Your weekend roundup of top news, views and features

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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First time buyers hit record numbers ahead of Stamp Duty hike

New figures from Halifax reveal a big jump in FTBs coming to the property hoping to beat the Stamp Duty rate change.

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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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Industry slams Labour's plan to mandate Band C EPCs by 2030

The property industry is mostly behind the idea of energy efficiency but there are still big question marks over the cost of improvements and the accuracy of EPCs

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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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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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Labour's 'game changer' digitalisation of property transactions begins

Housing ministers says digitising key data and documents will significantly reduce fall-throughs and cut transaction times from 'unacceptable' five month average wait.

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MARKETING EXPERT: 'Driving success through clever content marketing'

Successful content marketing for estate agents requires a clear strategy with specific goals designed around your audience. Read these top tips from Nelly Berova of Art Division.

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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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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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Housing market ‘lost momentum’ in January says RICS

RICS’ UK Residential Property Survey shows demand and sales are broadly flat but the market is expected to pick up later in the year.

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Rocketing leasehold service charges putting off buyers, says big estate agency

Hamptons says leasehold flat owners are now paying £2,000 a year on average in England, and that mortgage lenders and buyers are now becoming cautious about value and affordability.

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Rent caps are 'common sense' claims tenant pressure group

Generation Rent says rent controls in England are essential to protect tenants – and rogue landlords should face penalties or banning orders

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Leading letting agency features in shocking Panorama mould exposé

BBC investigation team finds mould-infested property in Rotherham is owned by billionaires and managed by Savills

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Couple win unusual case against vendor of £32.5m 'moth-eaten mansion'

Daughter of Georgian billionaire and her husband win right to have purchase price returned, plus substantial damages and costs.

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Property software firm claims 'industry first' for new initiative

The property CRM provider claims to be the first to publish an ungated and fully accessible demo of its platform.

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