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Archive
Propertymark has welcomed the reappointment of Julie James as the new Welsh Housing Minister. Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at...
26 March 2024
From: Breaking News
Attempts to get the long-awaited Regulation of Property Agents (ROPA) rules introduced into the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill have failed. The...
29 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Last weekend, Levelling Up and Housing Secretary, Michael Gove wrote in the Sunday Times that the nation’s housing crisis was so...
17 February 2024
From: Features
UK property professionals should look to Norway when assessing how to improve the home buying process, a housing minister has claimed. Speaking...
07 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Sir Simon Clarke’s call for Rishi Sunak to be ousted from Downing Street may well express what many of his MP...
27 January 2024
From: Features
Estate agency regulations and minimum standards may finally see the light of day after Labour put forward amendments to the Government’s...
19 January 2024
From: Breaking News
Parliamentary news may have been dominated by the fallout from the Rwanda Bill yesterday but another important piece of legislation also...
17 January 2024
From: Breaking News
There is rarely a quiet year in the property market. And 2023 has felt like the usual rollercoaster at times. On...
15 December 2023
From: Breaking News
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill passed its second reading in Parliament last night. Housing minister Lee Rowley pledged that the legislation...
12 December 2023
From: Breaking News
A lawyer has called for Help to Buy to be resurrected in the Autumn Statement. Paul Sams, head of property at Dutton...
21 November 2023
From: Breaking News
17 November 2023
From: Breaking News
The Government appears to have gone through so many housing ministers that it is now repeating them. Lee Rowley was appointed as...
14 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Lee Rowley has returned as housing minister. The reappointment comes after Rachel Maclean was sacked this morning and follows reports that the...
13 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Rachel Maclean has been sacked as housing minister as part of today's Cabinet reshuffle. Maclean had replaced Lucy Frazer as housing minister...
13 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Propertymark has written to the Housing Secretary Michael Gove to reiterate its longstanding call for regulation of property agents. The agency trade...
13 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Propertymark has given its backing to commitments from the Housing Minister on the long-awaited next steps of leasehold reform. Timothy Douglas, head...
01 November 2023
From: Breaking News
The Labour Party has committed to introducing the Regulation of Property Agents (ROPA) rules if it wins next year’s General Election. Shadow...
12 October 2023
From: Breaking News
I'll start with a confession. I am not an estate agent - I'm a marketer. But since I joined the industry...
09 September 2023
From: Features
It was a genuine pleasure to read this week about Yorkshire estate agent Ian Bradbury who clocked up 40 years selling...
19 August 2023
From: Features
Housing Minister Rachel Maclean MP is probably looking forward to her summer break this year. But wherever she's going and whatever she's...
29 July 2023
From: Features
It may be all change - again - at the Department of Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government if media speculation...
17 July 2023
From: Breaking News
Two former housing ministers have criticised the Government for scrapping housebuilding targets. The Government officially watered-down proposals for mandatory local housebuilding targets...
07 June 2023
From: Breaking News
A new survey suggests the overwhelming majority of the public are critical of the government’s apparent housing failures. A study of 1,323...
01 June 2023
From: Breaking News
The issue of conditional selling in estate agency has hit Westminster. There have been several reports in recent months about agents requiring...
11 April 2023
From: Breaking News
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has signalled that legislation to allow for further leasehold reform will be included in the next parliamentary...
21 February 2023
From: Breaking News
Lucy Frazer became the 13th Housing Minister to leave the role in the past decade yesterday after she was promoted to...
08 February 2023
From: Breaking News
Lucy Frazer has been promoted from Housing Minister to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in Rishi Sunak’s latest...
07 February 2023
From: Breaking News
Conservative MPs are continuing to question when new estate agency regulations will come in as the Government sticks to its stock...
17 January 2023
From: Breaking News
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Home Secretary Priti Patel had around three years in Government to sort out housing but...
11 January 2023
From: Breaking News
It’s been a year since Housing Secretary Michael Gove declared that was “morally wrong” that leaseholders should pay to fix unsafe...
11 January 2023
From: Breaking News
Usually, I enter January with a spring in my step - optimistic about what the future holds. Two years ago, after the...
07 January 2023
From: Features
As we get ever closer to 2023, this final Natter of the year is dedicated to the five biggest property moments of...
17 December 2022
From: Features
Over the later part of 2022, we have experienced unprecedented economic and political turmoil, which will remain as we head into...
