Archive

Greater regulation of lettings agents, and all other property professionals, is required to ‘finish the job’ of reforming the industry which...

A tech firm claims the “vast majority” of agents who use WhatsApp and some other instant messaging platforms are not fully...

A prominent lettings agency chief says the lifecycle of a typical tenancy has been transformed in recent years, as a result...

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

The new material information requirements recently announced by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team will be the topic...

The small number of rental properties listed on websites and portals as Price on Application have now been deemed illegal by...

Propertymark has said that the government’s ban on ground rent on new leasehold properties should go further. The government revealed over the...

Propertymark has stepped up its call for a dedicated Housing Tribunal to improve mediation and enhanced dispute resolution. The trade body also...

Agents have been reminded they can claim tax relief on the membership fees they pay to professional bodies that are approved...

The allAgents reviews platform is calling on letting agents to ensure rental properties’ energy suppliers have up to date meter readings...

Theresa Wallace, the chair of The Lettings Industry Council, has given her backing to compulsory changes to rental property listings introduced...

Trading Standards and the government have jointly announced compulsory new data which must appear on property listings. A property's council tax band or...

For landlords, finding a tenant for a property can be challenging. Today, people expect modern, high quality, clean appliances as standard...

ARLA Propertymark has launched a radical programme of reform for the private rental sector - getting in before the government’s own...

How can agents improve their position in society? A report has been published following a roundtable discussion between prominent agency figures...

Perhaps few letting agents consider giving anything like rewards to tenants, but if they did there might be a case for...

Effective enforcement is crucial to stamp out rogue lettings agents and protect consumers says safeagent. In the latest edition of its Effective...

Jersey is calling for views on whether the island’s estate agents should be subject to greater regulation.  The island’s Economic and International...

Tell us about your role. I am the Customer Service Technology Group Manager at BSH (group brands include Bosch, NEFF and Siemens)...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? I’m Nathan Abbott, Head of Change Management at The Lettings...

Research from lettings management software provider teclet shows how important 24/7 transactions are in the industry today. Results show that 33 per...

Home appliances are often an area that can be overlooked when it comes to finalising kitchen designs, but having quality machines...

A PropTech chief says there’s substantial opportunity for letting agents to earn more revenue - so long as they understand their...

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

New rules out for consultation concerning block management aim to improve professionalism across the sector, root out rogue agents, and increase...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? I’m Heidi Shackell, CEO of The Lettings Hub. How has your...

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

Agents using Reapit now have access to tenant due diligence and guarantee firm Homeppl, which will assist in combating rental fraud. Homeppl...

It doesn’t seem that long ago that 2D floorplans were considered cutting edge – but it’s safe to say they’re now...

ESTAS has announced that SDL Property Auctions has become an executive partner for the 2021 Forum and Awards sponsored by Coadjute. In...

Over the last 15 months (basically since the ‘c’ word entered our daily vocabulary) agent websites has become more crucial than...

Agents managing properties with halogen or high-energy fluorescent lights will have to switch in the near future. The government is to ban...

Now is the ideal time for agents to consider their PropTech needs, as lockdown restrictions ease significantly and firms draw up...

Propertymark has produced new guidance for letting agents in the wake of the latest step on the roadmap out of Covid restrictions. It says:...

TM Group and sales progression solution mio have signed up as partners for the 2021 ESTAS Forum & Awards, sponsored by...

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

Real estate as an industry has remained unchallenged throughout all of these years. For the industry worth more than 217 trillion...

Rightmove has set out its innovation programme for the private rental sector. The portal has given over a substantial amount of its...

A clampdown on letting agents who fail to safeguard landlords’ and tenants’ money is now underway.  A statement from the National Trading Standards...

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agents Team is appealing to the industry to be eagle-eyed for scams. This follows the...

The new chief executive of Propertymark says being a member of the Association of Residential Letting Agents is a sign of...

The architect of the Regulation of Property Agents working group - which has called for agents to be trained and licensed...

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

One of the government’s approved client money protection schemes claims over 10 lettings agencies a week are closing. Client Money Protect makes the...

