Interim rental inspections have taken a hit over the past two years and letting agents are now wading through their backlogs...
Archive
![Property Natter – from barmaid to branch manager to Countrywide’s top negotiator](/upload/images/Site%20logos/PropertyNatter-2019-400x310.png)
In this week’s Natter, I carry out a Q&A with Lisa Knight, who has taken the impressive journey from barmaid to...
09 April 2022
From: Features
![Hammered! Young people moving towards auctions - claim](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/Millennial-BusinessWoman-Communication-400x310.jpg)
The UK’s largest property auctioneer says that there is now clear evidence of the impact the pandemic has had on the...
25 January 2022
From: Breaking News
![Property Natter – four ways agents can improve brand recognition this winter](/upload/images/Site%20logos/PropertyNatter-2019-400x310.png)
As a character from a fairly well-known TV show once said, winter is coming and we’re all contemplating where 2021 has...
23 October 2021
From: Features
![Is your business ready to offer the best digital experience to your customers?](/upload/images/PropTech%20%26%20Online/OnlineAgents-1-400x310.jpg)
In this thought leadership article, Videosign CEO Steven Tallant looks at electronic signatures and conveyancing and whether the time is nigh for the...
16 October 2021
From: Features
![“Disgraceful” estate agent criticised by Crown Prosecution Service](/img/default/eat.png)
The Crown Prosecution Service has joined in the criticism of unemployed estate agent Lewis Hughes, who last week admitted a count...
04 August 2021
From: Breaking News
![Government tells agents: ‘exercise Covid caution and restraint’](/img/default/eat.png)
Agents have been told in new government guidance that the liftings of some Covid restraints in wider society “does not mark...
26 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agency repays Covid loan early because industry has done so well](/img/default/eat.png)
Regional hybrid agency Hortons says its repaid its £50,000 bounce back loan at the earliest opportunity - because the industry has...
23 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![Masks and Social Distancing stay for now, say most agents](/img/default/eat.png)
It may be ‘Freedom Day’ but it looks certain that many estate agents will still wear masks in offices today and...
19 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agents’ face masks to remain under new guidance for July 19](/img/default/eat.png)
New guidance has been issued to agents as the government confirms that most remaining Coronavirus restrictions are to be lifted from...
13 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agents’ Offices: masks no longer required - announcement soon](/img/default/eat.png)
Agents are to be told this week that employees can drop face masks, social distancing and other workplace measures put in...
12 July 2021
From: Breaking News
03 July 2021
From: Features
![Property Natter – 5 ways estate agency has changed since May 2020](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s now over a year since the property market officially reopened after an unprecedented two-month shutdown at the height of the...
22 May 2021
From: Features
![Updated Covid guidance for estate and letting agents](/img/default/eat.png)
Propertymark has produced a new guide for estate agents in the wake of the latest step on the roadmap out of Covid...
19 May 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agents rush to get qualified as restrictions start to ease](/img/default/eat.png)
Propertymark Qualifications is reporting a surge in exams being taken and booked as restrictions ease allowing test centres to reopen. Since they...
05 May 2021
From: Breaking News
![Vote, Vote, Vote - Housing and the 2021 Local Elections](/img/default/eat.png)
Local elections rarely set the pulse racing and this year’s poll on Thursday faces a similar problem. But this time, it’s a...
01 May 2021
From: Features
![Online KYC checks help estate agents battle rising fraud](/img/default/eat.png)
As an estate agent, you should of course be performing robust Know Your Customer (KYC) checks as part of your Anti-Money...
01 May 2021
From: Features
![Property Natter - will there be live property events this year?](/img/default/eat.png)
The last property event I attended in person – and I think the last physical property event held all told –...
10 April 2021
From: Features
![Exchanges hit 10 year high with market frenzy set to continue](/img/default/eat.png)
Data from agency Knight Frank suggests the number of UK exchanges last month was the highest in 10 years - well above...
