Archive

From this month, private tenants in Northern Ireland will have sufficient smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms installed in their homes for...

It’s been revealed by Propertymark that HM Revenue & Customs has fined agents over £1.6m for branches of anti-money laundering regulations. The...

Propertymark has come out with a strongly-worded statement accusing politicians in the Scottish Parliament of ignoring the industry’s views on rent...

Propertymark has renewed its call for agent comments on Material Information.  The trade body - in collaboration with TDS, The Guild of...

Propertymark says stricter rules for EPC ratings in the private rental sector must be backed up with incentives and financial support. The...

New figures from lettings agency Hamptons suggest that investors purchasing buy to let properties are increasingly looking to the north of...

A lettings agency chief says there’s growing discussion about rent controls in his area - and he fears this may be...

Leaks over the weekend from what would appear to be government sources suggest some 35 new Bills will be in the...

There’s a call from a prominent international building science service for the new Labour government to review the Energy Performance Certificates. EPCs...

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

Knight Frank says tenancies agreed in June for properties asking over £1,000 per week were at a level below the asking...

The decision of property developer Berkeley Group to enter the private rental sector is bad news for tenants, it’s claimed. Berkeley plans...

Outstanding council tax arrears have soared according to new government figures. Data from he Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities shows...

Labour has stepped up its programme clamping down on what it calls “unscrupulous landlords strangling growth.” Specifically this means ending bidding wars,...

A small survey by a bank suggests that almost 100% of buy to let investors surveyed have received requests from tenants...

Reapit has launched a new feature to help agents comply with material information guidelines from the National Trading Standards Estate and...

Mandatory smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms will be introduced to private rented sector properties in Northern Ireland.    Under the Smoke, Heat...

Software company COHO has presented wards to agencies, suppliers and individuals involved in the HMO business. The firm says the awards honour...

PropTech platform Goodlord has partnered with safety certificate provider Safe2 to offer compliance work for the lettings sector.  Safe2 - recently acquired...

Propertymark has come out in support of the National Trading Standards Estate and Lettings Agency Team’s probe into Rent-to-Rent.    NTSELAT has...

Some 50% of tenants who moved last year did so because their landlords decided to sell the property.  By contrast, eviction was...

The pressure on rents for new tenancies in Scotland’s private rented sector have started to ease with all major cities now...

Propertymark has urged Scotland’s new First Minister to end the country’s housing emergency. John Swinney is now First Minister and says he...

A housing company has been fined £528,000 after an employee repairing a fence post inadvertently struck an underground cable, suffering burns...

The head of a lettings agency in Kent says it would be a “practical solution” for second home owners to become...

Housing minister Lee Rowley will be taking centre stage at the largest property agency conference in the UK this summer, Propertymark...

There’s a huge number of amendments to the Renters Reform Bill, which has its Third Reading in the House of Commons...

Recent substantial fines issued by HMRC are a harsh reminder to agents to ensure that their Anti-Money Laundering policies are up...

You don’t have to simply accept things as they are when it comes to managing your client accounts. If your bank...

A deposit alternative service claims the cost of rent has outpaced salary growth by 5.2% over the past 10 years, leaving...

Political parties should stop bickering and instead work together to improve the private rental sector. That’s the view of the Lettings industry...

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

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

Propertymark wants HM Land Registry to provide more accessible and affordable services to its members.  HMLR launched a consultation last month as...

Agents have expressed their anger at permanent rent controls proposed by the SNP and Green Party politicians running the Scottish Government. The...

A new borough-wide landlord licensing scheme is set to launch in the London borough of Brent on April 1, the council...

It’s not easy for anyone - even professionals like lettings and estate agents - to keep up with the blizzard of...

Propertymark is urging the government to tackle the problem of banks closing down undesignated or pooled client accounts of letting agents. HM...

Propertymark says the regulation of agents has come a step closer.   The trade body gave evidence at a House of Lords Industry...

Countryside campaigning charity CPRE has given a warm welcome to Michael Gove’s clampdown on short lets. Earlier this week Housing Secretary Michael...

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has this morning announced wholesale changes to planning and regulations surrounding short lets. His proposals include: - planning permission...

The government has done a U-turn on its original policy to relax HMO regulations on private rental properties used by asylum...

The number of private tenants in properties that are hard to heat has fallen, a council claims. As agents will know private...

The Building Research Establishment - which undertakes research, advice, training, testing, certification and standards-setting for the housing sector - is calling...

Glasgow has been revealed as the UK city with the biggest rise in the number of buy to let properties in...

The Property Institute has welcomed a Labour Party move to introduce the regulation of property agents across much of the sector. Tabled...

Qualifications for property managers in the social housing sector should be extended to the private rental sector too. That’s the view of...

Summer looks like it’s going to be a hectic period for lettings agents and the private rental sector according to TV...

The letting agents’ trade body Propertymark says one of the UK governments should go further in ensuring the safety of tenants...

