Archive

Consumer organisation Which? claims there are some 1,000 reports of rental fraud scams a month at this time of year. It says...

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

Regulation of lettings and estate agencies must be a priority for the government elected tomorrow, a PropTech entrepreneur demands. Sián Hemming-Metcalfe of...

The Property Ombudsman received a record number of enquiries with 57,635 people seeking support with their property and housing related issues...

As the Renters Reform Bill makes its way through the House of Lords, Propertymark has advised peers not to miss this...

Half of all private renters would not know where to turn to if a letting agent failed to address a problem...

Michael Gove’s Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities hit back overnight at critics of the government’s Renters Reform Bill. The Bill...

A new guide from Propertymark explains the rights which private rental tenants have - and sets out how they can challenge...

The government’s failure to act on the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) working party - chaired by Lord Richard Best and...

A prominent lettings agency claims the Renters Reform Bill is not proving a deterrent to buy to let investors. The Leaders Romans...

Propertymark is urging agents to get ahead of the curve and be ready for the next big initiative - Regulation.  Propertymark has...

The substantial majority of tenants are completely unaware of the Renters Reform Bill, it’s been alleged. A survey of over 2,000 private...

A lettings agency has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme following itsfailure to pay £1,100 out of an adjudicated award...

The all-party House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has urged the government to get on with establishing a regulator of...

The excessive enforcement of council rules on private landlords while social housing is so poorly run will be ‘the next Post...

The long-awaited Third Reading of the controversial Renters Reform Bill will not happen this week according to the Leader of the...

Propertymark's latest research report suggests some letting agents want radical changes to the Renters Reform Bill now going through Parliament.  The aim...

Labour is using a Bill currently going through Parliament as a backdoor method to introduce the regulation of lettings, estate and...

The Housing Ombudsman - currently active in the social housing sector but tipped to take a wider role involving private renting...

A London lettings agency has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman for not paying compensation to a landlord following a failure...

Propertymark has set out its pro-agency position on a range of issues contained in the Renters Reform Bill, currently trundling through...

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

A senior Propertymark official will today tell MPs of the industry’s concerns about the Renters Reform Bill. The Bill has reached the...

A leading PropTech entrepreneur has written to MPs outlining detailed plans that he believes would ensure the controversial Renters Reform Bill...

More details have emerged of what appears to be a sort of stay of execution for Section 21 eviction powers. The abolition...

A prominent industry supplier is urging agents and landlords to lobby MPs to suggest improvements to the Renters Reform Bill.  PayProp UK...

The Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team is one of two new non-executive directors at The Property Ombudsman. Louise Baxter...

A new report on the state of the lettings industry suggests figures are growing fearful of the impact of the Renters...

The Nationwide Foundation - a pressure group funded by the Nationwide - says more effective enforcement is required for the private...

Private landlords and lettings agents are being offered free advice and information at a networking event. Cumberland council says property owners and...

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

PropTech platform Goodlord has launched a one hour online course explaining the controversial Renters Reform Bill. The aim is to equip letting...

New figures released this morning from The Property Ombudsman show that the overwhelming number of disputes in the past year involved...

The Property Redress Scheme has released its latest list of expelled agents - mostly for rental misdemeanours and/or failure to pay...

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

It appears almost certain that the Second Reading of the Renters Reform Bill - expected some weeks ago - will not...

The Renters Reform Bill is being discussed by MPs this afternoon - although not as part of its long-running passage through...

The Renters (Reform) Bill rewrites many of the rules that the private rented sector has played by for decades. This may...

Thousands of listing for rental properties on two popular websites explicitly say children or pets are not welcome. A BBC analysis of...

The Renters Reform Bill can be the perfect opportunity for the industry to become more professional - just so long as...

I was surprised the other day to read statistics from the English Housing Survey about how many landlords use letting agents. In...

The controversial Renters Reform Bill is not the anti-landlord charter that some in the h system claim it to be. That’s the...

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

In a surprise move, Housing Secretary Michael Gove has given the stand-in leader of activist group Generation Rent a prime role...

Consumer champion Martin Lewis - the man behind the Money Saving Expert website and TV shows - has backed the Renters...

Housing Secretary Michael Gove says the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill, first promised in 2019, will finally be introduced into Parliament this...

The Property Redress Scheme, one of two government-approved redress services, has produced a list of recently-expelled agencies. All agencies must be a...

Several lettings agents have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme; they are amongst eight named as having been kicked out...

The government has taken the first step to introducing a mandatory ombudsman scheme which private landlords must join. This is effectively the...

Introduce yourself A: My name is Sean Hooker. I have worked for the HFIS group for sixteen years, originally helping set...

