Millions of people use online property portals every year to conduct their property search, whether it be for sales or for...
Archive

Agents remain positive about the prospects for their business and the property market despite talk of slowing house price growth and...
05 May 2022
From: Breaking News

The property industry is fortunate in including many great people, doing great work across a range of businesses – from traditional agency...
30 April 2022
From: Features

The number of complaints about estate and letting agents increased last year but fewer gripes were upheld. Data based on members of...
27 April 2022
From: Breaking News

It was a quiet first quarter this year for sanctions at The Property Ombudsman (TPO). The redress scheme has revealed that just...
08 April 2022
From: Breaking News

There’s still one part of the UK where agents enjoy almost unfettered freedom without legislation or redress - and this has...
15 March 2022
From: Breaking News

A leading property lawyer says some agents will struggle to meet the demand for more ‘material information’ put forward by Trading...
23 February 2022
From: Breaking News

Industry figures have come out in favour of the long-term programme of new compulsory information to be contained on property listings. From...
22 February 2022
From: Breaking News

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, analyses the impact that the lack of available data is having on...
19 February 2022
From: Features

For an unregulated industry, agents have an awful lot of regulations to deal with. For example, there’s the mandatory membership of a...
02 February 2022
From: Breaking News

The most senior Trading Standards officer policing the agency industry says he hopes the public will ask about referral fees in...
31 January 2022
From: Breaking News
22 January 2022
From: Features

In this guest feature, James Dilgul, Head of Marketing at Fixflo, the market-leading repairs and maintenance management software provider, looks at how...
22 January 2022
From: Features

It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas – just a week to go now. Presents all wrapped and...
18 December 2021
From: Features

One part of the UK is to get a taste of the mandatory estate agent regulation that many want to see...
14 December 2021
From: Breaking News

The Dispute Service has been selected to operate the New Homes Ombudsman scheme, following what has been called ”a fiercely competitive...
03 December 2021
From: Breaking News

Pressure appears to be building for the recommendations of the Regulation of Property Agents working party finally to be implemented. It’s now...
26 October 2021
From: Breaking News
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Former Housing Secretary James Brokenshire has died at the age of 53. The Conservative ex-Cabinet minister, who was diagnosed with lung cancer...
08 October 2021
From: Breaking News

Almost a million tenants have built up rent arrears since March 2020, according to research by National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)....
15 September 2021
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman says there’s been a big increase in enquiries to its service in recent months, despite the pandemic. In its...
24 August 2021
From: Breaking News

The House of Commons Library has published what may be the definitive record of estate agency regulations issued in recent years...
09 August 2021
From: Breaking News

The platform behind a controversial proposal to charge prospective buyers and renters £30 or more to view a property on the...
29 July 2021
From: Breaking News

No fewer than seven estate and lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme today. Most of them are now...
30 June 2021
From: Breaking News

A consultation into the draft New Homes Quality Code has been published with a consultation period for the industry ending on...
22 June 2021
From: Breaking News

A gradual increase in the supply of homes coming to the market means the stellar price rises of recent months are...
04 June 2021
From: Breaking News

From 4 May 2021, your agency could be blocked from charging late fees, compounding interest on missing rent and taking any...
20 March 2021
From: Features

A prominent estate agent has warned buyers and sellers about the perils of the controversial Modern Method of Auction. MMA is now...
15 March 2021
From: Breaking News

Being a letting agent today means keeping up to date with the long list of rules and regulations governing how a...
20 February 2021
From: Features

A high-profile London agency is asking the police and property industry bodies including Trading Standards to investigate a fake company posing under...
19 February 2021
From: Breaking News

It’s now more than a year since the government offered an additional £4 million to councils to combat rogue landlords. At the...
13 February 2021
From: Features

A new body which says it will “champion better outcomes for buyers” is described as independent but is to be chaired...
09 February 2021
From: Breaking News

Countrywide and Foxtons have thrown their weight behind an idea to identify every single UK residential property with a unique number. The...
13 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Propertymark has told the government that it needs to introduce overarching regulation of agents now, because existing piecemeal provisions are unmanageable...
24 December 2020
From: Breaking News

Start-up letting agents looking to enter the market are finding it increasingly difficult to set up in business as banks point...
19 December 2020
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman says there have been more complaints lodged about agents so far in 2020 than in 2019. This is despite...
15 December 2020
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has joined calls for greater disclosure of referral fees by agents. The issue has become a hot topic in...
30 November 2020
From: Breaking News

Firstly, let’s get the obvious out of the way. Lockdown 2, as it’s being known, is now with us, but fortunately...
07 November 2020
From: Features

