Archive

Average rent arrears claims reached £2,092 in the second quarter of this year - a rise of 15% from £1,816 in...

Agents are being urged to campaign to change Labour’s Renters Rights Bill to stop it damaging the lettings industry. Neil Cobbold, commercial...

The number of tenancies ending in a claim for more than five weeks’ rent has risen to 17%, a deposit alternative...

A prominent lettings agency says concern is growing in the private rental sector about the prospect of more pets in properties.  A...

The political chaos in Scotland presents sensible politicians with an ideal chance to resent housing policies and ditch rent controls. That’s the...

PropTech firm Pikl is launching an insurance-backed cancellation product specifically for holiday lets that will enable operators to offer the same...

Propertymark is demanding equal treatment with the social housing sector. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove intends to boost standards in social housing...

The new Labour leader in Wales, Vaughan Gething, has received an early shot across the bows from Propertymark. Gething was elected Welsh...

New and past landlords tempted back to Buy to Let have been warned - passive income from property isn’t easy.  This is...

A high profile lettings agency has had to pay almost £22,000 in damages to an employee who raised concerns about safety...

Propertymark has used its website and link with a property inspection service to urge letting agents to work with private tenants...

There’s growing anger over restrictions on private homeowners using their properties via Airbnb and other short let platforms. Earlier this week Housing...

New analysis by insurance giant Aviva reveals that one in every 13 new homes built in England in the last decade...

Insurance giant Aviva is urging consumers to be on their guard after seeing a seven per cent increase in customer claims...

ARLA Propertymark has urged letting agents to take breaches of the Information Commissioner’s Office’s  data protection principle regarding GDPR seriously.   The call comes...

The head of a major supplier insists the Renters Reform Bill provision making it easier for tenants to keep pets is...

The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued advice to agencies on how to comply with data protection law.  The UK data protection regulator...

A prominent lettings agent has called for a wider reform of eviction rules. This follows a demand by a group of...

Media reports in Brighton say that a lettings agency which serve tenants with illegal eviction notices and unjustified legal threats has...

Police are urging letting agents and landlords to act swiftly if they think one of their properties is being used as...

The government should “just get on with implementing the Renters Reform Bill” an industry figure says.  Jonathan Rolande of the National Association...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Annalese Walmsley - Commercial Director at flatfair What is flatfair and...

Law firm Brevis Law is shedding light on the difficulties agents and landlords have in meeting Right To Rent requirements in...

A rogue lettings agency in London has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme but is still thought to be trading. Hawks...

The increasing likelihood that the private rental sector will be obliged to allow more pets into lets simply demonstrates the need...

Propertymark has given details of how it believes the Scottish Government rent control system has backfired and works against the interests...

We compare traditional methods of client money account inspections by an accountant to the alternative Client Money HealthCheck. But first, let’s clarify...

A property law specialist wants a national register which would allow tenants’ histories to be checked before rental agreements are signed. Nyree...

A prominent lettings and sales agency says there are four reasons why house prices won’t fall off a cliff, despite interest...

A prominent lettings agency says capital values could be damaged if a controversial emissions scheme goes ahead in London. Research by Benham...

Two animal charities - Cats Protection and Dogs Trust - have started recruiting MPs to their campaign in favour of pets...

The leader of the council that was rebuffed by a court when it tried to control the spread of Airbnb-style short...

A PropTech supplier to letting agents claims that tenants are more likely to have Netflix than contents insurance.  A survey of 1,013...

The pro-tenant anti-landlord Renters Reform Bill has at last been published by the government which first promised it in 2019. It has...

An online newspaper has named the lettings agency at the heart of a high profile dispute with tenants over mould. The i...

A compliance expert is criticising unnamed agencies for risking fines “and wasting time and money” by relying on inadequate compliance reporting...

Any lettings portfolio should receive ongoing care and maintenance. A disorganised portfolio, weighed down by junk data, loose ends or lax...

Lettings agencies which rely on manual means of verification are risking repetitional damage caused by anti-money laundering regulations, a digital compliance...

A prominent lettings agency has taken the unusual step of warning tenants that parties using the sector for political capital may...

Landlords and agents acting on their behalf are to be given more powers to evict unruly tenants who ruin neighbours’ lives...

The agency and landlord responsible for letting a two-bedroom flat in Dagenham have been found guilty in court for providing extremely...

The government must focus on measures in next week’s Budget that will boost significantly the supply of homes, according to lettings...

We’re only in February and it’s already clear that this year will set the future direction of the private rented sector...

A property firm has been fined £8,000 for operating an HMO on one of Britain’s most famous roads. Westminster council has won...

The political party propping up the Scottish Government says higher taxes on buy to lets will help the housing market be...

It’s been revealed that agents have been kicked out of The Property Ombudsman in recent months for failing to pay compensatory...

Attempted fraud in the letting sector has risen sharply over the past two years, it’s been claimed. Tenant reference provider Homeppl claims...

A new survey of over 8,000 commercial estate agents indicates a challenging 2023 - suggesting a possible alternative investment option for...

It’s been announced that a deadline for existing hosts on AirBnb and other short let platforms to register with the Scottish...