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

A new app claims to make it easier for agents to create virtual tours and instantly embed them in property portal...

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

Propertymark is staging a webinar later this month on the topical subject of referral fees. Last month the National Trading Standards for...

A prominent lettings agent and property management expert says the industry has been reluctant to recognise the increasing trend of consumers...

Letting agents and landlords have faced huge change and uncertainty this year, with Covid-19 the major driver. But even before the...

Putting fingers to keyboard to create blogs and articles isn’t always the easiest job for agents, particularly when meetings, viewings and...

It’s a given these days that your business needs to be on social media. Consumers spend a large portion of their...

Generating leads is a crucial and age-old part of estate agency. Before the internet, lead generation was just as important to...

Staying on top of the numbers and figures in a constantly changing industry can be stressful. Changing property prices can be...

The free to list portal Residential People is launching a machine-learning platform allowing agents to specifically target local landlords and emphasise...

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

The Guild of Property Professionals has set out what it thinks letting agents should be considering in the short, medium and...

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

One of the leading figures in the PropTech world is warning that letting agents must not be tempted into charging illegal...

The buy-to-let market has grown significantly in recent years as long-term renting becomes more popular and investors continue to see the...

The plethora of support companies around Airbnb and other short let platforms in the UK have told the government that it...

From midnight lettings agents in England have been able to resume work thanks to an amendment to Coronavirus legislation that was...

There’s been a substantial 20 per cent rise in formal complaints about agents taken up by The Property Ombudsman.  The figures refer...

A real estate litigation partner at a leading law firm is warning that the Coronavirus crisis could lead to an 18...

Hello, and we trust you had as good a weekend as possible in these difficult circumstances.  As we start a new week...

Good morning and welcome to the industry’s daily update on how we cope with the challenge of social distancing and self-isolation...

Letting agents will for the first time be able to use Open Banking to process payments more efficiently, following a decision...

The Property Ombudsman is warning agents not to discriminate against tenants through a No DSS or any similar policy. Following the legal...

The safeagent accreditation business says it has helped secure the conviction of a rogue lettings agent who falsely claimed membership of...

The PropTech platform Movebubble has upgraded its features to increase rivalry between lettings agents and thus enhance the renting experience for...

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

Property auctions – online or otherwise – can be hugely helpful to sellers, buyers and estate agents. Online auctions, in particular, are...

Home ownership is increasingly out of reach for British consumers, who say the market has become expensive and inaccessible and that...

  Zoopla says its new digital ‘guide’ programme has been a tremendous success and is evidence that the portal’s investment in new...

If letting agents want more satisfied clients and fewer disputes they should provide better information to tenants. That’s the view of PropTech...

A leading London lettings agent wants increased regulation over Airbnb in a bid to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. Martin Bikhit, managing...

Research by safeagent - the new name for the National Approved Letting Scheme - has found over 130,000 unlicensed properties in...

1. Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Terry Fisher, Marketing Director at Movebubble 2. What is Movebubble...

A call has been made for the best letting agencies and other rental sector professionals to show how they comply with...

Some of the private rental sector’s most experienced and respected experts believe it’s almost inevitable that a housing market crash is...

The Property Ombudsman has announced a slew of expulsions after six agents failed to comply with redress rules. They failed to abide...

Lettings software platform teclet has announced a strategic partnership with the Mortgage Advice Bureau. It means MAB’s intermediary products and services will...

The Ministry of Justice has announced that body-worn cameras must be worn by bailiffs recovering debt from individuals. The ministry adds that...

While we wouldn’t be so bold as to say the government gets its daily fix of property news from the Today...

Letting agencies can reduce the number of complaints about the industry and improve their own customer service and relationships by improving...

A leading buy to let specialist lender says the vast number of BTL mortgage products now on the market has made...

A holiday lettings company says it’s seen a 23 per cent increase in its portfolio over the past year as owners...

The best lettings agents will survive and shine through the ban of fees levied on tenants, which comes into effect this weekend. The...

The National Approved Letting Scheme has rebranded as safeagent.  NALS has helped coordinate the safeagent campaign since 2011, focussing during that time...

