buy-to-let in recent years, fuelled in part by the failings of the pensions industry, has...

The number of properties taken into possession last year declined by almost 25 per cent and has hit the lowest level in 35...

Legal firm Kirwans have released shocking statistics which state that 70% of eviction notices issued by landlords to tenants may be...

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

Zoopla and OnTheMarket have given their first reactions to Rightmove's portal juggling extension of its property re-listing deadline from two weeks to...

In case you missed it yesterday, here’s a summary of everything relating to property that was in Chancellor Phillip Hammond’s Autumn...

What does it say on your business card? Rajeev Nayyar, Managing Director of Fixflo We’re here to talk about your new product,...

Working relationships between estate agents and conveyancers can be mutually beneficial with the referral of work between parties. However, they are missing...

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

It’s all been kicking off in recent weeks, hasn’t it? Marmite wars, the endless Trump v Clinton debate, Samsung phones blowing...

Next week sees a court case which will decide whether there will have to be a re-run of the ‘second homes...

Later on, the title of this piece should become clearer (at least I hope so). First, though, a few bits and...

Who are you? Iain White, Business Consultant and, most importantly, father to 4 boys.  I travel frequently with work so to...

How do you want your agency to be perceived? Do your processes reflect both the quality and speed of service you...

After all the recent Whitehall upheaval we can perhaps get back to business; and first item on the agenda seems to...

Nearly three quarters of people who have sold or bought a property deem it more stressful than having a child or...

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

‘Digital technology in the property industry is here to stay’ was very much the opinion drawn from the recent FUTURE: PropTech...

A fair amount of scaremongering has been going on when it comes to money laundering checks, with the eye-watering fines issued...

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

The former Countrywide head of estate agency Bob Scarff is teaming up with property technology expert Rob Wellstead to create unspecified...

Over 60 estate agencies have signed up to attend the OnTheMarket Action Group seminar on Monday at which legal representatives will...

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has over the weekend repeated its intention to investigate allegations of so-called portal juggling...

Two initiatives appear to show efforts by the conveyancing industry to make its house transaction processes quicker and more appropriate to...

Zoopla Property Group has confirmed its conditional agreement to buy The Property Software Group, which it calls the UK’s market-leading provider...

Online estate agency easyProperty is believed to have parted company with its PR firm The Red Brick Road after less than...

Subletting of prime London lettings properties is a lucrative business.  What began as a rogue trade over the course of several years,...

What Countrywide are getting at is that they want to think more like retailers to engage better with customers.  If this is...

Software. You might not give it much thought a lot of the time, but it’s an absolutely crucial part of how...

We're all wise to the fact that spring is typically the busiest time of year for the property market. The financial...

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

Only months after the collapse of the Veyo system aimed at creating a conveyancing portal for England and Wales, the Law...

There seems to have been a seismic shift in recent years for companies to migrate everything ‘on brand’ online. However signage...

Over the past six months I’ve noticed a number of key themes emerge from the conversations I’ve had with agents –...

The National Association of Estate Agents is awaiting a response from the government to its demand for four changes to sale...

Who are you? Ellie Hall. What does it say on your business card? Head of Acquisitions. You're on the hunt for acquisitions, what makes a...

The National Association of Estate Agents admits that “take up has been low” in its bid to persuade each member agent to...

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a statement by the estate and letting agency review site raterAgent describing it as the...

The Financial Conduct Authority is remaining tight-lipped as to whether its newly-announced assessment of MMR will lead to easier access to...

The Bank Holiday weekend heralds the end of August and the return to a more normal sales and lettings market for...

Rezi’s cloud based SaaS platform seamlessly connects technology and business infrastructures Rezi Enterprise is a sales and lettings SaaS platform with an...

Chartered surveying firm e.surv has announced the appointment of a new corporate governance director. Beginning in September, Paul Collins will  be responsible...

Connect branch networks, automate sales and marketing and highlight business opportunities with Rezi’s agile cloud platform Rezi Premium is more than a...

Estate agents want systems that deliver power, speed and mobility. Increase efficiency, reduce admin, offer a personalised service and increase your income...

The National Association of Estate Agents says HMRC have been making unscheduled visits to individual agency offices to check on their...

Q: Tell us about Kristina Grimes. I am the Sales Director of Dezrez, one of the leading providers of estate agency software....

www.dezrez.com/rezi Whilst the estate agency market has accelerated over the last ten years, it’s fair to say that technical innovation in the...

The conveyancing portal Veyo officially commences its roll-out across England and Wales today, after originally pledging to open in April. Veyo is...