Archive

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

A lettings agency set up by a council to buy properties on the open market and let them at open market...

Knight Frank has set out its forecast for the rental sector for the rest of 2024 - notwithstanding political uncertainty. In the...

New figures showing no slowdown in the rate of private rental inflation is just additional “misery” for tenants, a leading financial...

Just as the prospect of tax rises in the Budget is causing uncertainty in the prime London sales market, so Labour’s...

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

New figures show the average inheritance tax (IHT) bill in 2021/22  rose to a new high of £215,000.  The number of estates...

Propertymark is today launching a consultation exercise, seeking the views of lettings and sales agents - amongst others - about Material Information...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has given a warm welcome to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s planning reforms. This week Rayner...

The Building Engineering Services Association has welcomed the new government’s commitment to reinforce the rules that require landlords and their agents...

While much of the property industry’s response to the King’s Speech focussed on government plans for rental sector and planning reform,...

The government’s renewed pledge to end Section 21 eviction powers for agents and landlords is fine, a leading industry figure has...

David Cox, the former chief executive of ARLA Propertymark and now a senior executive at Rightmove, says it’s unlikely we’ll see...

The trade union UNISON has partnered with activist group Generation Rent to demand root-and-branch reform of the private rental sector. Four key...

The incoming Labour government has a social mandate to support the next generation of homeowners in the UK, says financial PropTech...

The biggest rental sector headline from Labour’s manifesto may well be its pledge for the “immediate” abolition of Section 21 eviction...

Thousands of homes in central London may have been lost to Airbnb and other short let platforms, a Labour candidate claims. Rachel...

Fines totalling £108,000 have been issued to letting agents and landlords breaching HMO rules in part of London.  An additional HMO licensing...

A review of Edinburgh’s controversial short term lets licensing will take place this summer. City councillors agreed to publicly consult on the...

New rules on renewing leases may take years to come into effect, a leading property lawyer warns. The Leasehold Reform Act became...

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...

A new in-person real-time chat service for tenants claims to “assist all aspects of the rental experience.” The service comes from a...

Labour’s manifesto, just released, makes a pledge to enact the “immediate” abolition of Section 21 eviction powers, along with other private...

The Conservatives have this afternoon set out a 78-page manifesto, of which just over two pages are given to housing and...

Over the weekend the Conservatives pledged that if elected on July 4 they would permanently scrap stamp duty for first time...

An accountancy firm is warning those using Airbnb and similar short let platforms that new tax rules mean they could lose...

Labour is launching a new Freedom to Buy scheme to get 80,000 young people on the housing ladder, over the next...

London councils have slammed government plans for regulating the short-term and holiday lets sector. In a letter to Housing Secretary Michael Gove,...

Despite once claiming it would abolish Section 21 evictions “on its first day in office”, Labour appears to have gone cool...

The husband-and-wife directors of a Cornish lettings and estate agency have been disqualified from being company directors for a combined 12...

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

A snap poll of letting agents has revealed that only a tiny percentage have taken steps to prepare for the shift...

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

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

The chief executive of one of Britain’s largest franchise agency chains is warning that rents may no longer be able to...

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

A lawyer says radical rental reforms proposed for Scotland - which could be a model for change in England and Wales...

It feels as though the UK housing market is waiting for something to happen. The prevailing mood is one of anticipation with...

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

London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan says he will build 6,000 “affordable” rental homes by 2030 - with their rents capped. Khan, standing...

Tenant groups and charities reacted angrily over the Easter weekend to the proposed changes to the Renters Reform Bill being advocated...

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

Propertymark is highlighting new advice for agents and landlords given by Lets With Pets, the website of The Dogs Trust charity. The...

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

Propertymark has urged the Sunak government to press ahead with leasehold reform ahead of the Second Reading of the Leasehold and...

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

Sharpened rules to double council tax on long term empty properties will come into force from April 1, says the government.  A...

Airbnb - which recently announced it’s sharing some information about its landlord hosts with HMRC - is now sharing data with...

A Parliamentary committee has heard that thousands of small and medium-sized letting agencies were debanked in 2023, with financial institutions forcibly...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Budget is set to hit Build To Rent. The British Property Foundation is reacting to news that Multiple dwellings...

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

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

The trade body representing short lets providers and support companies has reacted angrily to government proposals for a radical shake up. Housing...

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

The government has ruled out any reform to the council tax system. There has been long standing criticism of council tax because...

Propertymark’s property auction division - NAVA - has given ringing endorsement to the Material Information changes demanded under new Trading Standards...

The benefits for letting agents to outsource their client accounting is well documented, however with an increasing number of options available,...

Government figures suggest the UK population could reach nearly 74m as soon as 2036, largely attributed to rising net migration. This is...

Seventeen housing organisations have sent an open letter to the government rejecting its idea of prioritising British families when it comes...

Fines for agents and landlords who breach Right To Rent rules increase today from £80 per lodger and £1,000 per occupier...

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

Propertymark is hosting an Understanding Material Information for Lettings Agents on Thursday January 18 from 1230 to 1400. The National Trading Standards...

New rent control proposals put forward by politicians are unnecessary and too costly according to a leading property expert.  David Alexander -...

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...

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

A register launched to shed light on overseas property ownership in the UK now has over 30,000 registrations.  The Register of Overseas...

Agents’ trade body Propertymark says the current debate on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill is another example of how agent...

Two property company bosses have been sentenced following an Insolvency Service investigation which found they had abused a £30,000 Bounce Back...

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

A new report claims that Airbnb has generated tens of thousands of jobs in the UK and enables people to work...

It looks like more politicians are preparing a U-turn on energy efficiency rules for the private rental sector. Media reports indicate there...

Changes put forward to the Renters Reform Bill to crack down on rogue landlords, protect vulnerable residents and improve the safety of...

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...

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

Labour deputy leader and shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner has given her party’s conference an outline of future policy plans. She says:...

Social housing provider Caridon Property is hosting a series of free seminars to prepare letting agents for the migration of Housing...

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

Propertymark has given strong support to the government’s “flexible and affordable” approach to the green policy agenda,  Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy...

A new survey reveals that rental properties with an EPC rating below C are already more difficult to sell to other...

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

Private rents have continued to soar in Scotland according to DJ Alexander, the largest lettings agency in the country.  It says rental...

A move to stop HMOs being used as Airbnb or other short lets has been put forward in the westcountry -...

Propertymark has created a series of fact sheets to help letting agents understand the Building Safety Act 2022, which carries complex...

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

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

Airbnb has issued a statement responding to the call for a clampdown on short lets demanded by Labour’s outspoken London Mayor,...

The looming threat of the abolition of Section 21 is already impacting the rental market, a legal firm is warning.  Dutton Gregory’s...

A property industry commentator wants buy to let mortgage rules to be relaxed so that frustrated sellers can let out their...

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

A new action plan to tackle issues around HMOs is being drawn up by a Midlands council next week. West Northamptonshire council’s...

A new assessment of the average cost to a UK property owner of improving their EPC rating suggests it’s soared to...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is today charing a crisis meeting of mortgage lenders, as calls mount for him to take action to...

A seasoned property lawyer who has specialised in residential landlord and tenant law for 22 years says she is embarrassed at...

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

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...

A webinar says the Renters Reform Bill is the biggest challenge facing lettings agents - and it’s prompted calls to a...

A prominent group of economists has predicted the measures in the Renters Reform Bill will backfire on the government. Matthew Lesh, Director...