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has released its annual report for 2018, showing that for the first time the value of awards...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Taha Dar, founder and CEO of SearchSmartly. What is SearchSmartly and...

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

An accreditation scheme has been launched for the fast-growing sector of short lets and home sharing.  The UK Short Term Accommodation Association,...

Propertymark’s Money Shield service and the National Approved Letting Scheme have each received government approval to operate Client Money Protection schemes. From...

The Property Ombudsman says agents can display weekly rents for homes they market - but they should be displayed alongside monthly...

There’s been broad support from the lettings sector for the wide-ranging reform of the redress system announced yesterday by housing secretary...

A leading PropTech exponent is supporting the government’s Housing Court initiative, suggesting it could make redress for agents, landlords and tenants...

A new league table of worries for landlords shows exactly why letting agents are needed - and a lot of the...

The number of landlords exiting the market in the East of England is 100 per cent higher than the national average...

Zoopla is withdrawing its lettings listings from Facebook Marketplace, only three months after putting them on. Officially the withdrawal takes place this...

Lettings agents, landlords and consumers are being warned about a growing number of ‘for-profit’ companies claiming to be independent inventory trade...

Leading portals Zoopla and OnTheMarket have today announced that they will both be advertising agents' rental property listings on Facebook Marketplace. Marketplace...

Rent recognition platform CreditLadder, which enables renters to add their payments to their credit history, has announced a partnership which aims...

The rental market is being warned of the dangers from unsafe gas and electricity supplies caused by meter-tampering.  Research undertaken by the Grosvenor...

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertisement for a company that helps Airbnb hosts prepare and manage their properties for...

In a world increasingly obsessed with all things digital, it's no surprise that many estate agents are choosing to experiment with...

Which?, the consumer body that appears to be taking an increasingly-aggressive line against letting agents and landlords, has now issued a...

Airbnb is facing more attempts to regulate its short lets, this time with the European Commission calling on the platform to...

A PropTech company chief is backing the controversial idea of spot checks on private rental sector properties in a bid to...

Letting agents and others in the private rental sector have responded to the latest government intervention - a review into how...

A leading PropTech entrepreneur has renewed his call for letting agents to use more technology to clean up their act when...

This week marks a major milestone in Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's efforts to crack down on the capital's rogue letting...

Today Trading Standards teams across the country will highlight the work they do to protect landlords and tenants from rogue letting...

How can you use data to benefit and better your business? It’s something you’ll no doubt have asked yourself down the...

Consumers' money remains at risk until April 1 2019 is the key message of this year’s SAFEagent Awareness Week. Over the next...

The Property Ombudsman has issued its annual report for 2017 and it makes grim reading for the rental sector - there’s...

A leading PropTech entrepreneur says he welcomes reforms currently moving through Parliament to professionalise the lettings sector - but he wants...

The government has confirmed that all property agents in England will need to be part of an approved Client Money Protection...

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

The Property Ombudsman has released details of two letting agencies expelled over financial issues, and the extension of an expulsion period...

When it comes to growing your business sustainably, maintaining a brand that is eye-catching and identifiable with your audience is vital...

The Treasury has confirmed to Letting Agent Today that the ban on credit card surcharges which came into effect in recent...

The Property Ombudsman scheme has today announced three expulsions of agencies as a result of non-payment of rent or awards. Firstly, a...

Specialist buy to let lender Accord Mortgages says seven per cent of its business in 2017 came from first time landlords...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has come out against a single government-administered system for Client Money Protection in the private...

You have only until 11.45pm tonight to have your say on government proposals to clamp down on letting and managing agents...

Agency groups have spoken in favour of the government’s call for letting agents to be trained as a mandatory part of...

Trade organisatons have reacted predictably to the government’s latest announcements and publications concerning the private rental sector. Yesterday the Department of Communities...

Industry figures have broadly welcomed the latest consultations and proposed additional regulation for the lettings sector, announced by the government yesterday.   The...

Plans for new measures regarding leasehold tenancies to help create “a fairer property management system that works for everyone” have been...

