A PropTech company has won a grant for a project to improve ID verification in the buying and selling process, via...
Archive
19 January 2021
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

A study of 2,000 home owners shows that over a third have felt pressured by an agent into use its in-house mortgage...
11 December 2020
From: Breaking News

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

The Boomin portal, which incentivises agents to cross-sell and benefit from referral fees, is to receive advice on fee disclosure from...
19 November 2020
From: Breaking News

The latest review by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team into referral fees places the outdated practice of...
10 October 2020
From: Features

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

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

One of the many new portals recently launched has made a pitch for agents to join because of its referral fees...
24 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

House raffles and similar competitions have become mired in controversy in recent years, thanks to some of them failing to abide by...
06 August 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

Purplebricks has changed the wording of an advertisement on its website after a watchdog stepped in following a complaint. According to the...
22 July 2020
From: Breaking News

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

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

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 devolved government in Wales - where the housing market is still officially closed - has urged agents to report rivals...
16 June 2020
From: Breaking News

A working party of property professionals is being set up to look at whether and how property logbooks could help speed...
15 June 2020
From: Breaking News

To most people, purchasing a home is the single most significant financial commitment made across a lifetime. Given the impact and...
13 June 2020
From: Features

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

If it’s really the case that estate agents’ offices could be in the category of High Street premises first allowed to...
18 April 2020
From: Features

There is no doubt that the BBC News article in early February caused something of a stir within the Deposit Free...
12 March 2020
From: Sponsored Content

Trading Standards says agents must include more “material information” in property details even if this may not be a wholly positive...
03 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The Trading Standards report on the future of referral fees is almost completed and will be sent to government next week. However, James...
28 February 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

Agents now have only seven days to complete a referral fees survey, announced late on Friday by Trading Standards and The...
10 February 2020
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate & Letting Agency Team and The Property Ombudsman have launched an urgent survey to assess awareness...
07 February 2020
From: Breaking News

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 BBC Radio probe into quick-sale firms claims some of them can lose sellers many thousands of pounds. It says Trading Standards...
27 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

Yes, believe it or not, we’ve nearly reached the end of a whole decade. And what an eventful decade it’s been. We’ve...
14 December 2019
From: Features

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

An estate agency has been fined £30,000 for waiting until minutes after the sale of a flat was completed to tell...
07 November 2019
From: Breaking News

An estate agency will pay out over £40,000 after being found to have misled customers and allowing one of its own...
29 October 2019
From: Breaking News

The reform of the buying process is to take centre stage at a special conference called Bold Legal LIVE! taking place...
30 September 2019
From: Breaking News

The Guild of Property Professionals has welcomed government steps to provide buyers and sellers with greater transparency in transactions - and...
11 September 2019
From: Breaking News

The government has issued a revised version of its official How To Buy and How To Sell documents, aimed at consumers...
09 September 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

The Property Ombudsman will in future refer more estate agents to the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team if...
11 July 2019
From: Breaking News

You may be right in thinking that Brexit has dominated the thinking of the government in the last three years. However,...
22 June 2019
From: Features

An online auction service which only came into existence in September last year claims to have 150 partner estate agents already,...
21 June 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 Property Ombudsman says its members must in future disclose referral fees in a bid to make previously-hidden costs open and...
24 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 head of the new Trading Standards authority regulating estate agents says Online firms are treated exactly the same as High...
26 April 2019
From: Breaking News

Estate Agent Today has been given details of the new National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agents Team - the body...
23 April 2019
From: Breaking News

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

A family run estate agency faces a string of charges relating to commission fees and “undue influence” exerted on clients. The charges...
10 April 2019
From: Breaking News

When it comes to major issues confronting housing, and in particular the direction that the government would like to take the...
23 March 2019
From: Features

Estate agents have been warned that if new guidance over referral fees is not taken seriously, they could be faced with...
20 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has led the support for stricter new guidelines on transparency for referral fees. The clampdown means agents...
01 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has this afternoon revealed new industry guidance to make referral fees more transparent to...
28 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

The Property Ombudsman is to give agents new guidance on dual fees, following a surge in complaints from the public. In 2017, TPO received...
29 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

It’s been revealed that the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team is to deliver new guidelines to agents for referral fees...
23 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has been the subject of another complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority - and the issue has again been categorised...
03 October 2018
From: Breaking News

You will perhaps have seen recently that the Government has decided to boost funding to the regulator, the National Trading Standards...
29 September 2018
From: Features

In a surprise weekend announcement the government has almost doubled funding for the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team - the...
01 September 2018
From: Breaking News

An online estate agency run by one of the country’s youngest entrepreneurs has agreed to change a reference about savings on...
29 August 2018
From: Breaking News

In our previous blog, we looked at the definitions outlined by the CPRs. In our next blog we’ll look at the...
21 August 2018
From: Sponsored Content

