Your weekend roundup of news, views and features

Property industry reacts to fall in transactions

The latest seasonally-adjusted data from HMRC shows a 3% drop in the number of deals completed last month.

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FEATURE: Renters' Rights Act fall-out: 'The detail is in the deposit'

Lisa Isaacs reveals how an empowered Generation Rent and a new layer of ombudsman scrutiny will force agents to review their attitude to deposit risks.

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FEATURE: The good, the bad and the award-worthy – which is you?

From impressive growth stats to unsupported claims and missing evidence, here’s what the judges consistently highlighted across hundreds of 2025 entries for The Negotiator Awards.

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Land Registry backs trial to reduce sales fall-throughs

Giving homeowners early access to title data could cut fall-throughs caused by inaccurate property records, says RLBA’s Sally Holdway.

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REGIONAL UPDATE: Huge divergence in time on market

Kate Faulkner reports on how regional price differences are also impacting how long it takes to sell a property.

Click here to read REGIONAL UPDATE: Huge divergence in time on market.

Bank of England ratesetter backs rate hike

Raising the Bank Rate would be less risky than allowing inflation to become entrenched, says MPC member Megan Greene.

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Labour urged to make landlords pay NI

Exempting landlords' rental income from National Insurance is clearly unfair, says NEF's George Bangham.

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CLAIM: Renters’ Rights Act means half of tenants will need rent guarantor

Tenants will fail standard rental affordability checks in 47.6% of local authority districts, says Zero Deposit’s Sam Reynolds.

Click here to read CLAIM: Renters’ Rights Act means half of tenants will need rent guarantor.

Landlord income up 23% but arrears are significant

Managing risk and the right portfolio structures are vital in keeping rental properties profitable, says LegalforLandlords’ Sim Sekhon.

Click here to read Landlord income up 23% but arrears are significant.

New rental rules lock landlords into lettings market

Once landlords “pull the trigger” to sell, they are unable to re-let for 12 months if buyers fail to materialise, says NRLA's Chris Norris

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Legal challenge to Luton's landlord licensing schemes fails

Licensing will “improve housing conditions”, says Councillor Alia Khan, after the council successfully defends legal challenge.

Click here to read Legal challenge to Luton's landlord licensing schemes fails.

New interest-free loan scheme for first-time buyers set up

Scottish Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville says the First Homes Fund will offer first-time buyers £10,000 towards a deposit.

Click here to read New interest-free loan scheme for first-time buyers set up.

Former Connells CEO claims he was bullied

David Livesey says he was victim of bullying by the chief executive of Connells owner Skipton Building Society.

Click here to read Former Connells CEO claims he was bullied.