08 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Massive drop in physical viewings thanks to PropTech - claim](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s been a drop of no less than 16,000 in the number of physical viewings over the past year thanks to just...
07 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Stamp duty holiday: could the market be more vulnerable to fraud?](/img/default/eat.png)
The Chancellor’s recent announcement that the stamp duty holiday would be extended for another three months was undoubtedly great news for...
27 March 2021
From: Features
![Stamp duty holiday: how to keep your chain intact](/img/default/eat.png)
Following the fluctuation of the property market during the UK’s first national lockdown, the industry was given a lifeline by the...
13 March 2021
From: Features
![Lockdown to continue until at least early March](/img/default/eat.png)
The Prime Minister this afternoon stated that lockdown will remain in effect until early March at the earliest. He told the House...
27 January 2021
From: Breaking News
![Top portal is latest to urge stamp duty holiday extension](/img/default/eat.png)
Zoopla's latest figures suggest 70,000 transactions are likely to miss the stamp duty holiday deadline of March 31. And the portal says: “The...
27 January 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agents split over viewings and office opening during Lockdown](/img/default/eat.png)
Agents are sharply split over how they should operate during the current phase of the Coronavirus crisis. In a poll of almost...
05 January 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agents CAN continue working through national lockdown](/img/default/eat.png)
Agents and the housing market in England are still in business even during the third national lockdown which begins on Wednesday and...
05 January 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agents can work in Tier 4 as government publishes guidelines](/img/default/eat.png)
The Westminster government has published extensive guidance on the operation of the new Tier 4 Coronavirus restrictions in England. This includes a...
21 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![Phase It Out - Calls grow for ‘tapered’ end to stamp duty holiday](/img/default/eat.png)
Pressure is building on the government to agree a tapered end to the stamp duty holiday, even if a full-blown extension now...
21 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![Housing market stays open in new Tier 4 areas](/img/default/eat.png)
The housing market is to stay open across the UK, including in the new Tier 4 areas of England. An announcement from Housing Secretary...
20 December 2020
From: Breaking News
Described on this site as a ‘powerful disruptor’ in March 2020, few would deny that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on...
16 December 2020
From: Sponsored Content
![Giraffe360 invests £3.5m in ‘camera-as-a-subscription’ service for agents](/img/default/eat.png)
Here at Giraffe360, the PropTech startup, we have raised a £3.5 million funding round to further accelerate our product development and...
05 December 2020
From: Features
![Corona Update: Agents seeking urgent guidance from government](/img/default/eat.png)
Propertymark is in touch with the government to see how the new Tier structure being introduced on December 3 will affect...
24 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Tougher Corona restrictions: Agents to be told how market will work](/img/default/eat.png)
Agents should know in the next 36 hours how new Coronavirus restrictions will affect how they work. The Prime Minister is announcing...
23 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![How auctions can help agents through the second lockdown](/img/default/eat.png)
As we embark on another nationwide lockdown, the team at SDL Auctions are keen to help agents ride the storm, beat...
11 November 2020
From: Sponsored Content
![Agents back to work today after 17-day ‘fire break’ in Wales](/img/default/eat.png)
While England’s national lockdown exempts the housing market and allows agents to operate normally, it’s not been the same in Wales...
09 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agency stung by lockdown criticism reveals policy for next four weeks](/img/default/eat.png)
An agency in London which was stung by fierce criticism in the spring lockdown has announced its policy for branch activity...
03 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Confirmed: Housing market stays open during national lockdown](/img/default/eat.png)
The housing market is to remain open in the four week lockdown in England. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government...
31 October 2020
From: Breaking News
![Unlocking Property Management with PropTech Innovations](/img/default/eat.png)
2020 has been a testing year right from the start. With Storms Ciara and Dennis causing £184m+ worth of damage to...
27 October 2020
From: PropTech & Innovation
![Property Natter: why diversification is the spice of life for agents](/img/default/eat.png)
The property market has bounced back with all of the expected resilience and flexibility that is its hallmark since it reopened...