“I’ve got 47 years of experience as an agent. Do I still have to get a qualification?” asked one attendee at...
31 October 2020
From: Features

The mandatory qualifications expected of agents have not been forgotten and will come into effect in two or three years. That’s the...
29 October 2020
From: Breaking News

A progress report on the Regulation of Property Agents recommendations will be made today by a key RoPA committee member, Mark...
28 October 2020
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has thrown its weight behind the recommendation of Trading Standards that agents must by law be...
05 October 2020
From: Breaking News

We all know what the problem is, but what’s the solution? The problem is that landlords, thinking they offer a valuable service...
03 October 2020
From: Features

Customers must be told about third party referral fees when buying or selling a home says the National Trading Standards Estate...
02 October 2020
From: Breaking News

The cross-sector group looking at reforming the sales process has agreed a new pledge which it says introduces greater transparency for...
25 September 2020
From: Breaking News

It’s no surprise the mainstream news remains dominated by coronavirus - not so much the actual effect of it right now,...
05 September 2020
From: Features

Agents have long been the victim of a poor public reputation, from scoring highly in most disliked profession polls to being...
03 August 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been a very large rise in the number of complaints submitted by consumers to the Property Redress Scheme. This is partly...
29 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Earlier this month, it was revealed that property industry bodies have joined a new Code of Practice Steering Group to enact...
25 July 2020
From: Features

The new code of conduct for estate agents has been dismissed as “a waste of time” - and the senior industry...
21 July 2020
From: Breaking News

They are the names we hear about often, pushing for this or seeking clarifications on that. They are the representatives of...
04 July 2020
From: Features

A new estate agency Code of Practice is to be written by a group set up by the Royal Institution of Chartered...
01 July 2020
From: Breaking News

The recommendations to regulate and train the estate agency industry put forward a year ago remain on the Housing Secretary’s desk...
30 June 2020
From: Breaking News

It may be that by the time you read this it’s all over for Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for...
27 June 2020
From: Features

The only story that has come remotely close to pushing coronavirus – and its various knock-on effects – off the top...
06 June 2020
From: Features

The new Property Ombudsman taking over from October is Rebecca Marsh. She is currently Chief Ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman and was...
05 June 2020
From: Breaking News

The industry should continue to prepare for large-scale reforms such as mandatory agency training, the licensing of agents and a new...
21 May 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman. The figures refer...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman’s office is still receiving 40 to 50 calls a day from the public, even though most transactions with...
23 April 2020
From: Breaking News

The author of dramatic reform proposals for estate agents has given a clear message to ministers - Get On With It! Lord...
09 March 2020
From: Breaking News

Future complaints about property raffles by individual home owners seeking to avoid estate agency fees will in future be handled by...
28 February 2020
From: Breaking News

The government has - once again - announced the introduction of a New Homes Ombudsman. The news came yesterday when Housing Secretary...
25 February 2020
From: Breaking News

The landscape of the estate agency market in the UK is evolving to reflect changes in the way we live our...
19 February 2020
From: Features

It is possible that agents and their business partners in the conveyancing, mortgage and survey industries could be obliged to have...
29 January 2020
From: Breaking News

A leasehold reform campaigner claims estate agents face “growing calls to be held accountable for mis-selling leasehold properties.” Louie Burns, managing director...
21 January 2020
From: Breaking News

The annual conference of the National Association of Estate Agents takes place on February 27 - the date when the future...
21 January 2020
From: Breaking News

The Council of Property Search Organisations has named three industry figures as members of its newly-formed compliance committee, set to regulate...
16 December 2019
From: Breaking News

It’s been clear for a while that the additional regulation landlords and agents are facing has helped professionalise the private rental...
30 November 2019
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman scheme is increasing its fees in January for the first time in six years - and it’s implementing...
11 November 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has told the government that it wants one single Ombudsman to provide redress across all...
29 August 2019
From: Breaking News

Countrywide has thrown its weight behind the proposals for a new single industry-wide regulator taking on the roles of Trading Standards...
05 August 2019
From: Breaking News

Estate and letting agents are being urged to check that they are signed up with an approved redress scheme that covers...
25 July 2019
From: Breaking News

A leading figure in the PropTech sector says clarity and speed are vital to ensure agencies can adequately prepare for a...
22 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The industry press has given substantial space to recommendations from the Regulation of Property Agents, the government’s working party which has...
20 July 2019
From: Features

