Archive

The land and new homes division of Sequence has signed a deal to offer fully-funded part exchange and home buying services...

This time out, I speak to one of the industry’s biggest-hitters. Adrian Gill may have retired from frontline agency, having had...

One of the industry’s leading consultants has calculated staff turnover rates at the country’s leading estate agencies. Christopher Watkin, the consultant who...

Today is the day that non-essential retail reopens as part of the government's roadmap out of lockdown. For the majority of the...

Uncertain market means additional revenue streams are more important than ever The last year has been an uncertain period for many business...

Connells Group has adopted e-Signatures from Yoti for its sales and lettings business across a number of brands. This follows a successful...

Digital channels are essential for agents’ promotion of properties but there is still a key place for print and direct mail...

One of the biggest trends in recent times, as a direct result of the pandemic, is the concept of working from...

Connells has bought a small three-branch family-run agency to sit within Sequence - Connells' third acquisition in recent weeks. Holroyds - bought for...

An open letter from Boomin chief executive Michael Bruce shows how fierce the competition is going to be in the portal field...

The acquisition of Countrywide by Connells might just be the deal of the century in the British estate agency industry. That’s the...

Some 12 per cent of buyers will pull out of their transaction if it does not complete in time for their stamp...

Being a letting agent today means keeping up to date with the long list of rules and regulations governing how a...

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and shifting tenant requirements are reinforcing the need for good broadband in the rental market...

The government needs to step in to rescue two valuable property incentives before they expire at the end of March, a...

One of the country’s most popular tourist destinations may ban the sale of new builds to second home buyers. The council in Padstow -...

Labour and Conservative MPs have expressed a unanimous view on their desire to see an extension of the stamp duty holiday...

A large majority of estate agents fear a surge in 'failed sales’ as the stamp duty holiday cliff edge gets ever-closer. The latest National...

A leading property law expert says agents with international clients in parts of Europe should prepare for additional processes which may...

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

Many independents will be based in the capital, but given its size and breadth they may get drowned out even more...

A leading property consultancy is suggesting that a possible increase in Capital Gains Tax could end up losing money for the...

As we approach the most unusual of festive periods, many property professionals will already be thinking about the January market and...

HM Revenue and Customs and the Advertising Standards Authority are working together to cut out misleading marketing by promoters of stamp...

Today sees the government’s Spending Review, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak taking centre stage as he presents a 12 month spending plan to...

With a new President elected and the old one reluctant to move out, this is a good time to see how...

According to the annual Property Week PropTech survey, almost 48% of property businesses had tested new technology because of the COVID-19...

One of the industry’s leading commentators says an unintended consequence of a possible Capital Gains Tax increase could be a bonus...

The housing market’s recovery will be threatened with drastic consequences for buyers and sellers if the stamp duty holiday isn’t extended beyond...

The proliferation of free and accessible digital services has - at face value - brought us many great things: same-day deliveries,...

One of Britain’s most respected agents is suggesting Chancellor Rishi Sunak could ‘taper’ the stamp duty holiday to avoid a cliff-edge...

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, better known as the furlough scheme, was introduced by the chancellor Rishi Sunak in March to...

Connells Group has revealed seven appointments to its board of directors which it links directly with a target to grow presence and...

With the high street open again, and the Chancellor’s temporary stamp duty holiday helping to stimulate the market, estate and letting...

When it comes to the future of the property market in the wake of Covid-19, there are two main schools of...

The result of a test case over Business Interruption Insurance involving agents has been handed down by the High Court. It has...

Agents involved in a test case over their Business Interruption insurance will know the result next Tuesday morning. The test case concluded...

As many in the industry will know, Ian Westerling passed away last week at the age of 51: he was a...

Whilst Estate and Letting Agents have adapted their operations during COVID-19, to ensure safer working practices under Government guidance, ‘virtual property...

From December, the new RICS Home Survey Standard will become mandatory for all RICS professionals undertaking home surveys. The below article explains...

A developer working in collaboration with Silverstone race circuit is creating homes inside the track, near one of the motor racing...

Some 275,000 subscribers have signed up for the latest Zoopla email education programme under the Zooploma banner. This one is aimed at...