24 October 2020
From: Features
![Electronic signatures are helping agents to weather the 2020 storm](/img/default/eat.png)
2020 has definitely been a year of change. With little warning, the pandemic disrupted the day-to-day operations of almost every industry...
17 October 2020
From: Features
![Property Natter – five ways to enable your agency to thrive this winter](/img/default/eat.png)
The only certainty at the moment is ongoing uncertainty. It’s something we’ve got used to in 2020, but it’s still not...
10 October 2020
From: Features
![Phil Spencer: Christmas is a gift for agents who add value](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s about this time of year, pandemic or not, that agents may be asked one particularly awkward question by a vendor...
05 October 2020
From: Breaking News
![How to carry out check-ins and check-outs in a Covid-compliant way](/img/default/eat.png)
The latest government rules combined with the Prime Minister’s recent address to the nation is clear – tougher measures are required...
03 October 2020
From: Features
![Safety in agents’ offices: understanding the law on whistleblowing](/img/default/eat.png)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has encouraged people to complain if they are unhappy about working conditions and thousands of complaints...
26 September 2020
From: Features
![Safety first: five-step risk assessment for agents’ offices](/img/default/eat.png)
With the high street open again, and the Chancellor’s temporary stamp duty holiday helping to stimulate the market, estate and letting...
19 September 2020
From: Features
![Effective signage is key to rebuilding customer confidence in the market](/img/default/eat.png)
When it comes to the future of the property market in the wake of Covid-19, there are two main schools of...
19 September 2020
From: Features
![Prime house prices to fall across Britain despite mainstream market surge](/img/default/eat.png)
In the week the Nationwide recorded the UK’s highest ever average house price, high-end agency Savills has forecast that prime markets...
04 September 2020
From: Breaking News
![Record house prices likely to go higher still says leading agent](/img/default/eat.png)
Record house prices recorded this week by the Nationwide index are set to go higher still according to a leading agent. Nationwide...
03 September 2020
From: Breaking News
![Explained for agents - Electrical Safety Standards Regulations](/img/default/eat.png)
Since June 1, under The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, landlords in England have been...
26 August 2020
From: Features
![Agents urged to go appointments-only in one-person offices during Covid](/img/default/eat.png)
Agents are being advised to operate an appointments-only system if they have offices with only one person on duty during the...
20 August 2020
From: Breaking News
![AML checks for estate agents who don’t have time for compliance](/img/default/eat.png)
The last few months have been tough for the property sector, and the pressure will continue as estate agents across the...
19 August 2020
From: Features
![Land Registry unveils latest digital upgrade for agents and others](/img/default/eat.png)
HM Land Registry customers - including agents and conveyancers - can now manage all of their applications and correspondence including notices,...
14 August 2020
From: Breaking News
![Now prices are going UP again, says latest Nationwide index](/img/default/eat.png)
The Nationwide says annual house price growth has recovered to 1.5 per cent. Its July house price index says the fall in...
03 August 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents Do Charity - and a special message from Agents Giving…](/img/default/eat.png)
Hello: if it’s Friday it’s charity day and this week we have a special announcement from the industry’s own charity, Agents...
31 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![Covid-19 is speeding up PropTech - what are you waiting for?](/img/default/eat.png)
What do General Electric, IBM, Microsoft, and WhatsApp have in common? Yes, they are American companies that boasted revenues of $50...
29 July 2020
From: Features
![Pre-qualify tenants before a viewing and reference them with one shareable viewing link from your CRM](/img/default/eat.png)
Can technology bring about the lasting change needed to the property industry? The industry has felt the effect of lockdown and...
28 July 2020
From: Sponsored Content
![Face Coverings in Branches - agents given new guidance](/img/default/eat.png)
New guidance on face coverings for agents working in branches, and for those dealing directly with visitors, was issued last evening. A statement...
