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KEYWORD "Crime" - 100 RESULTS
Powers to evict anti-social tenants set to be beefed up

Propertymark has welcomed proposed reforms to evict tenants who show persistent anti-social behaviour.   In 2018, a Northern Ireland Department of Justice consultation...

12 March 2024

From: Breaking News

New Banking Scandal as thousands of agency accounts are closed

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

11 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Companies House clampdown on dodgy agents’ data and information

Companies House has new powers from this week to combat fraud. These are measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act...

05 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Inspirational broadcast star to address Propertymark One

Inspirational broadcaster and author Katie Piper is set to take to the stage at the Propertymark One Conference at the ExCel...

15 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Regulating agents will make property ownership more transparent - claim

Propertymark says the regulation of property agents and the creation of a statutory Code of Practice can improve the transparency of...

14 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Rental scams could soar as AI spreads, warns industry figure

A prominent industry expert says lettings agents and other property sector insiders should be extra-vigilant over cybersecurity breaches. Neil Cobbold, managing director...

12 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Jailed! Agency owner who helped Albanian gang create huge drug empire

A wealthy landlord who set up a fake lettings agency in Hull has been jailed for 11 years for allowing ‘ghost tenants’ to...

07 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Lettings agency was front for multi million pound drugs gang

An organised crime group involved in producing and distributing an estimated £2.4m of cannabis has been found to have e used...

10 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Agents’ views sought for large HMO licensing scheme

Agents, landlords and others’ views are being sought in a consultation on proposals to introduce a borough-wide additional licensing scheme for...

09 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Foreign ownership property registration scheme hailed a success

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

27 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Warning over winter rise in meter tampering and energy theft

New data reveals a 68 per cent surge in reports of meter tampering and energy theft during winter. The data - revealed...

31 October 2023

From: Breaking News

Police urge agents to smoke out illegal cannabis farms

Police are urging letting agents and landlords to act swiftly if they think one of their properties is being used as...

26 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Agency removes video tour of flat where murder took place

A lettings agency has removed a video of an apartment where a murder took place, following an approach by a national...

11 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Agency pushes Build To Rent advantages over Buy To Let

Knight Frank, in conjunction with Build To Rent operator Moda Living, has published a highly supportive report about BTR. Creating what it’s...

31 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Cannabis Farms - agents asked to smoke out culprits

Five regional police and crime commissioners have written to letting agents highlighting the problems of cannabis farms in private rental properties.  The...

21 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Propertymark’s plan to curb economic crime in our industry

Propertymark has put forward a six-point plan to slash economic crime in the property sector. The trade body says a series of...

17 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Agency accused of fake claims over tenants’ deposits

A lettings agency has been accused of falsely claiming deposits were being held in a deposit protection scheme and other related...

24 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents jailed for role in multi-million-pounds drugs crimes

Two agents who helped establish a multi-million-pound drugs ring in two cities have been jailed. Ossama Omar and Mohamed Latif ran Platinum...

21 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Agency fined for its role in illegal HMO letting

A London lettings agency has been ordered to pay over £12,000 in a fine and costs for its part in running...

11 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Agencies risk Reputational Damage - new warning to industry

Lettings agencies which rely on manual means of verification are risking repetitional damage caused by anti-money laundering regulations, a digital compliance...

11 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents in the frame as fraud compliance measures beefed up

Corrupt elites and criminal gangs who abuse the property and financial sectors will be identified and stripped of their cash, the...

05 April 2023

From: Breaking News

New eviction powers to get rid of anti social tenants

Landlords and agents acting on their behalf are to be given more powers to evict unruly tenants who ruin neighbours’ lives...

27 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Agent Alert - National Crime Agency at upcoming Rightmove webinar 

The National Crime Agency has the starring role at the first Rightmove Anti-Money Laundering webinar of the year, to be held next...

17 January 2023

From: Breaking News

Eviction court delays to rise as spending cuts bite - Law Society warning

Agents and landlords are to face even longer waits for eviction court cases following the spending cuts announced in the Autumn...

22 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Big rise in cash fines for agencies flouting AML regulations

There’s good news and bad news for letting agents on the anti-money laundering front. The good news is that the overall number...