Hindsight is 20-20 vision, of course, and we can all see things we did ‘then’ that we would not do ‘now’....

The Sequence Group is to be the sole selling agent for RoyaleLife, the country’s largest builder of bungalows, exclusively aimed at...

Agents are awaiting the outcome of a test case regarding Business Interruption Insurance, which may determine whether they receive thousands of...

Buyer registrations and sales enquiries are reportedly back to pre-Covid levels. Completions, however, are lagging behind. This is probably down to...

Most letting agents don’t set up a business to become accountants but losing control of client money poses serious risks for...

It’s official – the property market is back open for business. Estate agents have started to unfurlough staff and many are...

An agent in the unusual position of operating across the England and Welsh border says many of his competitors appear to...

Cushman & Wakefield has pulled out of direct sales of homes in the UK. The firm has closed its UK new homes department...

** This Bank Holiday Monday both Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today look at how agencies have modified offices and protocols...

All my recent Natters have been focused on one particular topic, the coronavirus crisis, for obvious reasons. But there has been...

“A lot of people have learned that they can work at home, or that there’s other methods of conducting their business......

Savills has given the industry an insight into how buyers’ and sellers’ priorities may change as the industry returns to work...

The scandal over Business Interruption Insurance policies is hotting up, with class actions being discussed against insurance firms and the Financial Conduct Authority announcing...

Another west country tourist hotspot looks set to ban any future new-build home being sold as a holiday or additional property. Bigbury...

There’s a sense that we really are on the verge of a huge change in the industry. It’s too early to be...

Where else to start? Since my last Natter two weeks ago, all our lives have changed more than we could ever...

The Atlantic Ocean is a vast space – some 4,000 miles eastwards across from the USA until land is met again....

Another westcountry town may ban new-build homes being sold as holiday properties, even though the idea has backfired elsewhere. Fowey in Cornwall -...

Some of the biggest figures in the industry have given Estate Agent Today their reaction to the news - broken yesterday...

There’s something of a conspiracy of silence over the problem of short lets. That is a stark claim but many siren voices...

Another hub-based agency has launched in the capital, following in the footsteps of operations like Harding Green, Orchards and Keller Williams. Mariel...

Over the past decade, the short-term rental industry, now eponymised by Airbnb, has experienced meteoric growth. This has been driven by the...

The listings website Home, which conducts a monthly survey of asking prices and wider market monitors, is reporting a show 10...

Two separate former High Street estate agents have sung the praise of switching to the hybrid business model. Appleby’s in Gloucestershire is...

A new study by the London School of Economics suggests that a high profile ban on the sale of new homes...

It’s now emerged that Countrywide has to pay a £100,000 fine to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors after breaching guidelines...

The former chief of an online estate agency says the top three surviving firms in the sector must merge if they...

News broke last weekend of a further online estate agency casualty as letting agent Upad announced on its website that it...

Welcome back to Property Jobs Today - your Monday roundup of all the latest employment news from the industry. If you have...

There’s no doubt that we live in politically charged times and every day appears to bring something new to the ‘party’. For...

Property professionals are increasingly worried about the threat of cyber attacks, according to new research. Some 41% of 'real estate professionals from...

As an agent, it’s part of your role to protect and advise your clients throughout the buying and selling process. Mortgages are...

There’s been a five per cent rise in the cases of mortgage fraud as increasing numbers of house buyers appear to...

Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, who earlier this month told a newspaper that he wanted to introduce a Right To Buy policy for...

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

In the old days an agent would procure clients based upon their position in the high street, the size of the...

It’s been two weeks since our last PJT, thanks to the Bank Holiday, so there’s plenty of news in today’s edition. If...

There has been a sceptical response by agents and others in the property industry to the government’s latest headline-grabbing tweaks to...

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

Nicky Stevenson has had a very varied and interesting career in property. She started out as a lettings negotiator for Nicholas...

We now have a new Leader of the Conservative Party and, rather more importantly, a new Prime Minister. That individual is Boris...

A bid to ban the building of new homes for out-of-town buyers has backfired on a Cornish community - and now...