Trade bodies and property firms have strongly welcomed the recommendations for root and branch reform of the agency industry - and...
19 July 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has published proposals for far-reaching changes to the way estate and letting agents are regulated, trained and licensed. The proposals...
18 July 2019
From: Breaking News

It may well seem that the government is pre-occupied with one issue, and one issue alone. While preparations for Brexit take up a...
01 June 2019
From: Features

The head of the Property Redress Scheme is urging agents to prepare for yet more regulation and legislation changes likely to...
28 May 2019
From: Breaking News

The trade body representing so-called quick sale companies is marking five years in business with two feathers in its cap. Firstly the...
16 May 2019
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has released its annual report for 2018, showing a 16% rise in the number of complaints made...
08 May 2019
From: Breaking News

It’s clear that some agents are not fans of Trading Standards officers, described in the comments sections of the trade press...
27 April 2019
From: Features

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) keeps deposit money safe for letting agents, landlords and renters during the course a tenancy....
20 April 2019
From: Features

The jury appears to be out on whether the new enforcement body for estate and lettings agents will be resourced sufficiently...
18 April 2019
From: Breaking News

A new team has been set up to police all estate and letting agency legislation including the upcoming tenants' fees ban. The...
17 April 2019
From: Breaking News
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The government has revealed that it’s to ‘test’ the workings of the New Homes Ombudsman before the scheme formally launches. Housing Secretary...
01 April 2019
From: Breaking News

It’s time, surely, for government to crackdown not just on rogue agents and landlords but on rogue councils that confuse the...
09 March 2019
From: Features

The dust may have settled on the government’s recent announcement regarding housing and property complaints, but opinion is still split on...
09 February 2019
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman’s annual conference is to hear from the chair of the government’s ‘Property Agents Working Group’ - just days...
07 February 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency team has issued new guidance for those seeking redress over leasehold disputes. This guidance contains a...
30 January 2019
From: Breaking News

When it comes to letting a property, it is important that landlords and renters have faith in their agent. The more...
26 January 2019
From: Features

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Lettings Agents have thrown their weight behind the government’s latest...
25 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has this morning set out wide-ranging changes to redress systems for agents, the sales and lettings sectors, and other...
24 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The man who is leading the government’s efforts to reform the house buying process will be one of the speaker at...
08 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The government says it will be releasing details of its ideas to revamp redress systems concerning agents and new homes “in...
02 January 2019
From: Breaking News

The government, which only recently said there would be one Ombudsman covering the entire housing sector, has announced that there is...
02 October 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has urged the government to bring the new homes build sector under consumer redress. New builds are not currently...
10 September 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman scheme (TPO) has announced a series of changes to both its board and internal processes. The organisation has also...
06 September 2018
From: Breaking News

A specialist property law firm is calling on the government to speed up changes in the law to avoid abusive leasehold...
23 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Redress Scheme says it’s recruited another 1,750 members following the shake-out last week when one of its rival redress...
13 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The redress scheme which formally quit the housing sector admits some estate agencies may have missed its deadline - and are thus...
07 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has revised its guidance to agents over redress schemes - amending it to take account of the fact that...
06 August 2018
From: Breaking News

It’s holiday time: schools have broken up, quite a few estate agents are taking time off, and the MPs are in...
28 July 2018
From: Features

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has this morning issued a warning to agents that they must be signed up to...
19 July 2018
From: Breaking News

One of three schemes with government backing to offer redress for complaints about estate and letting agents has reignited the debate...
18 July 2018
From: Breaking News

The government says its funding schemes such as Help To Buy will no longer be applied to what it calls “unjustified...
03 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Estate Agent Today is 10 years old this weekend. We hope you’ll agree that’s a cause for celebration and a great...
29 June 2018
From: Breaking News

National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team and two of the three industry redress organisations have launched a survey to measure the...
19 June 2018
From: Breaking News

We have the presidential seal of approval for our Agents Do Charity this week - well, sort of, but we don’t mean...
08 June 2018
From: Breaking News

Any letting agent appreciates the effort, dedication, and sometimes heartache, that comes with running a business yet equally knows that when...
30 May 2018
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman has issued its annual report for 2017 and there’s good news for the estate agency side of the...
17 May 2018
From: Breaking News

One of the three official redress bodies serving the estate and lettings agency industry has conducted a survey of complaints across...
02 May 2018
From: Breaking News

The battle to become the single ombudsman service after the government rationalises the redress system across housing has taken an unexpected...
24 April 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Redress Scheme - one of the three government-approved redress schemes handling complaints about sales and lettings agents - has...
13 April 2018
From: Breaking News