23 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Compliance negligence could cost agents, warns Propertymark

Propertymark is urging lettings agents to familiarise themselves with recent updated guidance to avoid falling into non-compliance. The trade body says updated...

15 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency warns licensing won’t stop rogues and may deter good landlords

A lettings agency says the cost of living crisis calls into question the viability of a selective licensing scheme in its...

05 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Big rise in agencies suspecting financial crimes - claim

A company claims that some 18 per cent of property firms have seen a rise in criminals attempting to launder money...

18 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Agent regulation needed on top of rental sector reforms - Propertymark

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

26 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Agencies targeted by crime syndicates, claims trade body

The UK lettings and estate agency is being targeted by crime syndicates in order to launder dirty money. That’s the claim of...

27 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Agents Alert - radical rental reforms shift power to tenants

The government’s new Levelling Up White Paper, revealed this morning, includes a radical reshaping of the private rental sector. Section 21 eviction...

02 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Fraud - Agents have key role to deter crime

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

24 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Fraudulent tenant applications rife in some rental properties - claim

A PropTech firm claims to have saved a client more than £160,000 by preventing a criminal from illegally renting one of...

20 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Property Fraud - how agents can combat a growing threat

Property fraud is on the rise and early in 2022 agents will have an opportunity to attend a webinar featuring a...

10 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Controversy as cryptocurrency investors focus on buy to let

Property is fast becoming a preferred investing option for advocates of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, an investment company claims.  Sequire Property Investment...

26 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Parliament to discuss Sex For Rent scandal today

The House of Lords will today discuss the apparently-growing Sex for Rent scandal. Campaigners say a search on websites such as Craigslist...

22 November 2021

From: Breaking News

One of UK’s largest licensing schemes revealed - consultation starts today

Consultation begins today on a selective licensing scheme for privately rented housing in 25 wards of Birmingham. Under the suggested scheme, all...

25 October 2021

From: Breaking News

Council boasts of court cases and fines against letting agents

One of the local authorities with the tightest clampdowns on letting agents has issued a statement celebrating its successes. Tower Hamlets council in...

19 October 2021

From: Breaking News

Lettings agent jailed after £182,000 fraud

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

20 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Airbnb launches scheme to give hosts health and safety information

Airbnb has launched a scheme it calls the UK Trust and Safety Alliance to offer hosts information on health, safety and...

23 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Beware of property and other investment scams - warning

The Citizens Advice consumer charity is warning that fake investment scams are amongst the fraudulent activity that’s on the rise across...

23 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Online agency’s new guide to avoid tenants falling victim of scams

The online lettings platform Mashroom has set out a list of guidelines it’s offering to prospective tenants to avoid them falling...

04 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Nightingale Courts to continue as possession case backlog rises

In an exclusive, the Daily Telegraph says emergency courtrooms will be used after their funding runs out over the comning summer...

26 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Jail threat after fraud team probes HMO with illegal extensions

A landlord who built unlawful extensions to a family home and squeezed up to 14 people into the rooms has forfeited...

19 February 2021

From: Breaking News

“Horrible crime” of illegal eviction probed by police

A 24 month community order and 200 hours of unpaid work are the price being paid for an unlawful eviction.  Buy to...

15 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Agents invited to upcoming anti-money laundering webinar

Rightmove is to host an anti-money laundering webinar next week, aimed at lettings and sales agents. The event, which is entitled Five...

13 November 2020

From: Breaking News

No evictions until January 11 aside from extreme cases

The government has formally announced a pause in evictions in England until January 11 at the earliest. The only exceptions to this...

06 November 2020

From: Breaking News

New lockdown means evictions effectively off-limits for months

It is thought likely that the new four week lockdown in England coming into effect on Thursday will mean evictions will...

02 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Top tips on how to ensure your AML procedures are up to scratch

The property market, and therefore, estate agents have been accused of being the 'weak link' in the UK’s money laundering defences. This...

29 October 2020

From: Legislation & Compliance

Fake lettings agent almost conned £1,500 out of tenants

A fake lettings agent has been caught trying to cheat prospective tenants out of £1,500 which she claimed was a deposit...

26 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Eight new Nightingale Courts to help clear possession backlog

Much has been made of the backlog of court cases - including landlords’ possession attempts - and now the Ministry of Justice...