High end London estate agency Aston Chase says there’s already been a surge in interest in property in the UK capital...

Connells Group-owned Sequence UK has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority to update Rightmove listings more promptly after properties are...

With this summer marking forty years since Margaret Thatcher came to power, her legacy continues to invoke both celebration and consternation...

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

The National Audit Office says many users of Help To Buy would have been able to purchase a home anyway, without...

In recent years, estate and letting agents have been faced with a series of tough challenges to absorb and react to. There...

It appears almost certain that there will be another new housing minister named when a new Conservative leader - and thus...

During our school days, most of us did that task where we imagined and drew the homes of the future, but...

The topic of introducing rent controls in London crops up time and time again in our industry. But it’s been hitting...

“You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over,” is an oft-quoted saying of Richard...

When it comes to letting a property, it is important that landlords and renters have faith in their agent. The more...

Connells’ brand Gascoigne Halman has lost its appeal against OnTheMarket. Gascoigne Halman challenged OTM’s old ‘one other portal’ rule at the Competition...

The industry is back to full-strength on its fund-raising judging from our virtual postbag this week with many new reports of...

Former Emoov chief executive Russell Quirk has made his first on-the-record comments about the factors behind the dramatic collapse of his...

As 2018 draws to a close, it is fair to say that stretched affordability and uncertainty over the Brexit negotiations has...

The demise of Emoov, Tepilo and lettings platform Urban raises question marks over the long-term viability of online agencies according to...

Newspapers are reporting that Brexit’s impact on house prices - especially if there is No Deal - are likely to take...

Hard-pressed buyers who try to minimise house moving costs by doing their own conveyancing have been warned of the disastrous consequences...

Homes that require major structural work have asking prices which are on average £40,000 below the market norm, according to research...

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

It’s Budget day and the government is once again on the receiving end of a blast from one of the country’s...

It’s now almost a month since the government introduced new rules on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), as part of its...

It’s time to sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to overseas buyers of property. If you listen to Theresa...

Emoov’s founder Russell Quirk has outlined how he would help Britain get out of its current housing crisis to a Labour...

With the continued indecision surrounding Brexit and the final divorce settlement still months away, it seems property buyers are choosing to...

With the shelf life of recent housing ministers being on a par with football managers, it's perhaps little surprise that we're...

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

One of the country’s largest auction houses has had to amend an advertisement on its website after an intervention by the...

Over 100 ‘top achievers’ from Connells Group have just enjoyed an all-expenses paid trip to New York as a thank you...

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

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

Recent void statistics have had me wondering how agents can juggle client and consumer demands in the face of the impending...

A magazine claims its investigations into the sales tactics of Countrywide and Connells suggest the two agency are “harming consumers, stopping them from...

The troubled Countrywide group has this morning revealed its recovery plan to get - in its words - ‘back to basics’...

Connells Group - which includes Connells, Sequence and other brands - says it recorded over 9,000 new homes sales in 2017. This...

Japanese knotweed, the invasive plant brought over to Britain in the Victorian era, threatens millions of pounds worth of property transactions...

An overwhelming 86 per cent of RICS members questioned in a survey claim they have seen no increase in interest from...

It’s no surprise that figures don’t always show the results or consequences we expect - even if they are entirely accurate. Look...

The housing industry has set out a list of demands in advance of the government’s hotly anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday.  Despite...

A long-standing traditional agent says the real success of online agencies is not their share of the market but that they...

Estate agency James Pendleton says the sales of flats across London have collapsed 47 per cent in only a year -...

One of the industry’s longest-serving individuals, Connells Group chairman Stephen Shipperley, this month celebrates 40 years with the business.   He joined...

An analysis conducted by estate agency comparison website GetAgent has for the first time attempted to calculate how ‘local’ agencies' local property...

Parliament is sitting again and the entire lettings industry is waiting with bated breath for more detail on the government’s proposal...

Stephanie Slater died last week, aged 50. Whilst she died from cancer (tragically, only 11 days after diagnosis), it’s the events...

Stephanie Slater, who was kidnapped while working as an estate agent, has died of cancer aged 50. Ms Slater was held captive...

