Archive

Councils that have been awarded additional cash injections by government could use their windfalls to enhance their enforcement of the private...

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

[Letting Agent Today was ‘off air’ for some of Wednesday and most of Thursday thanks to technical problems - we apologise to...

Most landlords are wary of the potential damage, smells and noise complaints that can come with accommodating a tenant with pets....

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

Professional client account solutions for modern letting agents Letting agents will need to come up with new ways to manage client money...

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

A leading industry figure is calling on agents to have a Plan B ready if their bank closes undesignated client accounts.  This...

One of the key players in the ultra-competitive deposit alternative sector has announced a massive and new $11m investment. Flatfair says that...

The first ‘state of the industry’ report on the lettings agency sector since the introduction of the fees ban suggests individual...

If the government follows through with its plan to scrap Section 21 there could be more work for agents as a...

In the last ten years Google's revenue, largely from pay per click ads (Adwords), has grown by 527% (Source: Statista). In...

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

The head of an automated payment system for the rental sector says lettings agents can help offset losses caused by the...

The mandatory Client Money Protection scheme membership that comes into effect today will protect landlords and tenants from letting agents that...

A regional fire service says a tragic anniversary is a good opportunity for agents and landlords to remember their legal obligations...

The London-focussed lettings agency Portico is expanding its short-lets service Portico Host into Manchester and Liverpool - but it isn’t spending...

English letting agencies could lose over £60,000 each in the next two years alone as a result of the Tenant Fees...

Zero Deposit, the firm set up by former Zoopla commercial director Jon Notley, says it now has around 850 offices using...

The death of the high street agency is a familiar headline, but PropTech can lower costs for bricks-and-mortar agencies and help...

The controversial landlord Fergus Wilson says he has purchased a Body Worn Camera for £75 in a bid to avoid at...

The Association of Residential Letting Agencies has set up a course - for non-members as well as members - on Ending...

Belvoir says a surge in business for its Assisted Acquisition Programme is because of the challenging market and upcoming fees ban...

Two independent agencies have joined forces in a bid to minimise damage caused by next year’s ban on fees levied on...

One of London’s leading letting agencies says in the current neutral rental market, buy to let owners must work hard to...

Channel 4’s hit comedy Stath Lets Flats shows the funny side of running a lettings agency but one of the country’s...

The Zoopla-backed Zero Deposit scheme has launched what it calls “a heavyweight advertising campaign” - and unsurprisingly, it’s across the Zoopla...

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

Spicerhaart says that with the lettings agency industry under attack there is a danger of some within the sector focussing too...

The Scottish rental market performed solidly in the last year, with the average rent rising by 0.6 per cent to hit...

A second journalist at the London-based financial newspaper City AM has launched an attack on letting agencies - while the furore...

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

Some letting agencies and selected landlords are being asked to take part in a new survey investigating views and experiences in...

A lettings agency apparently trying to get around HMO regulations has been prosecuted for licensing and housing offences.  Easy Let Agency let...

Two of the leaders of PropTech company Goodlord have revealed some of the issues that this month drove the company to...

NoAgent, an online service charging landlords a fee to manage their properties, is the latest to offer a link between tenants’...

Two letting agencies have removed advertisements after complaints were filed to the Advertising Standards Authority. The first case involved LSL Property Services...

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

A claim has been made that as many as 80 per cent of prospective tenants have been put off renting a...

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

One of the most dramatic changes in the UK’s private rental sector regulations is set to take place in five weeks...

Online lettings agency Upad says that with the volume of purpose-built student accommodation set to increase 17 per cent this year,...

The housing charity Shelter - which in recent years has been aggressively critical of letting agencies and landlords in the private...

Repairs software provider Fixflo has issued its annual state-of-the-lettings-industry report - with fees the biggest concern to letting agents.   Some 42 per...

Labour's housing spokesman has called on the government to give councils greater powers over the regulation of the private rental sector.   In...

A survey for online letting agency Upad claims that 66 per cent of landlords are not going to change their property...

An attempt by a Labour council to encourage letting agencies to get ahead of the curve and scrap fees for tenants...

Landlords who rent out their property via online letting agents are in a stronger position to deal with new financial and...

A company which already runs a student accommodation lettings service online is to expand and open a general online lettings agency...

The UK Association of Letting Agents is putting out an appeal to the agency industry to ensure it is not accidentally...

The results of a survey of 2,000 people conducted by an online letting agency appear to make sombre reading for letting...

If you think Airbnb and similar platforms have received a rough ride from some UK letting agencies and the hospitality industry,...

Newham council is to set up the UK’s first letting agents rating scheme to protect residents and landlords from rogue agents.   The...

Purplebricks has announced that its lettings director, Richard Jacques, has sold a total of 60,000 shares in the hybrid agency.   Jacques sold...