24 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Don’t get scammed - police force warns about bogus property ads

A police force is warning potential tenants to check before handing over money after scammers conned people into making rent pre-payments...

23 September 2020

From: Breaking News

‘Necessary’ licensing scheme still not agreed a full YEAR after consultation

Back in March 2019 we covered the story that Weymouth council in Dorset wanted a landlord licensing scheme for a town...

04 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Jail threat for BTL investor who falsely claimed benefits

A  buy to let investor has been sentenced to two years in prison after claiming income support despite being a professional portfolio...

03 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Properties seized from landlord who held group of men as slaves

A buy to let investor who kept a group of men as slaves – making them work 90-hour weeks in return...

04 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Council wants county-wide selective licensing to be introduced

Another council is consulting on introducing a selective licensing scheme - and again it claims it will “create better housing for...

28 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Porsche-driving agent crook repays just £43,000 of missing £241,000

A jailed letting agent in a long-running legal saga has now been told she must repay her victims some £43,000 -...

25 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Shocking claim that one-in-50 London homes is a short let

New research claims that one in every 50 homes in the capital is let on a short-term platform like Airbnb or...

24 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents Beware: new anti-money laundering rules kick-in today

It’s here - the Fifth EU Money Laundering Directive comes into force today with significant challenges and implications for letting agents. The...

10 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Lettings agency boss jailed for £230,000 fraud scandal

A Southampton lettings agency owner has been jailed after defrauding landlords and tenants out of £230,000. Andrew Whitehead has been jailed for...

19 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Landlord fined £340,000 in 2017 is now fined another £150,000

A rogue landlord has been fined more than £150,000 after failing to rectify safety hazards in a property he let. Latif Rehman...

02 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Owner hit with £60,000 in fines over substandard property

A landlord has been hit with court fines for a fourth time for failing to properly manage his rental properties.  Landlord Jack...

27 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Property firm and landlord fined £22,000 for issuing ‘sham licences’

A rogue landlord and the property company he ran have been fined £22,000 for dishing out ‘sham licences’ to tenants in...

20 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Tenants’ biggest election issue? Well, it’s not housing...

One might have thought that if private rental tenants were as badly treated as some people suggest, housing would be their...

18 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Crooked agent steals thousands ... and pays back just £850

A north of England letting agent who conned home owners out of thousands of pounds has been ordered to pay it back...

12 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Absolute Rubbish: agent fined over six-foot mound of garbage

An east London lettings agency must pay more than £2,500 after a six-foot-high pile of waste was found fly-tipped on land...

21 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Online lettings agency at heart of money laundering crimes

Three criminals have been sentenced after pleading guilty to money laundering involving an online lettings agency. The sentences follow an investigation spearheaded...

18 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Crooked lettings agent in court again after row over solicitors

A lettings agent jailed in March for taking £220,000 from tenants and landlords is now in trouble over her legal representation. Heather...

14 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Buy to let con-man must pay back £48,000 rent or go to prison

A man who claimed he needed a council house but was actually a landlord has been ordered to pay back more...

07 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Empty buy to let with wild garden reaps £7,000 bill for owner

A buy to let investor has been fined £4,800 and ordered to pay £2,200 in costs for failing to keep his...

19 June 2019

From: Breaking News

Housing minister dragged into mystery of agency owing thousands

A Midlands MP says he has spoken with housing minister Kit Malthouse about the case of a two-branch lettings agency that...

24 May 2019

From: Breaking News

£1.2m confiscated from rogue buy to let firm and landlord

A London council has won one of the largest-ever Proceeds of Crime claims from an unscrupulous buy to let investor. Andre Charles Trepel,...

02 May 2019

From: Breaking News

Proceeds of Crime Act to be used against jailed agents, council confirms

Cornwall council has confirmed that it’s to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to try to win compensation for victims of...

25 April 2019

From: Breaking News

Rental fraud warning after shocking scam attempts

Prospective tenants are being warned about a fraud scam that cons people into paying an advance fee to rent a property. The...

04 April 2019

From: Breaking News

Lies, illegal flats and hidden tenants lead to suspended jail sentence

A buy to let investor who hid families in windowless rooms after failing to get planning permission for a block of...