When a tenant failed to pay any rent after the first month his tenancy last year, the landlord did not expect...

The price of houses in the UK will remain high because a “structural decline” means fewer homes are being sold and...

William H Brown, part of the Sequence UK network, has acquired Barnfields estate agents in Enfield, north London.    Barnfields was an independent...

New figures produced by estate agency Carter Jonas show that the long-term consequences of the credit crunch have exacerbated the historic...

With several agent partner programmes available across the country, estate agents can often increase business by offering sales by auction, with...

The UK PropTech Association (UKPA), of which I am a member of the steering committee, is an organisation with a purpose...

A telephone number is more than just a number. To consumers, it gives useful information about the company it belongs to....

In years to come, students of political history might come to look at the 2017 General Election campaign with some interest....

Google, under the command of parent company, Alphabet, has set its sights on building the world’s first digital city, in Toronto,...

Over 100 so-called Top Achievers from across Connells Group’s Sequence and Connells estate agencies have been taken by the company on...

Think ‘fake agents’ are no threat to your business? Think again. The rise of online agents - dubbed by some as...

In recent years the mortgage industry has gone through some testing times. Recession and regulation have led to more stringent lending...

There’s good and bad in every industry and at first sight, this week has been one where the good have won...

The proportion of first time buyers relying on inherited wealth or loans from the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ has reached...

A year ago, we were days away from the introduction of a 3% stamp duty surcharge on second homes – a...

After a year of turbulence thanks to Brexit and the consequences of stamp duty changes, prime central London’s housing market appears...

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his first Budget this week pledging extra funding for the NHS, transport in the Midlands and the...

Foxtons' figures released to the City this morning confirm a huge slump in sales in 2016 - and even lettings revenue...

Looking ahead to the Spring Budget this week, the Chancellor Philip Hammond will be obliged to face up to the implications...

Jason Howes, the regional director for land and new homes at Barnard Marcus, has extended his role to lead the Fox...

Over the past two decades, investing in buy-to-let has been a relatively easy way to make money, which is why so...

Connells Group says its Land and New Homes divisions enjoyed record performances in 2016.  The group, which includes Connells and Sequence along...

From the outset of any merger, it is vital that each agency understands and can identify its purpose and the USP...

A former Countrywide director is joining estate and lettings agency franchise group Homexperts as its operations director. Mike Gowland, who originally qualified...

Estate agency haart has announced the appointment of a new regional partner for South London. Kieran Hogan will oversee 13 branches from...

A new report from the NatWest Bank nips in the bud any speculation that rising inflation may end the current cheap...

There’s a celebrity element to this week’s Agents Do Charity, as you can read below. But whether it’s a big star who...

Today we mark the start of Christmas week with a fabulously festive Mannequin Challenge (that’s how it starts off, anyway) and a...

Forecasts are so last year: who anticipated Bowie, Brexit or Balls for example? Quotes, on the other hand, really ARE last year...

There’s been a fall in the typical asking price of a home on sale of 2.1 per cent according to Rightmove...

It may still be too early to start compiling a Christmas wish list, but it is the right time to provide...

Estate agents and market analysts have spent 24 hours expressing their nervousness over the repercussions of Donald Trump's victory in the...

The huge consequences of the EU referendum, and the impending Brexit negotiations, have drawn into sharp light the consequences for a...

Buy-to-let landlords may have failed in their recent legal battle against planned government tax relief changes for buy-to-let homes set to...

After two long years, Moneypenny finally moved into its new headquarters over the summer.  It was a milestone we had all been...

Property sales and lettings agency William H Brown, part of the Sequence UK network, has acquired Porter Glenny estate agents in...

Two high profile property firms have strengthened their land and new homes teams in order to cope with growing demand in...

A campaign has been launched to make Bristol the colour capital of the UK by ensuring that more homes are painted...

More criticism has come of the government’s multi-faceted Help To Buy initiative, this time from campaigning housing charity Shelter. The charity claims...

It’s Bank Holiday weekend and - dare we say it? - the final one for most of the UK until Christmas. But...

The National Association of Estate Agents says a huge shortage of bricks and the possible consequences of Brexit are two reasons...