24 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![Property Natter: what will property conferences and events of the future look like?](/img/default/eat.png)
Conferences, events and awards dinners are a hugely important part of the property calendar, bringing the great and the good of...
18 July 2020
From: Features
![Agents Do Charity - and you really are a generous lot!](/img/default/eat.png)
Hello and welcome to the end of the week and the prospect of a sunny weekend. We appreciate fund-raising is difficult with...
17 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![Will agents and clients have to wear facemasks in branches?](/img/default/eat.png)
Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets is to be made mandatory in England. Anyone failing to comply with the order...
14 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![Stamp duty holiday should be backdated, demands law firm](/img/default/eat.png)
A property law firm is calling on the government to backdate the stamp duty holiday to include those buyers who completed...
13 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents can sell properties at record speed with this key combination](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s no doubt that Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the UK’s property market, after hundreds of thousands of house...
11 July 2020
From: Features
![Agents Do Charity - no holiday for industry fund-raisers…](/img/default/eat.png)
There are high hopes that the new stamp duty holiday will make an already busy market even busier - but not...
10 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![The fraud risks facing the property sector as a result of Covid-19](/img/default/eat.png)
Businesses across all sectors have struggled to adapt to the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. One group that have bucked...
01 July 2020
From: Features
![Leicester lockdown is warning to agents to abide by ‘new normal’](/img/default/eat.png)
The return of non-essential businesses to lockdown in Leicester as a result of a localised spike in Coronavirus cases is a...
01 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![How to avoid delays as the property market recovers](/img/default/eat.png)
Buyer registrations and sales enquiries are reportedly back to pre-Covid levels. Completions, however, are lagging behind. This is probably down to...
27 June 2020
From: Features
![Agents allowed partial resumption of sales and moves in Wales](/img/default/eat.png)
The Welsh housing market is back in business today - at least in part. Letting and estate agents can reopen their offices...
22 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents continue to adapt as property market bounces back from lockdown](/img/default/eat.png)
The property market is used to change, and I’m confident it will bounce back from any lockdown effects. Despite being acutely aware...
20 June 2020
From: Features
![Agents urged to report rivals breaking lockdown in still-closed market](/img/default/eat.png)
The devolved government in Wales - where the housing market is still officially closed - has urged agents to report rivals...
16 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents Do Charity - with two VERY big donations…](/img/default/eat.png)
Hello and welcome to Agents Do Charity, our weekly opportunity to salute suppliers and agents fund-raising for good causes. We appreciate how...
12 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Countrywide branch faces police and HMRC threat after furlough allegation](/img/default/eat.png)
The managing director of a Winkworth branch is threatening to report a senior member of a nearby Countrywide office to the...
10 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents’ biggest challenges now are handling instructions in ‘new normal’](/img/default/eat.png)
A survey of estate agents conducted through trade publications has revealed that market uncertainty and the handling of transactions within government...
09 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![National auctioneer seeks agency partners for new sales initiative](/img/default/eat.png)
National property auctioneer Pugh & Co is launching an initiative to partner with estate agents across the UK. Via a new network...
08 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents accused of ignoring virus safety guidelines](/img/default/eat.png)
An agent in the unusual position of operating across the England and Welsh border says many of his competitors appear to...
05 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![EweMove, Martin & Co and other franchises using PropTech to reopen](/img/default/eat.png)
The Property Franchise Group - parent company of six agency brands including EweMove and Martin & Co - says all of...
05 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Desk Shields & Social Distancing Signage from Kremer Signs](/img/default/eat.png)
Social distancing will be part of our daily routine moving forward for the foreseeable future and if you run an estate...
04 June 2020
From: Sponsored Content
![PropTech is the key to dealing with post-lockdown surge](/img/default/eat.png)
The Covid-19 crisis has forced the UK property industry to rethink the way it operates. With little warning, the pandemic disrupted the...