28 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Scandal: Agent steals £350,000 but pays back just one pound

A lettings agent who stole over £350,000 is reported to have been told to pay back…£1. Local media in the south of...

27 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Here we go again: More councils want licensing schemes

Leicester is the latest council to begin consultations on selective licensing in six parts of the city - with the threat...

22 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Crooked letting agent had a Land Rover, Porsche and a Florida home

A crooked letting agent took £220,000 from tenants and landlords and has been exposed as buying a home in Florida, renting...

18 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Another London council launches additional licensing scheme for HMOs

Haringey council is the latest local authority in the capital to create a borough-wide additional licensing scheme for HMOs. It claims the...

12 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Agent lied about working for company even after being sacked

A rogue lettings agent has been fined over £72,000 after being found guilty of 15 separate offences relating to three illegally established houses...

07 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Red Card for Red Light agent who ran a brothel rented from his firm

The head of a Hertfordshire lettings agency has pleaded guilty to managing a brothel, according to a statement from the police. He’s...

26 February 2019

From: Breaking News

What is the risk?

The Money Laundering Regulations require estate agents to risk assess their business relationships and apply an appropriate level of investigation to...

20 February 2019

From: Sponsored Content

First Client Money Protection scheme wins approval ahead of deadline

Client Money Protect has gained formal government approval to operate a client money protection scheme when the regulations go live on...

20 February 2019

From: Breaking News

More councils want to increase rental sector licensing regimes

More local authorities have announced that they want to increase the size of the areas covered by their existing selective licensing...

19 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Buy to let investor facing the music after illegally evicting DJ tenant

A landlord who left his tenant homeless after changing the locks while he was on holiday has been hit with a...

19 February 2019

From: Breaking News

PropTech can help prevent fraud – here’s how

Sometimes, running a lettings agency can feel as if you’re losing control of client money. Recent cases of property management fraud such...

07 February 2019

From: Sponsored Content

Trading Standards prosecutes over criminal activity at rental property

A Trading Standards team has prosecuted a landlord who allegedly 'knew' criminal activity was taking place in his buy to let...

28 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Pay-back time: Court tells buy to let couple to refund over £330,000

A court has ordered a husband and wife pair of buy to let investors to pay back £322,282 in illegal income. A...

18 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Confiscation orders on landlords could set precedent for private rental sector

A local authority claims that a court decision may set a legal precedent for other councils across the UK using the...

17 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Buy to let couple have a choice - pay £150,000 or imprisonment

A couple from east London who illegally converted a town centre office block into 14 flats have been ordered to pay...

10 December 2018

From: Breaking News

£450,000: is this a record penalty for a buy to let landlord?

We regularly carry stories about fines for landlords and letting agents who have apparently broken council or national laws - but...

26 November 2018

From: Breaking News

Proceeds of Crime Act used against rogue buy to let investor

Luton landlord Mervyn Kupshik has been ordered to pay nearly £30,000 to the Local council - and if he doesn’t do...

19 November 2018

From: Breaking News

Agency boss admits hundreds of thousands in fraud and theft charges

The former owner of a lettings agency has admitted charges of fraud, false accounting and theft involving some hundreds of thousands...

29 October 2018

From: Breaking News

Jail for men who 'made up' VAT returns for franchise lettings branch

A man who submitted false VAT returns for the Lincoln franchise branch of Martin & Co for a period of six...

08 October 2018

From: Breaking News

Uproar after police say they're not investigating missing agent

There has been a furious response from landlords and tenants to a police letter which says a local force is not...

25 September 2018

From: Breaking News

Missing lettings agent and missing money - new call for police action

There’s a growing call for more police action over tracing a lettings agent who is apparently missing - as is some...

17 September 2018

From: Breaking News

Warning over dangers of utility meter-tampering in private rental sector

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

20 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Jailed for five years: the agent who stole £700,000 from clients

A letting agent who stole a reported £700,000 from clients has been jailed for five years and has been described by...

06 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Gas fitter jailed after carrying out unsafe work on buy to let units

A self-employed gas fitter has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after he carried out unsafe gas work while falsely...

06 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Lettings agency conned out of £34,000 by employee

The former office manager of an estate agency in Scunthorpe conned her employer out of over £34,000, a court has heard. Local...

30 July 2018

From: Breaking News

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