The estate agent who is refusing to abide by a decision of the Advertising Standards Authority is now demanding details of...
16 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 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

There’s a new twist in the row between a Cornish agent and the Advertising Standards Authority. The row revolves around a tweet...
16 July 2018
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority says its compliance team is considering its next steps following the refusal of estate agency PDQ Estates...
12 July 2018
From: Breaking News

An agent from Cornwall who has waged a long-running campaign against online agencies in general and Purplebricks in particular has been...
11 July 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

It is understood that an estate agent from Cornwall is to face trial over allegations that he misled potential customers over...
11 June 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

A flat in Brixton is being raffled for £5 a ticket by a start-up entrepreneur who claims this is just the...
23 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 government has announced further measures which will, in its words, “professionalise” house buying and the estate agency business. In yet another Sunday...
08 April 2018
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman has launched an online training module which it describes as the first of its kind. The interactive module -...
29 March 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

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

Pressure continues to mount on Purplebricks to reveal its sales data after a weekend during which claims about its effectiveness continued...
05 February 2018
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

The Guild of Property Professionals is to allow its associate members to have ID cards showing clients that they have passed...
31 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Complaints about a Purplebricks claim concerning its Local Property Experts have been rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority. Complaints came from PDQ...
25 October 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved another complaint made against wording on Purplebricks’ website. A complainant suggested that the wording...
06 September 2017
From: Breaking News

After a roller-coaster day on the Stock Exchange yesterday, Purplebricks has sought to defend itself against further possible share price losses...
03 August 2017
From: Breaking News

That the private rental sector has become the government’s whipping boy for housing problems - landlords in particular, letting agents almost...
14 July 2017
From: Features

Independent estate agency network The Guild of Property Professionals has announced that its training scheme has been given formal approval. The Associate...
12 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

In recent years the mortgage industry has gone through some testing times. Recession and regulation have led to more stringent lending...
08 April 2017
From: Features

Peter Robinson, CEO of AIPP – Association of International Property Professionals – shines a light onto the international property market. Some UK...
01 April 2017
From: Features

Former clients of a Scottish estate and letting agency and mortgage company are being asked by a corporate insolvency firm to...
17 March 2017
From: Breaking News

The trading standards team of a county council has taken the unusual step of challenging the sales claim of an estate...
01 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

A controversial scheme in a London borough, limiting the size and duration of letting and estate agents’ boards on display, comes...
31 January 2017
From: Breaking News

A number of local authorities are now serving £100 or £120 fixed penalty notices on estate agents who display For Sale...
23 January 2017
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

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

Portal juggling has been defined as one of a number of "emerging threats" aimed at deceiving consumers through the manipulation of...
03 November 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team based in Powys has revealed that its cases under investigation include apparent offences of...
03 November 2016
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority has explained to Estate Agent Today why many of the complaints made against estate and letting agents...
13 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

An estate agency has been fined after a trading standards team accused it of making misleading statements on its website. Warwickshire county...
17 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

An estate agent has been ordered by a court to pay more than £7,500 after admitting advertising holiday homes as permanent...
22 July 2016
From: Breaking News

A disillusioned vendor has been running a campaign against standard term agency contracts for almost two years. Paul Tranter has been specifically...
03 June 2016
From: Breaking News

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

A member of the public has submitted a complaint on portal juggling to the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team following...
16 May 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team is urging the industry to comment on a government initiative aimed at cutting red...
09 May 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has over the weekend repeated its intention to investigate allegations of so-called portal juggling...
03 May 2016
From: Breaking News

The influential Home Owners’ Alliance pressure group says Britain pulling out of the EU would probably depress house prices. The HOA - a...
22 March 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

News from the Halifax this week that the combined values of the residential properties in London amounts to £1.13 trillion, virtually...
13 November 2015
From: Features

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

An estate agent is going on trial concerning allegations that he defrauded people of over a quarter of a million pounds. Russell...
19 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 consumer is King and to protect sellers and buyers' best interests estate and letting agents have to operate in the...
09 October 2015
From: Features

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

A High Street estate agent has branded the latest guidance to the industry on Consumer Protection Regulations as “a complete mess”...
14 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

There have been concerns raised over new trading standards guidance for estate agents on having to reveal ‘significant defects’ about properties...
03 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

Agents and other property professionals are being invited to a briefing on how new trading standards guidance will affect the industry. The...
30 July 2015
From: Breaking News

A riposte to Paul Smith's article 'Why Estate Agents Must Stand Up to the Power of the Portals' I just read an...
17 July 2015
From: Features

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

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has prepared a draft of revised guidelines on property sales, to replace the old...
14 July 2015
From: Breaking News

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

Yesterday we heard about the letter from the CMA warning agents about anti-competitive behaviour. Today, in a scoop for Estate Agent...
04 June 2015
From: Features

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) is to meet with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to discuss complaints...