Trading Standards says representatives from 15 departments will today visit lettings and property management firms across London in a bid to...

The annual report of The Property Ombudsman, released today, reveals that the largest compensation award of the year has been made...

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

Who are you? Rebecca Johnston What does it say on your business card? Managing Director (TDS Custodial) What is TDS Custodial? TDS Custodial is a government-approved...

This week, thousands of letting agents will be taking part in SAFEagent Awareness Week 2017. Agents taking part in the event –...

ARLA Propertymark says it will launch a campaign against the government’s proposed ban on letting agents’ fees levied on tenants “in...

The working group set up by the Department of Communities and Local Government to consider Client Money Protection says the scheme...

The Property Ombudsman scheme is backing a national campaign to help more consumers find reputable and trusted businesses and services.    Consumers are...

It seems prop-tech is exploding at a scary rate, and the latest brands are all trying to grab our attention by...

As the industry awaits the delivery of today's Spring Budget, the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) has called on the government...

Annoying isn’t it. You take on a stunning property, agree a compelling asking price and your Vendor is desperate to get the...

A branch of Foxtons has been fined £2,500 for failing to properly describe a fee charged to tenants.    The agency was caught...

The ESTAS awards have a new main category sponsor - PropTech company OneDome.   The OneDome service, launched last month, provides free-to-use information...

The ESTAS, the unique customer feedback and awards scheme for estate and letting agents and other sectors of the property industry,...

Two complaints about an advertisement for a property have been upheld by a watchdog - which has now banned a letting...

The Property Ombudsman scheme’s annual report, just released, reveals that there has been a dramatic 32 per cent surge in the...

The key lies in improving your customer experience through technology For Agents, the tremendous growth in online estate agents highlights a strong...

Several influential industry bodies have thrown their weight behind a review into whether Client Money Protection should be mandatory for letting...

Zoopla is set to launch what it claims to be the world’s first remote-viewing platform called Smart Viewing, enabling house hunters to view property remotely...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has formally welcomed its new presidential team for the year ahead. Nik Madan succeeds Peter Savage...

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

Next week letting agents across the country will be taking part in the fifth annual SAFEagent Awareness Week. The event aims to...

The NFoPP Awarding Body has announced those candidates scoring outstanding achievements in property qualifications completed during 2015.  In total, 11 winners were...

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,...

Three lettings groups have modified their advertisements after complaints were received by the Advertising Standards Authority. The UK Association of Letting Agents...

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

PropertyPal, a portal covering Northern Ireland, has launched a new Android app which allows consumers to ‘draw’ a defined area in...

A compliance expert has taken the Advertising Standards Authority to task over its guidance to letting agents on the advertising of...

SAFEagent is calling on the government to use the passage of the Housing Bill through Parliament to make a Client Money...

A survey of one Home Counties area shows that out of about 40 letting agents some 24 appear not to be...

Almost three-quarters of homeowners with interest-only mortgages - many of them buy to let landlords - are worried they may not...

The number of enquiries concerning lettings issues received by The Property Ombudsman in the past year was almost double the number of...

As the Conservative Party conference continues, a leading Tory has warned that "there is much further to go" on removing buy...

The Trading Standards Service has issued a warning to agents, landlords and consumers after independent tests on CO carbon monoxide alarms...

Given that I wrote my last article on the day of the General Election but well before the result was known,...

It’s been a fantastic month here at TenTel as more and more tenants and home owners switch their phone and broadband...

As this year’s SAFEagent Awareness Week draws to a close today and thousands of agents have been raising the profile of...

This week over 3,000 letting agents from across the UK will be taking part in the fourth annual SAFEagent Awareness Week...

This publication recently reported on Russell Quirk's latest attempt to upset the establishment, this time by attacking the hallowed ground of...

A set of ‘fees templates’ have been created for letting agents to download ahead of the legal requirement to display details...

I write this article on the day of the General Election so you’ll forgive the political analogies. In particular, how any...

No agent reading this will be under any illusions that the agency market is a particularly competitive sector to operate in.  I...