Letting agents in Scotland are angry at the Scottish Government for increasing the tax surcharge on buyers of buy to lets...

Data from fraud prevention database CIFAS a marked increase in both identity fraud and false lettings applications in the UK according...

A financial expert says the latest house price index, showing the biggest monthly fall for over two years, is the “first...

Agents have only until the end of tomorrow, December 2, to feed into Propertymark’s response to a new consultation on the...

A respected agent is warning that a proposal to increase stamp duty on additional homes could kill off the rental market...

A short trading statement from Stock Market-listed London agency chain Winkworth shows just how vital the lettings sector is to its...

OnTheMarket is today revealing another deal for agents - and this time it’s with insurance broker Simply Business. There are four new...

A senior lettings industry figure says the Bank of England should delay future base rate rises to allow the housing market...

A risk management service says agents and landlords must do more to create a culture of safety, particularly around fire. Research released...

A safety training service is warning of “alarming statistics” showing an increase in the number of fires and fatalities and a...

The Lettings Industry Council, a group of rental industry chiefs, has joined with other property professionals to reveal what they see...

A group wanting pets to be allowed in private rental properties says its research shows the issue is not opposition from...

The latest update from industry discussions about allowing more pets in private rental properties suggests there’s not been a solution yet...

Emergency legislation containing a private sector rent freeze is to be debated by Scottish politicians this week - and the surprise...

The Knight Frank lettings and estate agency is warning that it expects house prices to fall in 2023. Tom Bill, its head...

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, organisations worldwide lose $4.7 trillion to fraud each year, with real estate suffering...

There’s more evidence today that cleaning remains the largest cause of disputes between agents and tenants. Data released by The Dispute Service...

The UK Short Term Accommodation Association says the Scottish Government’s backing of a bid to control short lets in Edinburgh could...

With the debate ranging over pets in lets, a new analysis by comparative website Compare The Market suggests pet damage is...

A warning has been issued that as many as 250,000 homes - some likely to be in the private rental sector...

Agents are being invited to comment on the government’s Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper. And unusually the invitation comes not from any...

The two main reasons that an agency decides to outsource are to reduce costs and to have the ability to focus...

An end-of-tenancy PropTech platform set up by a high profile agent has announced a major enhancement to its service. The Depository was...

A rogue tenant occupying a property for up to nine months and refusing to pay rent could cost a combined £10,000...

New details from a survey conducted by industry organisations concerning pets in rental properties show the extent of the problem. Some 537...

A prominent lettings industry supplier says uncertainty over the details and timescales to implement rental reforms will dog the sector for...

Since the Tenant Fees Act ban came into force, agents have been responsible for covering tenancy referencing costs, whether that’s by...

The sweeping reforms for the private rental sector announced by the government at the end of last week do not go...

What looks suspiciously like a government leak to the Daily Mail says the long-awaited Rental Reform White Paper will be unveiled...

The average private rental tenancy deposit last year exceeded £1,000 new figures show. At an average of £1,005 per tenancy, the cost...

Research from price comparison service Comparethemarket suggests that 48 per cent of renters do not have contents insurance. Of those, more than...

Three organisations have written a joint open letter to the Scottish Government warning that the supply of homes for rent –...

Propertymark is the latest part of the lettings sector to fight back against criticism and claims of extreme evictions made by...

The two main reasons that an agency decides to outsource are: 1.) To reduce costs 2.) To have the ability to focus on...

An activist group that has staged many protests against letting agents must pay just under £100,000 in costs and damages to...

Letting agents are to be quizzed to establish the true cost of damages to rental accommodation by tenants. The “What’s the damage?”...

A study by the Tenancy Deposit Service has found that garden maintenance remains one of the most common reasons behind deposit...

A so-called ethical lettings agency run jointly by two local authorities is handling private rental properties but is charging landlords just...

New research from insurance provider Paymentshield has found that over one in five UK tenants have experienced a negative property event...

Propertymark has expressed a sigh of relief at a decision this week by the Appeal Court, which ruled in favour of...

Extending the length of Notice to Quit periods in the private rented sector in Northern Ireland to up to six months...

New research by MoneySuperMarket reveals that dogs cause £1.5 billion of property damage per year. Labradoodles are the UK’s most destructive dog...

The Guild of Property Professionals has entered into a partnership with one of the many deposit replacement services now available. It’s teamed...

Over half of tenants who have stayed at short let home-based properties via Airbnb or similar platforms have broken or damaged...

Police officers are this week raising awareness among agents about the signs of potential cannabis grows. The campaign is being led in...

Airbnb is now introducing pet insurance cover for its hosts as it continues attempts to win long-term renters away from the...

The next episode of the Channel 5 show Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords this evening features an agent offering a supposed guaranteed...

The Build to Rent sector is being targeted by criminals with a 364 per cent rise in fraudulent tenant applications in...

One of the industry’s leading suppliers says the controversy over pets in private rental properties could be defused relatively easily. Inventory management firm...

A senior Conservative in Wales wants the Welsh Government to consider creating a housing tribunal in the light of rising tenant arrears. Janet Finch-Saunders,...

A prominent industry supplier is warning the government not to damage the private rental sector in its push to promote ever-more...