Archive

Letting agents should stand proud of their record helping both landlords and tenants, especially in these more difficult times. That’s the view...

A new rental system allowing licensed lettings agents to offer landlords a year’s rent up-front has had hundreds of responses in...

Congratulations from all of us at Letting Agent Today to four students at Propertymark Qualifications who have attained a distinction in...

The Tenant Fees Act 2019’s 12-month transition period came to an end on 31 May, prohibiting various payments and charges that...

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...

A new assessment of legislation and council rules surrounding the private rental sector suggests a severe crackdown may be coming in...

The Advanced Rent Option, which allows licensed lettings agents to offer their landlords a year’s rent upfront as part of their...

Lettings agents have until January 11 to respond to the latest consultation proposal stiffening health and safety in the private rental...

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

Agents on Rightmove can now start using the portal’s new appointment booking tool, Viewings Manager, which has just completed its test...

The main trade body representing lettings agents has described the government’s latest eviction ban as “a further blow” for the sector. At...

Three lettings agents who kept tenants’ rent instead of passing it to the landlords have been ordered to pay almost £100,000...

Lettings agents, property managers and landlords should all be aware of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. The Act...

2020 has been a testing year right from the start. With Storms Ciara and Dennis causing £184m+ worth of damage to...

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

A new PropTech tool called Covid Profile tells lettings agents if tenants are self-isolating or in quarantine because of Coronavirus.  The cloud-based...

Anger continues to mount over government plans to make rental properties more energy efficient, with one agent advising his landlords to make...

A new free-to-list ‘lifestyle’ app that aims to be bigger than Rightmove says it will pay lettings agents when renters switch...

Light has been shed at last on the long-running uncertainty about why some landlords choose to use lettings agents and some...

One of the highest profile figures in the rental sector says rogue letting agents should be named and shamed as a...

A new PropTech tool called Lettings Intelligence is being launched this week with the claim that it is “revolutionising the way that lettings...

New long-term targets for improving energy efficiency across the private rental sector simply are not realistic, the government has been warned. The...

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

The business model underpinning most lettings agencies is set to change fundamentally if there is the much-anticipated second wave of Coronavirus. That’s...

There’s to be a new editor for Landlord Today from tomorrow, Thursday October 1. It’s to be Graham Norwood, currently editor of...

The role of lettings agents has never been more crucial to landlords and tenants than it is now and will be...

A survey of 350 lettings agents suggests the large majority feel positive about the rental market despite the challenges of new...

The Property Redress Scheme, one of the two government-authorised redress services, claims its new mediation option is a success. In March this...

Hampshire independent agency Harcourts Property Agents in Southampton has been acquired by another independent, Beal’s. Harcourts has over 35 years experience in...

The chief executive of campaigning charity Shelter claims some lettings agencies are ignoring the recent ruling that private landlords cannot discriminate against...

Two London landlords and their lettings agents will have to pay tens of thousands of pounds after a home they were letting...

New figures on pay and perks in the industry show that letting agents are better rewarded than their sales counterparts. A survey...

The Prime Minister has stepped into the ongoing row over a Labour claim that last week’s stamp duty holiday was merely...

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents has given a warm welcome to this week’s news that buy to let investors as...

Propertymark has announced that the leadership structure of the lettings side is to be merged with the estate agency section, with...

The MRI Software company is hosting a free webinar with key figures from two companies it works with.  Viewber co-founder Ed Mead...

A new app called Rentd by-passes lettings agents but charges landlords £799 for a full listing. Landlords pay the one-off £799 fixed...

The Deposit Protection Service and safeagent (formerly NALS) have created a free, online course showing best practice in starting tenancies.  The new...

Government advice to local authorities to sit tight with new licensing proposals during the Coronavirus pandemic appears to have been ignored...

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

The Property Ombudsman has announced the expulsion of eight agencies, all for contravening TPO codes of practice. Most of the expulsions were...

A leading PropTech expert has urged lettings agents to improve their administration and paperwork if they want to avoid what could...

A former estate agent who has set up an online platform giving information on property values for London renters and buyers...

Student bodies want letting agents to acknowledge that many students have lost their incomes and have been forced to return to...

We'd hoped it was good news but in fact it's just good-news-yet-to-come. The Savills office in Wuhan, the epicentre of the Coronavirus crisis in...

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

The clampdown on referral fees, until now concentrated on the sales sector, will extend to letting agents too. James Munro, head of...

Demand for rental properties in January increased to the highest level on record with 88 prospective tenants registered per lettings agency...

Shelter, which routinely criticises lettings agents and landlords, has been slammed for the huge amount of public funding it receives -...

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

A survey by PropTech firm Goodlord suggests a growing number of agents want to sell up. Goodlord surveyed 200 agencies for its...

Generation Rent - an outspoken organisation sharply critical of lettings agents and many aspects of the private rental sector - is...