An online agency claims landlords who use online operators are likely to reduce average void periods by up to a week.    In...

A poll for Moneywise magazine and website suggests over three quarters of respondents would be willing to use an online estate...

Reports from Australia suggest some of the country’s leading letting agencies have inserted clauses into their tenancy contracts to ban renters...

New research shows that thousands of landlords are using what are described as “risky online sites” in their bid to avoid...

A group of letting agencies in Yorkshire have proposed to the government a radical alternative to the proposed fees ban -...

A string of corporate letting agencies plus ARLA Propertymark have again called on the government to reconsider its proposed ban on agents’...

Two lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman redress scheme.   As we reported when the story broke yesterday afternoon, one...

Two lettings agencies have this afternoon been expelled from The Property Ombudsman redress scheme. In one case, TPO expelled Lettings Solutions Ltd...

The campaign group Acorn, which has in the past named individual letting agencies that it claims are charging unfairly high fees,...

Hybrid agency Purplebricks has given details of a mystery shopping exercise it has undertaken across over 280 letting agencies throughout the...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is calling on the government to either extend the consultation period for the proposed ban...

Almost 20 per cent of the landlords using an online letting agency are apparently unaware of the mortgage interest tax relief...

The website of a respected political weekly journal says Right To Rent’s immigration checks provide cover for “buy to let bigots”...

An online letting agency has sharply criticised student accommodation branded as affordable yet costing, it claims, nearly twice the maximum maintenance...

In an era when the relationship between local councils, letting agencies and landlords appears permanently fraught, there is good news from...

There was a sigh of relief amongst the lettings industry that yesterday's Budget introduced no new property taxes - but concern...

Upad, which claims to be Britain's larges online lettings agency, says Manchester has seen a 100 per cent increase in buy to...

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

An online lettings agency specialising in student accommodation has raised £310,000 to grow its business.    StudentTenant says its aim is to rival conventional...

A group of students in Bristol has won a court case after a lettings agency acting for a landlord deducted money...

Right To Rent is encouraging discrimination against international students according to a student lts online service.    Government figures marking the first anniversary...

A total of 17 letting agencies have signed up to a rental charter set up by a Labour MP.   Alan Whitehead, Labour...

The need for letting agencies to assist landlords with the increasingly-complicated private rental sector has been hammered home by the results...

A letting agency which has pleaded guilty of poorly managing a house in multiple occupation has ended up with a bill...

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

The Fair Fees Forum, a platform for letting agencies and trade bodies set up by the National Approved Lettings Scheme, has...

Four letting agencies and a number of local councillors in York appear to have reached a voluntary agreement to reduce the...

Cheshire West and Chester Council has launched a scheme for private landlords offering some of the services more typically associated with...

Online agency Upad claims it has seen a 44 per cent annual growth in repeat business for its digital lettings service,...

Letting agencies and landlords must club together to campaign for a cap on agents' fees charged to tenants, rather than an...

What appears at first sight to be a low-level dispute between a landlord and a council has raised what may be...

The managing director of one of the most prominent letting agencies in Edinburgh and Glasgow - where agents’ fees on tenants...

Online estate agent Urban.co.uk says it has created a league table of fees that tenants are charged by agencies in different locations...

Many agencies have spoken out in dismay at the announcement by government that letting agency fees on tenants would be banned...

Two charities that have been at the forefront of campaigns to have a ban on letting agents’ fees on tenants have...

Another two independent letting agencies have been acquired by the Property Services Holding Group. comprising Leaders and Romans. Leaders has completed the...

One the leading letting agencies in Brighton has sharply criticised a proposal by the local council to introduce a selective licensing...

A well-known mortgage broker is quoted as saying that buy to let organisations are complaining too much over tax changes for...

Crooked letting agencies have been convicted of stealing £1,018,100 of deposits this year alone – and one agent claims this figure...

Letting agents and landlords are being reminded to comply with an obligation to remove ‘to let’ signs in certain parts of...

Canterbury is the latest council to consider setting up its own letting agency. The authority hopes to tempt private landlords with promises...

On Friday afternoon Letting Agent Today broke the news of four letting agencies being expelled by The Property Ombudsman - and...

Four separate estate and letting agencies have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman and from registration for lettings redress...

Linley & Simpson, which already has a network of 11 branches across north and west Yorkshire, has taken over the entire...

A gunman who described himself as a would-be tenant has been jailed after two “terrifying” robberies on letting agencies.  The Enfield Independent...

A study of just over 1,000 students suggests that 58 per cent use online sources to find accommodation while only 25...

Ensuring potential tenants have passed reference checks is the key priority for landlords when selecting an agent to let their property,...

Hybrid letting and sales agency Purplebricks is ramping up its attack on high street agents with a claim that prospective tenants...

