Archive

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...

A prominent solicitors’ firm says the failure of the Renters Reform Bill to become law may have attracted headlines but the...

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

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

A representative of the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agents team has told agents to accept new rules about material...

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

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...

Former housing minister Rachel Maclean - the victim of a shock sacking by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month - has...

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

Propertymark has called on the government to retain the option of fixed-term tenancies in the private rental sector where it is...

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

A £5,000 fine has been upheld against a landlord who failed to declare himself as a property agent and did not join a mandatory...

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

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...

A council’s Trading Standards team is warning letting agents of a new clampdown on compliance failures. Stoke-on-Trent Trading Standards says it’s received...

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

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

A letting agency has been issued with penalty notices worth £3,000 for operating illegally. Back in 2014 it became a legal requirement...

There have been just 17 First Tier Tribunal cases involving allegations of fees charged to tenants in contravention of the Tenants...

Some lettings industry figures are beginning to express doubt as to whether the government’s broad commitment to reform the private rental...

The UK Association of Lettings Agents is recommending transparency in relation to the disclosure of referral fees to landlord clients. Last month...

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

Agents are being warned to prepare now for likely controls on referral fees, following recommendations made to the government by the...

It appears lettings agents may have escaped the recommended demands for referral fees to be made more transparent to customers. A statement...

A new proposal from the government says agents and portals will be banned from advertising rental properties with non-compliant Energy Performance...

Confusion among renters over the complex Tenant Fees Act could trigger a surge in complaints about agents to redress schemes -...

The Times claims there have been well over 200 complaints lodged with redress schemes, alleging that lettings agents tried to charge...

A crackdown on letting agency websites by a Trading Standards team has found the significant majority of them to be breaking...

The government has published proposals for far-reaching changes to the way estate and letting agents are regulated, trained and licensed. The proposals...

The council for one of the wealthiest areas in the country says it will be “educating and advising letting agents” on...

One of the existing two government-authorised redress schemes governing estate and letting agents has called on landlords to voluntarily join, ahead...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks says it still believes there is an opportunity for the government to introduce mandatory inventory...

The Property Ombudsman is the latest property industry player to throw its support behind the introduction of mandatory qualifications and a...

Three one-day courses are being held this year - the first next week - aimed at updating letting agents on changes...

PropTech company PayProp says the government’s outline proposal for greater regulation of the private rental sector should be treated as good...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks says it is not surprised the majority of complaints made to The Property Redress Scheme...

The majority of MPs speaking at a House of Commons debate yesterday acknowledged they are wary of the 'unintended consequences' of...

A new report identifies in detail over 145 laws and regulations governing the private rental sector, varying across the four countries...

One of the leading eviction specialists is calling for unregulated companies offering similar services to sign up to redress schemes in...

At the latest meeting of the Fair Fees Forum, members described the current approach towards landlord licensing as a 'post code...

A survey of 1,000 tenants and landlords has provided evidence of what many agents already know - that the growing complexity...

A campaigning lettings agent is demanding action over what he suggests is a tenancy deposit system that is in need of...

The government will today announce that it is banning letting agents’ fees levied on tenants - meaning the fees will instead...

A Labour MP has told the House of Commons that letting agents are “completely unregulated” and that tenants are being “held...

The Property Ombudsman scheme has reported a 14 per cent increase in lettings membership since the government made it a legal...

As we reported yesterday, The Property Ombudsman has expelled two letting agencies and is warning consumers about the firms, which are...

Consumers are being warned by The Property Ombudsman redress scheme about the actions of two lettings agents based in Southampton.  Both agencies,...

Let Belle Vue, a lettings and property management agency in Darlington, has been fined £3,000 for not being in an official...

Who are you? I’m the Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme. I previously worked for Legal & General PLC dealing...

The trading standards division of a London council claims it has checked on all 202 letting agencies in its borough to...

One of Britain’s largest local authorities has beefed up its powers so it can issue fines of up to £5,000 on...

The Property Ombudsman scheme and The Deposit Protection Service are entering into a partnership with software specialist Fixflo to create a...

The PRS, one of three authorised redress schemes, is backing a ‘Fair Lettings’ campaign being introduced by Camden council in London. It...

York Council is seeking the introduction of fixed penalty notices for letting agents and landlords in the city who are found...

Unitary local authorities where trading standards and environmental health teams work to the same objectives are more successful at clamping down...

A letting agent is angry that there has not been a single prosecution in his region as a result of agencies...

Eleven letting agencies in just one city have been fined a total of £37,000 for not being members of any of...

The changes to tax relief for landlords comes on top of a blizzard of new health and safety requirements, regulations and...

The Property Redress Scheme, one of the three approved ombudsman-style redress schemes for estate and letting agents, is expanding into small...

After celebrating its year anniversary this week, Boris Johnson’s London Rental Standard has been criticised for signing up only 12% of...