A prominent member of the House of Lords has given a surprising insight into how the fiscal and regulatory clampdown on...

Lettings PropTech platform teclet says its product is key for agents seeking to comply with new electrical safety regulations in a...

It looks almost certain that agents and landlords must ensure electrical installation inspections and testing are carried out for all new...

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents has thrown its weight behind an initiative by the Scottish Government to control the growth...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents says it will be issuing resources to support for lettings agents in the coming days...

The Times claims there have been well over 200 complaints lodged with redress schemes, alleging that lettings agents tried to charge...

The new government must prioritise the implementation of proposals to ensure letting agents and others in the industry are appropriately qualified. That’s...

New data from the Association of Residential Lettings Agents shows how the festive slowdown has hit the market. The number of tenants...

Three lettings agencies have been expelled from TPO - in each case the agency failed to honour a payment as instructed...

Lobbying government can work, at least in some circumstances, as the Association of Residential Lettings Agents has seen in Wales.  Letting agents...

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

A roundtable discussion of rental industry leaders has produced a recommendation for the mandatory regulation of lettings agents. The objective, they say,...

Just over a fifth of lettings agents questioned in a major industry survey are concerned that may not be complying with...

The growing chorus of calls to professionalise the short lets sector has won influential backing from a senior PropTech entrepreneur. Neil Cobbold...

Lettings agents who diversify to offer tenant liability insurance not only broaden their own business but also increase peace of mind...

Lettings agents are being invited to tell a big city council how to improve its private rental sector strategy.  Manchester local authority...

The Property Ombudsman has expelled three lettings agencies from its scheme because of unpaid awards to landlord clients. The first is Kingsman...

The controversial tenants union Acorn has set up a web page where disgruntled renters can lodge complaints about letting agents. In the...

The BBC is reporting that the short lets giant Airbnb has been contacted by HM Revenue & Customs about its tax...

Life insurance sold to tenants could provide a valuable additional income stream for agents whose revenue has been hit by the...

A PropTech firm says it is going to eliminate tenant screening costs by 2021 for lettings agents and landlords who use...

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

The Nationwide is investing in a digital lettings service called Bunk - it’s headed by a 24 year old who has...

London Trading Standards has made the startling claim that 46 per cent of almost 2,000 agents it has surveyed are falling...

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents is urging member agents and the industry to ensure it is up to date with...

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents has taken legal advice on what can be charged to tenants for so-called ‘contractual damages’. ARLA...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents wants agents and tenants to have access to the government’s high profile but so far...

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents appears to have joined the chorus of criticism against Labour’s controversial right to buy policy...

Property management platform Howsy has revealed new funding to the tune of £5m - and it now claims to be one...

A new online lettings agency called Accommodation.co.uk is looking for franchisees to join ahead of its formal launch next month.  The company...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has released a five point plan on how the public can choose a letting agent. 1....

With less than four weeks to go to the start date of the Welsh Tenant Fees ban, the Association of Residential...

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents says there has been a record number of rent increases reported by its members. In a...

A platform which works with independent lettings agents and Build To Rent operators says it is linking them to provide mutual...

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents says it fears the government needs to do more to prevent the possibility of banned...

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

A BBC investigation of 52 lettings agents has found that two thirds were levying charges on tenants, but it is uncertain...

A specialist student accommodation lettings and property management company says it’s preparing to grow through a series of strategic acquisitions. Bankers have...

A rent guarantor service says it’s already chosen 25 lettings agents to take part in a trial of what it calls...

The Guild of Property Professionals has announced a link with insurance product and moving services operation The Lettings Hub. Lettings Hub offers...

A leading lettings expert insists that greater regulation in the private rental sector can work for the benefit of landlords and...

A prominent consumer group claims that one in 10 tenants currently renting say they have at some point been evicted “for...

The head of the country's oldest agency recruitment consultancy says the tenant fee ban will hit staffing levels in the industry...

Seven agencies have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman after failing to pay compensation awards made by TPO. All are...

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

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents says the feared sell-off of private rental units is continuing apace on the eve of...

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

The head of a firm that seeks investors to put money into residential property funds rather than individual homes for tenants...

Lettings agents are being urged to educate themselves as much as possible about rival deposit alternative schemes which are becoming increasingly...

The Property Redress Scheme, one of the two government-backed redress operators for the lettings and sales service, has outlined its work...

There’s been another major industry survey revealing that a high number of lettings agents and landlords may quit the private rental...

A council claims that its decision to set up its own lettings agency has prevented homelessness for almost 50 families and...

HomeLet, the tenant referencing and specialist letting insurance company, has been announced as an ESTAS partner for the Estate & Letting...

A new PropTech start-up that claims to make student house-hunting easier is offering free listings to lettings agents with London properties. Polygon...