An estate agency has been ordered to pay a £400 fine after dumping a load of rubbish in a London street.   Wandsworth...

Another former Countrywide director is in the news, this time for launching a specialist property recruitment, training and consultancy business.  Mike Gowland,...

Barely a week goes by without news of the latest disastrous AirBnB experience suffered by an unsuspecting landlord.   Whether it’s damage...

With a number of agent partner programmes available nationwide, estate agents can often increase business by offering sales by auction, especially...

A month ago we ran a quiz compiled by compliance training expert David Beaumont - and the results do not make...

The possibility of short-term falling house prices caused by Brexit may be good news for the UK’s four million leasehold flat...

Agents have been giving their reaction to the shock Brexit referendum result - and their comments have ranged from the gloomy...

Members of the property industry join the rest of the country in going to the polls today to decide whether the...

Property software supplier VTUK is the latest to warn that a Brexit could have a damaging effect on the supply of...

Rightmove says fewer new sellers are coming to market, with this month’s total some 5.3 per cent below the monthly average...

The sense of gathering momentum for the Leave campaign ahead of the upcoming EU referendum is causing high levels of uncertainty...

So we now have a new 'official' index of house prices, and much good may it do us. For the chattering classes...

An estate agency chief operating in an area where there are high levels of holiday home ownership has stood up for...

Home loans activity has fallen to a 12 month low as market torpor sets in ahead of the EU referendum.  According to...

George Osborne has claimed that average house prices could fall by up to 18% if the UK leaves the EU following...

Running a business is not easy, but sometimes it becomes harder because we are expected to modify our behaviour due to...

The National Association of Estate Agents and Association of Residential Letting Agents say that although there are no conclusive ‘leave’ or...

One of the directors of Agents’ Mutual, parent body of portal OnTheMarket, has told Estate Agent Today that his firm does...

With the scale of devastation from flooding witnessed recently, anxiety about purchasing a property in a flood risk area is heightened....

A consumer group which supports the principle of a stamp duty surcharge on second homes and buy to let properties has...

The founder and co-owner of hybrid estate agency EweMove has written to the chief executive of the OnTheMarket portal, lavishly praising...

It’s time to take a pause, to reflect and put into context—and what a year it has been for our industry...

In many respects 2015 has been a good year. Despite global challenges, we have seen a marked improvement in the UK...

This week, Storm Desmond has left devastation in its wake. Once again, the nation’s attention is drawn to the threat flooding...

You might recall a collective sigh of relief emitted by stakeholders in the housing market and private rental sector back in...

The head of a central London property firm says an unintended consequence of the new stamp duty thresholds is that fewer...

Over the next five years at least 70,000 new households a year in England alone will be unable to afford to...

Connells has acquired Hatched, one of the pioneers of the online estate agency model. The acquisition is “aligned with Connells’ ambitious growth strategy...

Stephen Moss, CEO of Pring.co.uk the UK’s leading property investment search engine, takes a look at the impact of ‘Corbynmania’ on...

The consumer is King and to protect sellers and buyers' best interests estate and letting agents have to operate in the...

Despite seeing the word in many industry pieces, using ‘crisis’ to describe anything related to the UK housing market at present...

A new website has been launched to fight back against the attack George Osborne made in the Summer Budget on the...

Transactions in prime central London have plummeted and prices per square foot have dipped. Data from LonRes shows that in the second...

Consider the scene. It is July 8th and new Chancellor, Ed Balls, stands at the Dispatch Box giving his first Budget...

In case we didn’t learn the lesson last time around, we appear to be on the brink of a refresher course...

The National Association of Estate Agents says the agents named in Channel 4‘s From Russia With Cash documentary may have tarnished...

Two interesting developments in the past week have shown how established parts of the agency industry - on either side of...

This month, July, see the 150th anniversary of local estate agency William H Brown - one of the best known names...

The Advertising Standards Authority has given its backing to an estate agency using Rightmove data to claim it had the most...

Yesterday we heard about the letter from the CMA warning agents about anti-competitive behaviour. Today, in a scoop for Estate Agent...