Two letting agencies feature amongst the winners of The ESTAS Agent of the Month competition for July.     Each secured their success...

An online agency says it has attracted ”many hundreds” of landlords by giving 12 months’ rent up-front. LetMe also offers a guarantee...

Franchise agency Hunters is urging other letting agencies to become a SAFEagent to offer more secure services to landlords and tenants. “We’re...

A report from Citizens Advice claims to show that a city’s letting agents charge a complex array of fees - with...

easyProperty says it’s backing a Labour MP’s bid to cap letting agents‘ fees on tenants “in order to provide a more...

A Labour MP has presented Parliament with a petition urging that letting agents’ fees should be capped. There were a modest 1,500...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks says the government should not back a provision in the Renters' Rights Bill which would...

  A letting agent who scammed dozens of tenants and landlords out of more than £220,000 of rents and deposits has been...

Letting agencies Your Move and Reeds Rains claim rents have started to drop in many areas following the arrival of a...

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

An online platform aiming to link letting agents with tenants and landlords has raised £2m and now promises to use it...

Two former University of Lincoln students are to launch a students-only lettings portal on June 1, allowing agencies and private landlords...

An ‘ethical lettings charter’ set up over a year ago by a pressure group for improved private rental sector housing has...

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

The charity Shelter has renewed its campaign to expose letting agencies which allegedly do not reveal their fees in line with...

The latest survey of arrears in England and Wales suggests the level now stands at 9.1 per cent of all rent...

A housing law expert says landlords should consider using not-for-profit letting agencies, claiming they have “no big overheads” and have a...

Countrywide - which has already acquired a string of letting agencies in recent months - continues to demonstrate its emphasis on...

One of London’s major letting agencies is urging landlords to take a cautious approach to whether they should incorporate in a...

Average rents are now rising on a monthly basis for the first time since September, up 0.1 per cent between January...

A London lettings has tweeted that it does not share the view of one of its own branch managers who said...

A record 30,000 surveys have been submitted to the organisers of The ESTAS awards on the performance of estate and letting...

Countrywide chief executive Alison Platt has confirmed to Letting Agent Today that her group’s strategy of acquiring independent letting agencies continues...

Who are you? Jen Paice What does it say on your business card? Chief executive of SafeDeposits Scotland What does SafeDeposits Scotland do? We are...

The controversial campaign group ACORN, which has made headlines by protesting outside letting agency offices in Bristol, is launching a new...

A think-tank is calling for the creation of ‘social’ letting agencies with staff who not only find housing but also get...

OpenRent, set up in 2012 and more recently the recipient of investment from media group Northern & Shell Ventures, is now...

The number of tenants seriously behind on rent has risen by 13.8 per cent.  An arrears tracking index conducted by letting agencies...

Oxford-based agency Finders Keepers is opening a new office in the Headington area of the city.  The new branch marks a return...

One of Scotland’s largest independent letting agencies has entered into two deals adding over 600 properties to its inventory. The Edinburgh-based DJ...

Two letting agencies in the London borough of Camden have lost their appeal against fines for failing to join a redress...

There’s been a call to ban letting boards from streets near a university campus. Councillors in York say the boards which go...

Rents across England and Wales have fallen between September and October, according to data from the Your Move and Reeds Rains...

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

Countrywide chief executive Alison Platt has said the acquisition of best-in-class urban-based lettings agencies will be a major plank of her...

Buy to let investors in England and Wales have seen their returns rise to around 10 per cent in the past...

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

A so-called 'ethical lettings charter' established by a group that has campaigned against some letting agencies, is set to be adopted...

Rents across England and Wales have dipped by 0.1 per cent and now stand at an average of £803 per month. Annual...

The Insolvency Service, which probes all compulsory liquidations and individual bankruptcies, has wound up two letting agencies.  Morgan Fox (Lettings) Limited, formerly...

The police have told letting agents and landlords that they are in a unique position to spot - and prevent -...

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

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

The local council in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea is starting an investigation into the private rental sector within...

This month has marked a real change in the way the private lettings sector is perceived - and it’s a perception...

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

The new shadow chancellor has said that he is against a ‘crack down’ on letting agencies and rent controls.  Labour’s Chris Leslie,...

Online repair reporting system Fixflo has revealed that other than English, Polish is by far the most commonly used language by...

A new director of The Property Ombudsman in Scotland and chief executive of one of that country’s major letting agencies ia...

The new Conservative government must focus on raising standards across the private renal sector according to one of the industry’s leading...

The Mirror newspaper has taken the extraordinary step of naming the landlords - some of them letting agencies or private individuals...

The chief executive of Braemore, one of the highest profile letting agencies in Scotland, says he wants greater regulation for the...

A group of renters who have formed the Acorn group in Bristol - which has already held protests against letting agents...