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KEYWORD "Redress" - 100 RESULTS
Material information raises professional indemnity risks - warning

The increased focus on upfront material information could push up estate agency professional indemnity (PI) requirements, an industry trainer has warned. Michael...

19 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Estate agency complaints and payouts on the rise

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

18 March 2024

From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman: ‘Multiple redress schemes cause consumer confusion’

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has questioned if allowing agents to choose their own redress scheme damages consumer trust. Speaking to the House...

06 March 2024

From: Breaking News

TPO expels two property firms

Two London firms have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for failing to pay compensation to consumers. This brings the total...

14 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Housing Ombudsmen - our industry's new growth area

It may be a measure of the government’s incompetence in the area of housing that two recent major announcements were sorely...

02 December 2023

From: Features

Propertymark backs leasehold reform proposals

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

01 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Misleading information is No. 1 complaint, says PRS boss

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

14 October 2023

From: Features

TPO: Agents must be wary of appraisal and offer complaints 

Estate agents have been urged to be wary of complaints around market appraisals and the handling of offers. The latest annual review...

03 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Agent expelled from redress scheme after buyer complaint

Just one agent was expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) redress scheme in the latest quarter. TPO has revealed that Price Point...

27 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Renters' Bill - great reform or act of sabotage?

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

03 June 2023

From: Features

Is your letting business still compliant?

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

27 May 2023

From: Features

Doorsteps among collapsed agents ejected from redress scheme

Eight agents were excluded from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme during the first quarter of 2023 including collapsed online brand Doorsteps for...

06 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Zoopla’s software becomes accredited supplier of New Homes Quality Board

Zoopla has become the latest accredited supplier of the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) for its software that supports housebuilders. It come...

02 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Agency network issues website compliance warning

The Guild of Property Professionals has issued a reminder to agents about the importance of their websites remaining compliant. The property network...

17 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Redress scheme unveils new member panel

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

12 January 2023

From: Breaking News

Property Natter - day in the life of a NTSELAT policy manager

Given their leading role in the recent upfront information revolution, interest in the work of the National Trading Standards Estate &...

05 November 2022

From: Features

Property Redress Scheme names advisory panel members

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

25 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Problems setting up a client account? Here's what to do

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

22 October 2022

From: Features

New-build buyers set to benefit from beefed-up protections

A new Code of Practice for builders and an independent Ombudsman for consumers in the new-build sector went live this week. Customers...

07 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Redress Scheme unveils plans for new advisory panel

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

12 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Plans for 50-year intergenerational mortgages get cautious welcome

Long-term 50-year mortgages that can be passed on by parents to their children appear to be the latest idea from the...

04 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Why haven't politicians listened to our industry?

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

25 June 2022

From: Features

New material information rules will benefit consumers and agents

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

11 May 2022

From: Features

Agents back licensing schemes in 'optimistic' industry survey

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

Property Natter – the who’s who of the industry

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

Estate agent complaints rise but fewer are upheld

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

Essex online agent expelled from TPO scheme

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

Redress and stronger regulation needed for agents - say agents

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

Lawyer says some agents can’t cope with more regulation

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

Reform of properties listings welcomed by industry leaders

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

Short term lets - what’s the extent of the problem?

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

Phil Spencer - Agents Have Standards … So Show The Customer!

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

Trading Standards want public to quiz agents on referral fees

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

Boris Johnson’s Successor: what next for housing policies?

Will he stay or will he go? You don’t need me to say who ‘he’ is - it’s the only story...

22 January 2022

From: Features

How to prepare for lettings in 2022 and beyond using PropTech

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

Property Natter – the A-Z of property for 2021 

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

Agent Regulation ‘may be tested in one part of the UK’

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

Top industry company will run New Homes Ombudsman

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 builds for agents to be licensed with mandatory training

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

Former Housing Secretary dies at the age of 53

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

How can letting agents help tenants with rent arrears?

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

Complaints about estate agents jump by a third says Ombudsman

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

Estate Agency Regulation - House of Commons publishes update

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

Pay Per Viewing - silence on number and identity of agencies involved

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

Seven rogue sales and lettings agencies expelled by Ombudsman

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

Are New Builds good enough? Formal consultation begins

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

Improving supply means market will stabilise shortly - agency

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

Have tenants in arrears? You need to be aware of this new law

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

Agent warns public of perils of Modern Method of Auction

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

How to ensure your letting business remains compliant

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

Scam Alert! Fake agent lists on Zoopla and joins redress scheme

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

Why automation could improve enforcement of PRS regulation

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

New property redress initiative launched, chaired by Tory MP

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 back new scheme to speed conveyancing

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

Current regulation of estate agents unenforceable admits Propertymark

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

Banking barriers for start-ups and how to overcome them

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

More complaints to Ombudsman this year, despite market closure

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

Referral Fees - agents should disclose them up-front insists Ombudsman

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

Property Natter - spotlight on independents: the backbone of our industry

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

Does experience still count in estate agency?

“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

Mandatory qualifications for agents “within two or three years”

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

Regulation of Property Agents - update for industry expected today

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

Reveal referral fees now and don’t wait for law change, says NAEA

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

Landlords - shout louder about the good you’re doing!

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

Agents MUST disclose referral fees, Trading Standards tells government

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

Agents, conveyancers and movers pledge greater sales transparency

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

Autumn 2020 - seven things to watch

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

Phil Spencer: agents can capitalise on an improving public image

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

Big rise in complaints to fast-growing Property Redress Scheme

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

Code of Practice marks welcome progress for RoPA recommendations

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

“Busy Bodies!” - agent slams industry leaders writing code of conduct

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

Property Natter – who are the industry’s major trade bodies?

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

Code of Practice for Estate Agents set to change industry forever

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

Agency regulation: still no government action, one year on

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

Jenrick - Why his scandals matter to agents

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

Property Natter – who are the challenger portals?

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

New Property Ombudsman is lifelong redress champion

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

All Change! Agents should reform ‘before government intervenes’

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

Poor communication the biggest cause of Ombudsman complaints

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

40 to 50 calls a day still coming in to The Property Ombudsman

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

Agent Qualifications: ‘Get On With It’ says architect of reform

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

Trading Standards to probe house raffle problems

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

New Homes Ombudsman announced (again) with banning powers

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

Embracing the self-employed model – an agent’s view

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

Agents Beware: Mandatory disclosure of referral fees still a possibility

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

Agents warned they will be accused of mis-selling

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

Future of referral fees may be revealed at upcoming conference

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

Searches: consumer chief and Propertymark leader join trade body

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

Why is compliance a growing issue for letting agents?

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

TPO increases fees - and agents who generate most complaints pay more

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

NAEA wants a single Ombudsman to cover all housing issues

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

New Regulator: Countrywide welcomes reform but warns it’ll be tough

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

Agents warned to be in a redress scheme for ALL aspects of their work

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

New industry regulations: clarity and speed are vital

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

Beyond the headlines - What the new regulator really means

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

Reforms win industry support as trade groups jostle for influence

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

All Change: new regulator, licensing and qualifications proposed for agents

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

A moving tide of regulation making its way towards estate agents

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

Flurry of new laws and regulations to come, whoever is Prime Minister

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

Quick Sale trade body boasts of few complaints after five years

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

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