More details have emerged of the government’s proposals to enhance estate agency regulation, regulate referral fees, offer guides for buyers and...
09 April 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman, Katrine Sporle, is to hold a briefing on the government’s redress reform on Wednesday - five days before...
09 April 2018
From: Breaking News

Have you noticed a new turf war going on on the fringes of the agency world? It’s not a high-profile battle like...
17 March 2018
From: Features

Ombudsman Services, which recently announced it was quitting its role as one of three approved redress schemes for estate and lettings...
12 March 2018
From: Breaking News

The government has launched a surprise consultation on the creation of a new redress system for customers of agents and others...
18 February 2018
From: Breaking News

This week I carry out a question and answer session with one of the most high-profile names in property. Isobel Thomson has...
10 February 2018
From: Features

A new year means new predictions for what’s to come in the letting industry. Sometimes things come to fruition as expected....
10 February 2018
From: Features

One of the three government-approved redress schemes for estate and letting agents says it’s quitting the sector this year - but...
06 February 2018
From: Breaking News

The government says it is going to look at “bold options” to improve consumer redress across all aspects of housing -...
30 November 2017
From: Breaking News

Four weeks today almost the entire industry will be finishing work for Christmas after another year - and ready to start...
24 November 2017
From: Breaking News

A large part of the DCLG’s Call for Evidence on the home buying and selling process focuses on the role of...
18 November 2017
From: Features

Even so close to the event, I don’t think anyone will be deeming 2017 as the ‘summer of love’. The summer of...
16 September 2017
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman has expelled a London lettings and estate agency for a year and is warning that the firm may...
23 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Without wishing to blow our own trumpet at this time, we did say at the start of the year that 2017...
28 July 2017
From: Features

Three agencies have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman for two or more years, after failing to pay awards...
28 July 2017
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has issued a year-long formal warning to consumers about an estate agency which failed to provide information concerning...
24 July 2017
From: Breaking News

It’s hot outside but that’s no deterrent to agents helping others, even at the height of summer. Before we honour this week’s...
07 July 2017
From: Breaking News

The political ebb and flow continues - seemingly with all the subtlety of a Boris Johnson rugby tackle on a 10-year...
01 July 2017
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman’s annual report reveals a significant increase in the number of formal complaints resolved by the scheme and a...
22 June 2017
From: Breaking News

A cluster of conveyancing and legal experts, known as the Legal Sector Group, has published a raft of proposals on leasehold...
21 June 2017
From: Breaking News

The industry’s three government-approved redress schemes have this week issued an updated version of their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU is...
07 June 2017
From: Breaking News

The recent rise in consumer complaints against sales and letting agents suggests that there is a general lack of trust and...
27 May 2017
From: Features

Baroness Diana Warwick (below right) has been appointed chair of The Property Ombudsman scheme’s independent council. A life peer for the past 18...
23 May 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has given the green light to an circular which provoked complaints suggesting it deliberately did not appear...
05 April 2017
From: Breaking News

Earlier this week it was Dads4Daughters Day – a campaign that strives to promote gender equality in the workplace. I have three...
18 March 2017
From: Features

The Conveyancing Association wants the creation of a ‘log book’ and ‘Home Reports’ for each home on sale - reminiscent in...
15 March 2017
From: Breaking News

HMRC and the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team have agreed new procedures to “enhance and ease the current flow of...
20 February 2017
From: Breaking News

The story of the week has been the first steps of a trade body to represent independent estate agents - as...
21 January 2017
From: Features

Housing minister Gavin Barwell says the government will put forward proposals in the new year to stop abuses of the leasehold...
21 December 2016
From: Breaking News

New software has been devised which can allow users to identify individual properties that have been ‘portal juggled’ - de-listed and...
19 December 2016
From: Breaking News

A firm is warning of “a wave of litigation from home owners who were given inadequate advice from their solicitors or...
29 November 2016
From: Breaking News

It’s perhaps appropriate that we kick off this week’s Agents Do Charity with an appeal for winter clothing for the homeless...
18 November 2016
From: Breaking News

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is the latest body within the industry to warn its members against portal juggling. Following statements...
15 November 2016
From: Breaking News

When a tenant paid his initial one month’s rent in addition to a tenancy deposit in exchange for the keys to...
05 November 2016
From: Features

The Property Ombudsman scheme’s annual report, just released, reveals that there has been a dramatic 32 per cent surge in the...
04 October 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has followed up the recent announcement by The Property Ombudsman to counteract portal juggling by...
29 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman scheme (TPO) has announced that it will be issuing updated versions of all its Codes of Practice on...
27 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The Conveyancing Association says it is continuing to campaign to reform the leasehold transaction process, despite the government saying there is...
02 September 2016
From: Breaking News