Propertymark has urged its members who feel frustrated by the changes to the Scottish Government’s so-called Cost of Living regulations ending...

Online rental platform Lettingaproperty is telling landlords to take a strategic approach to property management in 2024, to help navigate legislative...

Newspaper report claims some 710 properties have been put into the private rental market by the government - and they are...

The boss of a prominent UK lettings and property management agency says new regulations planned for the industry are to be...

A prominent housing market commentator says Labour would introduce a tougher version of the Renters Reform Bill if it forms the...

Propertymark has responded to two consultations on the proposals to introduce electrical safety standards and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in...

Repairs and maintenance supplier Fixflo is warning agents of a surge in demand for Electrical Installation Condition Reports in the short...

The government has launched a public consultation on a radical new UK home energy rating system to replace the long-standing Standard...

Private landlords are abandoning their property portfolios in unprecedented numbers, a group of surveyors claims. The Manchester-based chartered surveyors and auctioneers -...

A lettings agency has pleaded guilty to seven offences relating to an HMO. IHomes Letting Limited has been fined £16,970 for failing...

I think we can all agree that the National Trading Standards Material Information reforms are a good thing for the property...

Two of the highest profile PropTech suppliers to the lettings and wider property sectors have announced a merger. Reapit and PayProp say...

Sally Lawson of Agent Rainmaker writes: Online information sessions are a vital way to network with landlords and showcase your expertise. That’s what...

Parts B and C of the process to improve material information disclosure in property listings are published today within comprehensive new guidance...

Franchise giant Belvoir is the latest agency group to sign a deal with geospatial technology firm Kamma. The partnership will offer all...

Rightmove has teamed up with the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team to create a new course on compliance...

Propertymark has told politicians that an additional homes tax will not succeed in increasing housing supply. Timothy Douglas, head of policy and...

Average rents in Scotland for new tenancies in the private sector have risen by double digits for the fourth quarter in a...

A client account is essential to your lettings business, but the rules and regulations you need to follow to keep this...

A government minister has pledged to act on the threat to lettings agents posed by banks acting against pooled client accounts. Many...

It looks as if the government is accepting that there is a problem with how banks treat Pooled Client Accounts -...

Propertymark is introducing a new dedicated Lettings Helpline for ARLA members in England and Wales.  Until now Propertymark has provided members with access...

Propertymark has responded to an HM Treasury consultation on anti-money laundering processes - and in doing so it’s slammed “heavy handed...

Airbnb has taken the unusual step of buying space on an influential Labour Party website, just ahead of the party’s conference. Amanda...

Propertymark is urging agents to give it their views on two consultations on health and safety issues coming out of Northern...

New directives issued by the government put the emphasis firmly on private landlords and their letting agents to take responsibility for...

A survey of local authorities in some of the poorest areas of the country - bodies which enforce many private rental...

It’s vital for agents to have a process in place to check documentation received at their office, to avoid potential claims.  This...

A leading property agency is demanding more certainty over new Energy Performance Certificate regulations.  Fisher German says the government should act now...

Up to 160 regulations and responsibilities are overwhelming landlords and pushing them towards using agents, a prominent buying agent and property...

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

A report being considered by a council says one of the UK’s biggest cities could see an 80 per cent collapse in...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Lettings Agency Team has issued new guidance on terminology used in property advertising - particularly lettings. The...

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

Agents representing landlords of HMOs In Portsmouth are being warned by the council that their need to be licensed or face...

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

A consultation setting out proposals to reform domestic and non-domestic energy performance certificates has been opened by the Scottish Government.  It feels...

The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is being urged to act now to stop the problems banks are creating for letting agents. Following a...

HM Treasury has published a consultation on reform of the anti-money laundering supervisory system, giving four options. Currently the supervisory system is...

Stricter proposals for energy efficiency under review by the government risk damaging the private rental sector if they remain unchanged. That’s the...

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

Tomorrow sees the start of a month of webinars hosted by Rightmove to help agents understand compliance changes and how they...

Anti-money laundering consultancy FCS Compliance has announced its latest Webinar for agents using Rightmove. And with it comes a warning that the...

Three property management companies and a landlord have been fined approaching £80,000 for health and safety failings. Mohammed Ali Abbas Rasool, Cadogan...

Six letting agencies across the London borough of Haringey have been fined a total of £12,000 after a council clampdown. Trading Standards...

What objections are you hearing when you try and convert let-only landlords to fully-managed? Because the latest figures show just 18 per...

A Liberal Democrat council leader says all properties - even those in properly established lettings businesses - should be charged council...

A survey of nearly 700 letting agents from across England has revealed that the abolition of Section 21 continues to be...

A management company and a lettings agency involved in running a London HMO have been prosecuted for fire safety failures. Monsoon Properties...

The Nationwide Foundation - a charitable foundation founded by the Nationwide Building Society - says the Renters Reform Bill should be...

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