17 December 2022
From: Features
Measures to deliver new homes, regenerate left-behind communities and clean up rivers have been added to the Government’s flagship Levelling Up...
18 November 2022
From: Breaking News
The Government’s latest Housing Minister Lucy Frazer brings plenty of property experience as a landlord and has also indirectly received donations...
10 November 2022
From: Breaking News
MP for South East Cambridgeshire Lucy Frazer has been confirmed as the latest Housing Minister as part of a department reshuffle. Michael...
09 November 2022
From: Breaking News
A week-long race to be the next Conservative Party leader and the Prime Minister kicks off this week, or may already...
24 October 2022
From: Breaking News
I can’t really write about anything else this week, can I? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have...
22 October 2022
From: Features
Who would be in the shoes of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng? I don’t mean who would like their power, pay and...
01 October 2022
From: Features
Housing minister Lee Rowley is set to make one of his first official public appearances at a Conservative Party fringe event...
30 September 2022
From: Breaking News
The worst cost-of-living crisis in generations is everywhere we look and agents – and the property industry more widely – are...
24 September 2022
From: Features
New Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is expected to unveil the Government’s so-called “plan for growth” today during a mini-Budget. The property market is...
23 September 2022
From: Breaking News
The latest housing minister has been revealed as the prospect of Stamp Duty reform returns to the property market. New ministerial appointments...
21 September 2022
From: Breaking News
The government is being urged to close the "revolving doors" of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to...
12 September 2022
From: Breaking News
First off, my own quick tribute to the Queen, who died on Thursday afternoon aged 96. Despite her age and declining...
10 September 2022
From: Features
Marcus Jones has left the housing brief. He was appointed as housing minister just two months ago in Boris Johnson’s reshuffle but appears...
08 September 2022
From: Breaking News
From housebuilding to planning laws and stamp duty reform, agents and property professionals were ready with plenty of suggestions for Liz...
06 September 2022
From: Breaking News
We are only a fortnight away from having a new Prime Minister, following a contest in which housing has played a...
20 August 2022
From: Features
When it comes to housing policy, the Conservative MPs have given their party a choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle DumDum. Rishi...
23 July 2022
From: Features
A senior member of the Home Buying and Selling Group has insisted work on reforms is ongoing despite the ministerial merry-go-round...
11 July 2022
From: Breaking News
People in prominent positions in the housing industry aren’t always perfect role models. After all, Chris Pincher was housing minister for...
09 July 2022
From: Features
Marcus Jones has been appointed as housing minister. The appointment came late last night after a tumultuous day in Westminster that saw...
08 July 2022
From: Breaking News
Independent agent Barrows and Forrester has called for the appointment of a housing tsar for a fixed term as yet another...
07 July 2022
From: Breaking News
Michael Gove has been sacked as Housing Secretary as Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues to reject calls to resign. Johnson was hit...
06 July 2022
From: Breaking News
Housing minister Stuart Andrew has become the latest minister to resign from the government. More than 15 government ministers and officials have...
06 July 2022
From: Breaking News
Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid sensationally quit as Chancellor and Health Secretary respectively this evening but Housing Secretary Michael Gove is...
05 July 2022
From: Breaking News
The property industry is fortunate in including many great people, doing great work across a range of businesses – from traditional agency...
30 April 2022
From: Features
It’s easy to overestimate the importance of something in one’s own industry or work, but there seems good reason for believing...
23 April 2022
From: Features
Local residents are to be given the final say on changes to the name of their street under new government plans. The...
19 April 2022
From: Breaking News
A new housing minister has been named this afternoon, to replace Chris Pincher. Stuart Andrew has been confirmed by Downing Street as...
08 February 2022
From: Breaking News
Housing ministers have lined up in recent days to support beleaguered Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Housing minister Chris Pincher, upon hearing of new...
07 February 2022
From: Breaking News
High profile conveyancing supremo Rob Hailstone makes many announcements about government and industry housing policy - but he is less keen...
26 January 2022
From: Breaking News
22 January 2022
From: Features
Propertymark, the main industry trade body, has this evening updated its guidance on Covid safety for estate and letting agents in...
11 January 2022
From: Breaking News
Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer has promoted housing minister Lucy Powell to a more senior position after just six months. This leaves...
30 November 2021
From: Breaking News
A pilot scheme has been announced to test ways of limiting second home ownership and reducing the impact additional properties have...
25 November 2021
From: Breaking News
Leading politicians operating in the housing industry have paid tribute to murdered backbencher Sir David Amess. Housing Secretary Michael Gove tweeted: “David...
