Bats and newts shock | Jump in sales | Rent controls softened

LSL Estate Agency Franchising expands service offering

MD Paul Hardy announces strategic partnership with B-hive Block Management to boost franchisees' growth potential.

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Decade of dedication for The Propertymark Trust

Veteran estate agency manager and property consultant, John Oakley, is celebrating 10 years as trustee of The Propertymark Trust.

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COURTS: Landlord wins 'important' appeal in rent to rent case

Amlendu Kumar wins appeal in what a leading property lawyer says is an "important new decision" affecting rent-to-rent agreements and rent repayment orders.

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Number of former rental properties for sale rises as CGT changes loom

Research by Rightmove among its listings shows the proportion of former rented properties within the market rising to 18%.

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Walsall is consulting on plans that will force both the owners of smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation to apply for planning permission.

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Foxtons makes surprise move into London commuter towns with acquisitions

The London-based agent has spent some £12m buying two estate agencies, one in Reading and the other in Watford, both bought from private shareholders.

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Stamp Duty hike to ‘damage’ rental market warn auctioneers

2% rise in budget for SDLT will lead to investors exiting the market, reduce supply and push up rents says NAVA.

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Guild reports 'thousands of referrals' via network

Guild of Property Professionals chief Iain McKenzie says its referral system has generated 2,086 referrals for its network since the start of the year.

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'Criminal’ landlord trio hit with huge £450k HMO fine

A group of three West Northants landlords have together been fined a total of £452,796 for a series of unlicensed and unsafe HMOs.

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New workers' rights shake-up to impact estate agencies

Employees working for property businesses will be able to claim unfair dismissal from day one of a new job, under a new government bill.

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AGENT BLOG: After Scotland's rent cap lifted, guess what happened next?

Nicky Lloyd of ESPC Lettings in Edinburgh reflects on the rental market in Scotland six months after a rent cap and ban on evictions were scrapped.

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ZOOPLA: House sales sales up 12% in strongest start for three years

Portal's data boss Richard Donnell say looming Stamp Duty hikes are driving sales, with homes listed and demand also up.

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AUCTION UPDATE: Residential sales driving resilience in auction market

The latest property auction market insights from Essential information Group's David Leary reveals the dominance of residential sales.

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Airbnb 'won't take down illegally-sublet listings' claims landlord

The short-lets giant has not taken down a listing despite being informed that the Central London property is being illegally sublet, it is claimed.

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Huge rise in number of sales fall-throughs reported

Homebuyers are still struggling with higher mortgage rates and so more and more sales are falling through says Moverly’s Gemma Young.

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OPINION: Will the real Rachel Reeves please step forward?

Estate agency founder points out the contradictions in the Chancellor's recent change in attitudes to business.

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'Softer' rent controls in Scotland applauded as Bill progresses

Predictability of the cap system has been welcomed by Propertymark but industry body expresses concern it will deter investment.

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Estate agent duo recognised for sales success at global event

Mark Buchanan and Amie Brooks, both of whom work within the eXp UK network, flew to the gala estate agent event in Miami.

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CLAIM: High St agents face double threat of rising costs and stiffer competition

Bricks-and-mortar estate agencies facing higher staff costs and increased competition from the growing number of ‘personal’ agents according to Property Experts founder.

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Bill to ban Section 21 evictions published – industry reaction

The Government takes its first step towards scrapping Section 21 'no fault' evictions with the first reading in Parliament of the Renters' Rights Bill.

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PLANNING: 'Forget bats and newts', Reeves tells house builders

Chancellor says she was "genuinely shocked" at how slow the planning process for new build homes can be.

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Airbnb set to compete with lettings agents for longer rentals

Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky says the company is eyeing longer-term rentals as a lucrative new area of business, putting his firm soon in direct competition with some agents.

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Northern agency launches unusual in-house sales progression arm

North Residential has also appointed property law expert, Jo Randall, to manage the new service.

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Landlord fined £20,000 for ‘failing in his duty and putting tenants at risk'

Hussan Redha Hussain has been fined £20,000 after ignoring repeated warnings from Councillor Richard Overton at Telford & Wrekin Council to make urgent improvements to his property.

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ANALYSIS: Property supply and demand 'looking good'

The pipeline is looking as good as demand for the coming year, says Kate Faulkner.

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Commercial property market recovery has stalled says RICS

Concerns over the economy, bonds and credit conditions mean sentiment in the sector softened slightly towards the end of last year.

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Big estate agency reveals new seniors and branches

Jackson-Stops says announcement is part of new expansion push particularly into M4 corridor.

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