The Property Redress Scheme, one of three official redress schemes for the sales and lettings sector, has now signed its 5,000th...
18 August 2016
From: Breaking News

An agent at the centre of the campaign to expose and stop portal juggling wants to know whether the National Trading...
15 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team is warning agents not to engage in portal juggling - an activity it describes...
12 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has warned an agency that it is misleading the public by using the association logo...
04 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The Conveyancing Association has set out recommendations to end what it claims are significant delays and overcharging taking place within the...
03 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The old and eternal debate over whether or not tenant fees should be banned continues to rumble on. It’s a major concern...
10 June 2016
From: Features

Running a business is not easy, but sometimes it becomes harder because we are expected to modify our behaviour due to...
20 May 2016
From: Features

The Competition and Markets Authority - which has been active in the estate agency industry since its inception in April 2014...
06 May 2016
From: Breaking News

In a surprise move, The Property Ombudsman is to allow all 420 registered firms in the British Association of Removers to...
03 February 2016
From: Breaking News

One of the three approved Ombusdman-style operators, the Property Redress Scheme, is to hold its first agents’ workshop in March. The morning...
26 January 2016
From: Breaking News

Who are you? I’m the Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme. I previously worked for Legal & General PLC dealing...
23 December 2015
From: 60 Second Interview

There are a number of fairly recent regulations that agents need to comply with. One of them, now just over a year...
18 December 2015
From: Features

It was an end of an era in the property world this week. Christopher Hamer stepped down as the Property Ombudsman...
04 December 2015
From: Features

A former employee of consumer body Which? has been appointed to the council of The Property Ombudsman, one of the industry’s three...
01 December 2015
From: Breaking News

Two more agents have been expelled by TPO because they failed to pay awards when ordered to pay compensation, and because...
11 November 2015
From: Breaking News

Gerry Fitzjohn, currently vice chairman of the board of The Property Ombudsman, has been appointed as chairman. He takes over from Bill...
10 November 2015
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents admits that “take up has been low” in its bid to persuade each member agent to...
26 October 2015
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman, the largest and longest-established of three official redress schemes for agents, has recorded a significant rise in membership...
21 October 2015
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman and the Competition and Markets Authority have prepared a supplementary guidance note to help agents ensure compliance with the Competition Act. The...
14 October 2015
From: Breaking News

The largest of the three government-approved redress schemes, The Property Ombudsman, has updated its codes of practice to include new legislation...
02 October 2015
From: Breaking News

It’s been nearly a year since all lettings and property management agents have been legally required to join a redress scheme...
25 September 2015
From: Features

Katrine Sporle is to be the new ombudsman at The Property Ombudsman, one of the three government-approved redress services for the...
21 September 2015
From: Breaking News

A new ‘enforcement toolkit’ has been designed to assist local authority trading standards teams beef up its policing of local estate...
08 September 2015
From: Breaking News

A new trading standards Guidance on Property Sales has been launched aimed at improving estate agency service to customers. The Powys-based National...
02 September 2015
From: Breaking News

A consumer champion says a new privatised system of Alternative Dispute Resolution, being introduced in October, threatens to create ‘complaints chaos’...
10 August 2015
From: Breaking News

The first annual report from Property Redress Services, one of the three government-approved redress schemes applying to both the sales and...
22 July 2015
From: Breaking News

There is a very interesting but easily-overlooked piece of information at the end of the National Trading Standards Estate Agent Team’s...
17 July 2015
From: Features

After the passing of the Deregulation Act deposits deadline this week, Richard Price, Executive Director of UKALA, is in a contemplative...
26 June 2015
From: Features

The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) is delighted to announce their partnership with the award winning mediation provider, Small Claims Mediation (SCM) The...
11 June 2015
From: Sponsored Content

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme has announced that its first ever conference will take place in October. ‘Raise Your Standards’ is being...
05 June 2015
From: Breaking News

Earlier this week we passed the official deadline for letting agents to fully publicise their fees as well as providing evidence of...
29 May 2015
From: Features

The Brian Cox estate agency, at the centre of a weekend newspaper allegation about £2,000 deposits from buyers, has strongly defended...
12 May 2015
From: Breaking News

Two rival redress schemes applying to sales and lettings agents are claiming increased business. A press release from the Property Redress Scheme...
30 April 2015
From: Breaking News

There was a whopping 42 per cent rise in referrals to The Property Ombudsman last year according to the annual report...