18 October 2021
From: Breaking News
Labour is to reveal a raft of new housing policies at its party conference this weekend - and it claims it’s...
24 September 2021
From: Breaking News
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has changed its name to reflect the government’s levelling up agenda. The department’s...
20 September 2021
From: Breaking News
Boris Johnson's sudden and unexpectedly ruthless Cabinet reshuffle, which drew comparisons with Margaret Thatcher's 'purge of the wets' in 1981, ended...
17 September 2021
From: Breaking News
Every so often it comes around – the argument that stamp duty should be reformed/removed/replaced (delete as appropriate). But why? Where’s the...
21 August 2021
From: Features
The government has thrown its weight behind the concept of Unique Property Reference Numbers as a way of speeding up transactions. UPRNs...
28 June 2021
From: Breaking News
The row over whether agents should be allowed to vet people who view properties on the basis of their wealth has...
18 June 2021
From: Breaking News
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has revealed that what it calls its “second HQ” will be in Wolverhampton,...
02 June 2021
From: Breaking News
It’s been quite a week for the rental sector. Lettings agents and landlords have had such a torrid time in recent years...
15 May 2021
From: Features
Labour’s new housing spokesperson is the experienced MP Lucy Powell, who until the weekend was shadow business and consumer affairs minister. She replaces...
10 May 2021
From: Breaking News
Local elections rarely set the pulse racing and this year’s poll on Thursday faces a similar problem. But this time, it’s a...
01 May 2021
From: Features
Propertymark - still reeling over two senior resignations in less than a week - says its lobbying sessions with politicians are...
22 February 2021
From: Breaking News
The high-end housing market on Jersey has been rocked by a plan from the island’s government which may ban foreign investors from...
08 February 2021
From: Breaking News
Housing minister Kelly Tolhurst has resigned from the government for personal reasons. Tolhurst had formal responsibility for the government’s policies to combat...
16 January 2021
From: Breaking News
Propertymark, the overarching body aiming to bring five different associations (ARLA, NAEA, NAVA, ICBA and APIP) into a single brand, was...
16 January 2021
From: Features
The Daily Mail has mocked housing minister Chris Pincher for advising people to going £174-a-bottle champagne while awaiting the rollout of...
05 January 2021
From: Breaking News
Here’s hoping you managed to have as good a Christmas and New Year as Covid rules allowed. Journalism in early January is...
02 January 2021
From: Features
First off, hello and welcome to this new series – appearing in Estate Agent Today’s Breaking News section each month –...
10 December 2020
From: Breaking News
A scathing document produced by MPs slams the government for its “deplorable” housing policies which are "invented, abandoned and reinvented" -...
09 December 2020
From: Breaking News
The industry regulator who comes into force when the Regulation of Property Agents’ recommendations are adopted may take over versions of...
04 December 2020
From: Breaking News
A leasehold group has written to Housing Minister Chris Pincher pressing for an update on the government’s approach to reform for...
19 November 2020
From: Breaking News
Housing Minister Christopher Pincher announced that the introduction of the Renters' Reform Bill will be delayed for an indefinite period due...
31 October 2020
From: Features
Customers must be told about third party referral fees when buying or selling a home says the National Trading Standards Estate...
02 October 2020
From: Breaking News
The Times has revealed new allegations concerning the behaviour of Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick. The Cabinet member has been under the spotlight...
25 September 2020
From: Breaking News
NAEA Propertymark has written a letter to Housing Minister Christopher Pincher, asking what measures the government is taking to get more...
16 September 2020
From: Breaking News
Labour’s shadow housing minister has revealed that it will be two years at least before the party sets out its long-term...
28 August 2020
From: Breaking News
It may be that by the time you read this it’s all over for Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for...
27 June 2020
From: Features
Housing minister Chris Pincher has now been named in media investigations into allegations concerning his political boss, Robert Jenrick, and the...
15 June 2020
From: Breaking News
Beleaguered Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is under growing pressure to explain his part in a planning decision - now deemed illegal...
12 June 2020
From: Breaking News
Dominic Cummings has been at worst a cause of huge anger to a nation that’s already extremely anxious. At best, he’s been...
30 May 2020
From: Features
Housing Minister Chris Pincher and Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick stayed well clear of the Dominic Cummings row over the weekend -...
26 May 2020
From: Breaking News
There has been much speculation about when agents will be allowed back to work, and what the new office working environment...