One of London’s best known lettings agents says unfurnished properties can take 30 per cent longer to let than a furnished...

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

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents says it backs a new Trading Standards-led body which will enforce the Fees Ban starting  on...

One of the most vocal critics of lettings agents in recent years appears to be moving away from the property industry. Campbell...

A formal consultation process has started to consider government plans to extend Anti-Money Laundering from property sales to lettings as well. Unveiled...

Rightmove has fallen in line with Zoopla and is banning the term ‘No DSS’ from its lettings agents’ listings from the...

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

One of the country’s largest networks of franchised lettings agents says the impact of the Fees Ban coming into effect in...

A PropTech lead generation app that dubs itself the ‘Uber for Lettings Agents’ has launched in Manchester. The app, from Movebubble, already...

The number of agents seeing rent rises imposed on tenants hit 34 per cent in February, well up on the 26...

Hamilton Fraser’s Academy programme has announced its next workshop, on May 14, to target how lettings agents can future-proof their business...

A postgraduate’s study of people who live in cars and vans on Bristol’s streets says they make the choice to do...

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme has launched a series of events to educate letting agents and landlords on deposit protection. Starting next month...

Another client money protection scheme has been given approval to launch itself before regulations go live on April 1.  From that date...

The tenants’ fees ban coming into effect from June 1 could help traditional lettings agents keep their place on High Streets,...

A warning has been issued to lettings agents to review tenancy agreements to see if they are fit for purpose when...

The UK’s largest property franchise business, Belvoir Lettings, says it beat its own ambitious target for its franchisees’ Assisted Acquisitions programme...

A rental campaigner claims the amount of money stolen this year by crooked lettings agents and landlords has topped the £1.3m...

It’s the lull before the storm for private tenants according to the Association of Residential Lettings Agents. In its market snapshot looking...

A Private Members’ Bill which will allow private rental sector tenants to sue over the conditions of their properties will today...

Two PropTech suppliers are claiming their new products will help lettings agents in the future, especially in the light of the...

Three letting agents who failed to return tenants’ deposits or pass on rent payments to landlords have been convicted of fraud...

The number of tenants saying they are using letting agents to find a place to live has increased 12 per cent...

A new survey suggests that the demise of the High Street for shopping could lead to a surge in the supply...

The website TheHouseShop says it aims to recruit some 30 per cent of the country’s letting agents by the end of...

A leading PropTech entrepreneur says agents who accept that the lettings fee ban is coming and who plan positively for its...

The party conferences of the two main political parties threw up some interesting developments with regards to housing and the rental...

A property management firm is launching with a claim that its charges are under a third of some rivals.  Online service ManageMyHome...

The Association of Residential Managing Agents has launched a first-of-its-kind Client Money Protection to members.  Although CMP schemes are to be mandatory...

The head of the online lettings agency recently scooped up by Emoov says traditional lettings agents have made a rod for...

Trade bodies have welcomed a government initiative to get more homeless people, as well as those at risk of becoming homeless,...

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

A London local authority which is part way through its five year additional HMO licensing scheme wants lettings agents to give their...

One of Scotland’s top lettings agents is warning of “an air of criminality” in the rental industry north of the border. His...

A landmark report on private renting provides the opportunity to stop blaming letting agents and landlords for the sector’s problems, a...

In our previous 2 blogs we have covered the definitions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) and what...

Generation Rent, the controversial pressure group campaigning alongside Shelter and others for the scrapping of landlords’ rights to evict under Section...

Last week Shelter and the National Housing Federation took a swipe at lettings agents, and now Citizens Advice has joined the...

Lettings agents for or against the government’s proposals for longer tenancies have only a very short time left to respond to...

Lettings agents’ representatives have hit back at an accusation of discrimination made against the industry. A report by Shelter and the National...

A leading PropTech entrepreneur says lettings agents should be more vocal in providing the government with feedback on council rental licensing...

The government has announced that the Report Stage for the Tenants’ Fees Bill will be held on September 5, the day...

Britain’s most controversial landlord, Fergus Wilson, says the recent changes in buy to let legislation means that if he was starting...

Repair and maintenance management software firm Fixflo and emergency contractor supplier AXA Partners are rolling out a pilot scheme for lettings...

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

The Lomond Capital acquisition bandwagon continues apace with the latest independent to be snapped up being the well known Bonett’s Estate...

One of Britain’s best known lettings agents has hit back at a journalist’s claims that the industry is in danger of...

The chief of a PropTech firm says letting agents should consider participating in the growing Build to Rent sector.  Until now, many...

The Property Franchise Group has given an insight into the effect of the ban on lettings fees likely to be introduced...

A consumer group says that the Tenants Fees Bill - which will eventually ban letting agents’ fees levied on renters -...

A Select Committee of MPs investigating the proposed ban on agents’ fees levied on tenants says the measure could save renters...

