Your weekend roundup of features, news and views

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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'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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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20% of landlords unaware of latest EICR deadline and fines, says big insurer

A significant number of landlords at risk of fines up to £30,000 for having no electrical safety report for a property says Direct Line.

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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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Mark Ridley is to be replaced by current CFO Simon Shaw as Group Chief Executive of the blue-chip agency.

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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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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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Foxtons’ branch blockaded during Global Day of Housing Action

DIGITAL MARKETING: How effective is email marketing for estate agents?

Email marketing is by far the best way of getting a great return on investment of any marketing tool, whether SEO, PPC advertising or social media.

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Letting agents call for Labour to reduce landlord taxes as rents soar

Rents have risen by 7.7% on an annual basis and by as much as 9.1% in London, and Propertymark points finger to rising landlord costs.

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Under-pressure chancellor 'eyeing more property taxes'

Respected estate agent warns fresh tax raid on landlords would worsen housing crisis as Reeves seeks more revenue.

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Labour to ban housebuilders 'land banking' development sites

Seven years after the Tories own investigation found no evidence that builders 'land bank' sites, Labour has moved to clamp down on the practice.

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Rental reforms to create surge in rent rise challenges from tenants

LRG says its research shows that more than half of tenants will go to a newly-created landlord ombudsman to contest rent increases.

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Shareholders revolt against bumper package for estate agency directors revealed

A third of shareholder votes rejected the pay and share incentive plan for directors and senior executives running Reeds Rains and Your Move.

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Winning awards with a little help from AI – a practical guide for agents and suppliers

Now that The Negotiator Awards are officially open for entry, here’s how time-poor agents and suppliers can use AI tools to help craft compelling submissions and compete on a level playing field.

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The Negotiator Awards 2025 – open for entry and open to all

Register to enter and start your bid for glory today. There is a category for every kind of agent and supplier – and don't miss out out Super-Earlybird tickets offer which ends today.

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HOUSE PRICE ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY AND REGION – Long-term house price growth has halved

Property market expert, Kate Faulkner, analyses house price growth in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Irelance since 2005, revealing a diminishing average annual increase.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS: residential property industry appointments

Who's going where, who's growing and who's drawing the spotlight in the estate and letting agency business.

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