03 June 2020
From: Features
![What are your views on well-being and Corona recovery? New survey](/img/default/eat.png)
A mystery group, believed to consist of high-level former agents and suppliers, is asking the industry for its feedback on current...
29 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Foxtons sales commissions collapse by 61% during Coronavirus period](/img/default/eat.png)
New figures released by Foxtons this morning show a collapse in commission income to the agency during the Coronavirus period. Sales commissions...
26 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agent sends reassuring letting to sales and lettings clients](/img/default/eat.png)
** This Bank Holiday Monday both Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today look at how agencies have modified offices and protocols...
25 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Propertymark’s 29-point guide for offices, teams and activities](/img/default/eat.png)
** This Bank Holiday Monday both Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today look at how agencies have modified offices and protocols...
25 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![On Monday - how you have made branches safe and welcoming…](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s a Bank Holiday weekend and if you’re taking time off we hope you and your families enjoy a well-earned break. We’ll...
22 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![All Change! Agents should reform ‘before government intervenes’](/img/default/eat.png)
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
![Physical valuations now undertaken by most lenders in England](/img/default/eat.png)
The Bank of Ireland UK is the latest mortgage lender to resume physical valuations of properties in England, subject of course...
21 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![How is your office coping with safety and social distancing?](/img/default/eat.png)
For the coming Bank Holiday on Monday, we’d like to show images of how agency offices have adapted to cope with...
20 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Countrywide explains softly-softly approach to re-opening branches](/img/default/eat.png)
Countrywide has refuted claims that none of its branches have so far re-opened for business but has issued an explanation why...
19 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![ESTAS awards go virtual - here’s the date when winners will be named](/img/default/eat.png)
The biggest awards for the agency sector - The ESTAS - will now be a virtual event on Friday July 3,...
18 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![How can estate agents take professional property photos themselves?](/img/default/eat.png)
As you know, having professional images of your properties is the best (only?) way to get people wanting to step through...
16 May 2020
From: Features
![Volume of portal listings carrying virtual viewings surges during pandemic](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s been a very significant increase in the number of listings carrying virtual viewings, accelerating during the period of the Coronavirus crisis and...
15 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agency in lockdown row reopens with staff temperature checks](/img/default/eat.png)
The agency at the heart of a fierce row over staff safety in the lockdown says it's now insisting local managers...
14 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Virtual viewings here to stay, government urges in new guidance](/img/default/eat.png)
Guidance issued by the government explicitly advises agents, buyers and sellers that more activity should be done online if possible. “The process...
14 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Conveyancers and removers join agents on ‘Back To Work Day’](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s back to work today for England’s estate agents and the housing market - but it’s the start of a new...
13 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Back-To-Work guidance for agents expected this week](/img/default/eat.png)
The chief executive of NAEA Propertymark says he expects specific government guidance later this week for estate agents to return to...
12 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Don't give in to buyers wanting viewings, agents told](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s been a surge in buyers wanting to view properties - but agents must sit on their hands and wait for...
12 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Foxtons shareholder rebellion expected at tomorrow’s AGM](/img/default/eat.png)
There's widespread expectation that Foxtons’ senior management will face sharp criticism at the company’s Annual General Meeting today. The hottest issue at...
12 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![First details emerge of how businesses will reopen after lockdown](/img/default/eat.png)
First details of the government’s programme to allow businesses to reopen have begun to emerge - with little comfort for estate...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents accused of breaking lockdown before new rules announced](/img/default/eat.png)
Details being presented to Parliament today may include information on how agents can return to work in some sort of ‘new normal.’ A 50...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Official house price index suspended but Bank warns of 16% drop](/img/default/eat.png)
The government has temporarily suspended its official house price index as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. In a long and far-reaching announcement...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Property Natter - what will agent offices look like post-lockdown?](/img/default/eat.png)
There has been much speculation about when agents will be allowed back to work, and what the new office working environment...