Hybrid brand EweMove says its purchase of a traditional lettings agency with 350 properties on its book constitutes its biggest biggest...

A new online platform says it allows renters and landlords to review each other and give Trustpilot-style ratings - but it...

Letting agents were amongst those duped by a Merseyside builder who rented 33 homes and then sub-let them to allow the...

The select committee monitoring the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government will continue its deliberations today on the government’s ban...

The ESTAS Group has just announced record entries for its 2018 letting and estate agents awards.  The national award scheme - which...

Mandatory Client Money Protection for lettings agents - currently the subject of a formal government consultation - will contribute towards making...

A Birmingham agent has branded the government’s draft Tenant Fees Bill - which proposes a ban on letting agents’ fees on tenants...

The Property Ombudsman scheme has launched the third and latest phase of its national campaign with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute...

A new online service backed by newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror says it wants to enable tenants to bypass lettings agents. HomeRenter offers what...

A controversial review website which says it can be used to identify “good (and bad) letting agents” claims that its aim...

The Secretary of State for Wales has called on the Welsh Government to take measures against what he calls “unjust fees...

Repairs service provider Fixflo is this week opening its annual call for comments from letting agents on repairs and maintenance issues.   Although...

The Queen’s Speech, outlining the government’s proposals for the next two years, has confirmed a pledge to introduce a ban on...

A new rental auction website is inviting letting agents to preview its launch at an event later this month. LetsBid4Lets.com, which claims...

Only just over a week remains before the end of the formal consultation on the government’s proposal to ban letting fees...

The Liberal Democrats want a raft of additional controls on the private rented sector aimed at addressing what it describes as...

The Chartered Institute of Housing wants the government to introduce a raft of new measures including significantly greater regulation of letting...

Lettings agents have been issued fines totalling £14,100 by a local authority for failing to comply with consumer rights laws.   Officers from...

The government will today announce that it is banning letting agents’ fees levied on tenants - meaning the fees will instead...

The Property Ombudsman scheme and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute have joined forces to tackle lettings agents that are breaking the...

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

Lettings agents are being invited to take part in a national online survey launching today and seeking to get an industry-wide...

Hamptons International and Day Morris have been appointed as joint lettings agents for London’s first bespoke Build To Rent scheme.   Vantage Point...

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

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

The outgoing director of the Your Move chain of lettings agents says the new London mayor - whether Sadiq Khan or...

Consumers are being warned by The Property Ombudsman redress scheme about the actions of two lettings agents based in Southampton.  Both agencies,...

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

A local agency in Essex is accusing an unspecified number of rival firms in the area of not publicising their fees...

A petition opposing lettings agents’ fees in England and Wales has now gathered over 245,000 signatures. Vicky Spratt, features editor on the...

Let Belle Vue, a lettings and property management agency in Darlington, has been fined £3,000 for not being in an official...

It is safe to say that in the cyber world of today, a reviewing culture has been born. We have review...

ATTENTION SALES & LETTINGS AGENTS! Want an additional service to offer your clients which will make your agency even more superb? Welcome Agent Tracker...

A legal expert is claiming that changes to S21 eviction procedures introduced back in October are not being adhered to by...

In a constantly changing legislative environment, the importance of keeping up-to-date in terms of knowledge and skills has never been more...

Letting agents have been ticked off by an official watchdog for the way many of them handle clients' personal data. The Information Commissioner’s Office...

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

  Who are you? Ellie Hall. What does it say on your business card? Head of Acquisitions. You're on the hunt for acquisitions, what makes a...

The most common complaint about high street lettings agents amongst landlords is that they charge extortionate fees - that is the...

A property management firm is warning letting agents and landlords to fulfil their responsibilities to protect tenants from Legionnaires’ disease. Despite laws...

Housing minister Brandon Lewis has backtracked on suggestions that the government may introduce longer standard tenancy agreements in the private rental...

Lettings chiefs have responded with disappointment to the government’s announcement that it is scrapping the Green Deal.  The scheme offered cashbacks and...

Three agents have been announced as winners of The ESTAS Agent of the Month competition for June.   The Birmingham Central branch...

Peter Savage is to become the new president of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents, with an emphasis on trying to...

Scotland is to be officially represented within the Association of Residential Lettings Agents with the appointment of a Your Move area...

The head of lettings at Carter Jonas has warned the government not to rush ahead with a national rollout of immigration...

LSL Property Services says it has already acquired nine lettings books so far this year - with more to follow -...

Roy Fuller, owner at Everything Lettings’, says:  for just £25 per week you can have in place our emergency helpline 365...

The Conservatives’ election victory came as a surprise, so much so that television pundits spent all night after the vote rubbishing...

Like our: 24 Hour Emergency telephone answer service for your landlords and tenants. Letting agents and portfolio managers are increasingly being asked...