The Property Ombudsman has ruled that a letting agency’s ban on renting to a family with children was discriminatory against women...

A combination of regular inspections and pro-active installation of ventilation can help to reduce the risk of dangerous damp and mould...

Propertymark has hit out at a proposal from a group of MPs that there should be a single Ombudsman covering the...

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

UK banks are closing client accounts held by established letting agents and refusing to open accounts for new businesses. The Problem A growing...

The Observer newspaper has investigated the way letting agents apply so-called zero deposit schemes - and claims that in some cases...

Small and medium sized lettings agencies which have had running disputes with banks are being offered a lifeline - but must...

The Property Ombudsman has reported a big rise in enquiries over last year and a huge rise since the pre-Covid year,...

The time taken to introduce legislation reforming the private rented sector is triggering an exodus of landlords, a lettings industry chief...

Officials from the Welsh Government and the head of the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent team are to address...

Five agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme - all for compliance failures. The first is Home Trader Properties, in...

Many agencies have long-standing and unresolved banking complaints, for example regarding client accounts: now it’s been declared they have only six...

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

Agents have only four weeks to respond to a committee of MPs’ ‘call for evidence’ ahead of an investigation into the...

Six agencies have been excluded from The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay compensation to wronged complainants. One was the Belvoir...

Senior figures in the agency industry have backed new guidance from the National Trading Standards Estate and Lettings Agent Team regarding...

It looks as if the private rental sector will contract as a result of the threat of new regulations contained in...

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

The government has released the full details of what it calls the Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper. This is to form...

A prominent lettings industry supplier has asked whether the earlier-than-expected arrival of the rental reform white paper was a distraction from...

A Parliamentary group currently investigating the possible implementation of rent controls is to be joined by a senior figure from Propertymark. The...

Two of the most respected figures in the lettings sector are calling on agents, landlords and tenants to consider the future...

Sean Hooker, head of redress at the Property Redress Scheme, will discuss the latest rental reform proposals and answer letting agents'...

The government is admitting that its rental reform agenda is aimed primarily at the north of England - which just happens...

Agents have voiced their reservations over aspects of the widespread rental sector reform announced by the government in the Queen’s Speech. Yesterday...

The Queen’s Speech has confirmed that a radical re-shaping of the rental sector in England is being pushed ahead by the...

Propertymark says one lasting legacy of the Grenfell Tower tragedy is that agents letting properties in high rise blocks must engage...

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

Private rental property conditions and the enforcement of regulations by councils and government have all been in the firing line from...

An hour-long webinar this week aims to inform agents how to deter property fraud by greater emphasis on compliance, due diligence...

Two agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme for failing to pay compensation awards. Thamlet Estates, based in east London,...

A member of staff at a Connells-owned branch has been quoted as saying the agency had “no lawful basis” for passing...

A London-focussed lettings agency group has paid £2,000 as a result of breaching the Tenant Fees Act. The issue relates to the...

A checklist for agents to help ensure they steer clear of unwanted fines or claims has been provided by the Guild...

Six agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay compensatory awards - five of them for offences...

A lettings agent has been jailed for three years for defrauding tenants and landlords out of more than £182,000.  Lee Clarke, 42,...

Lettings once again dominated the complaints received by The Property Ombudsman according to its latest annual report - out today but...

The Property Ombudsman and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors are seeking views of agents, landlords and tenants on a new...

A lettings agent who wants tenants to take out policies to fund complaints against agencies and landlords has branded the social...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents' wing of Propertymark says the recent expulsion of three agents from The Property Ombudsman demonstrates the...

Another lettings agency has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme for failing to pay an outstanding compensation award - but...

A lettings agency that failed to pay a compensation award ordered by The Property Ombudsman has been expelled from the scheme...

A lettings agent in Slough, called Saville Park Ltd, has been excluded from The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay an outstanding award of £300.  TPO received a complaint from tenants...

The latest shock resignation from Propertymark leaves the lettings agency sector rudderless - although enthusiasm for the organisation has arguably never...

A new property identification system which has won the backing of ARLA Propertymark and substantial parts of the industry has said...

A lettings agency has called in the police after a protest involving anti-agent activists demanding compensation for past tenants. The Eastern Daily...

An overwhelming 98 per cent of agents who are members of The Property Ombudsman scheme pay compensation when an investigation is...

A newspaper claims a lettings agency is battling allegations of overcharging customers and using fake companies to carry out maintenance work. The Daily Record...

Agents have another 12 months to make referral fees more transparent according to an update from the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting...

An organisation that wants rent controls, the scrapping of Section 21 and what it calls “indefinite tenancies” claims to have 4,000...