Your weekend roundup of news, views and features

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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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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'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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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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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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'Only sign a sole agency contract for two weeks' industry figure tells vendors

Property personality Simon Bradbury has released a new video making several controversial claims about estate agencies aimed at house sellers.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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BLOG: 'Labour's renting reforms will force landlords to gazunder'

Goodlord CEO explains how major unintended effect of the Renters' Rights Bill will be to distort the market for rent as landlords and tenants grapple with new rules.

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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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Labour to add 'broadband permission' rights to renting reforms

Comments by official spokesperson following OpenReach campaign suggest ministers are keen to force landlords to accept fibre broadband installation requests.

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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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REACTION: Bank of England keeps Base Rate at 4.5%

The BoE has decided to hold its base rate at 4.5%, citing global trade changes led by the US and a sluggish UK economy.

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Leading surveyor welcomes plans to end 'feudal' leasehold system

Dorian Wragg of Bruton Knowles says Labour's ambitions are laudable, but wonders if leaseholds will want to take on the management of their own blocks.t.

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PROPERTY SUPPLY AND DEMAND: Latest research and data analysis

Housing market expert, Kate Faulkner, puts the latest figures from key property researchers into a historical perspective.

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Next steps for Renters' Rights Bill on 22nd April

Lords are due to scrutinise the Government's legislation during at least two full-day sessions in April as the Bill makes its way to Royal Assent this summer.

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Controversial new TA6 forms revealed as consultation ends

The latest version of the TA6 has been released by the Law Society but won’t become compulsory until it has been tested.

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Here’s why our branches are great work places, says industry leaders

After Foxtons faced allegations of sexual harassment and drink driving at work, leading agents tell The Neg how they create a positive working environment.

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