Archive

The nation heads to the polls today to help choose the next Government. Housing hasn’t been a main feature and most of...

The Stamp Duty exemption for first-time buyers will be returned to £300,000 under a Labour Government. The Labour Party, which is currently...

The manifestos of all major parties tell us little about their true tax and public service plans, a respected financial think...

It is currently one of the best times to be a homebuyer, Knight Frank claims. The agency brand has highlighted that a...

You have to wonder who is advising Rishi Sunak these days. Months ago, Silverstone must have seemed a terrific venue to hold...

After much anticipation, the Labour Manifesto for ‘Change’ was launched this week. Held in Manchester the launch event included personal reflections...

A Labour frontbencher has failed to explain why the party has no plans to reform council tax based, in most cases,...

There’s been a broadly warm response from much of the property industry to Labour’s manifesto, but a call for more detail...

The latest residential market sentiment survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors suggests confidence in the housing market is beginning...

The Conservative Party’s General Election manifesto has committed to resurrecting the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme and temporarily removing Capital...

The Liberal Democrat General Election manifesto has been published, promising more housebuilding, abolishing leasehold tenures and its own buyer support scheme. Its...

Agents are invited to a webinar on how the General Election will affect the property market. Reapit and PayProp will be hosting...

You may not have realised, but yesterday, the new government’s housing policy was agreed. No, I’m not talking about the new ‘Freedom...

Win, lose or draw for the political hopefuls standing as candidates in the upcoming general election, it is likely that the...

To put it simply – letting agents are our business. When they overwhelmingly voice a concern about something, we take that...

Stamp Duty reform and more housebuilding top the General Election wish-lists for the property sector. General Election manifestos are yet to be...

So we’ve been sent the ‘Save The Date’ card - it’s July 4. Now all we need is the invitation to the...

Could it be that a politician has finally done the property market a favour? Rishi Sunak’s decision to call the general election...

The Government’s controversial Renters (Reform) Bill has fallen victim to Rishi Sunak’s election announcement and has been shelved. The legislation – which...

You don’t have to be a mind-reader to believe there will be a large majority Labour government by the end of...

Sky News is reporting that up to 30 Conservative MPs are threatening to rebel against the government’s approach to ground rents...

Propertymark, the leading membership body for property agents has written to London Mayor candidates highlighting proposals to tackle the unique housing...

There was a long-awaited return to the House of Commons this week when the Renters (Reform) Bill finally rose to the...

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLHUC) has hit back at media claims about its housebuilding targets. The Times newspaper...

The 2023 Autumn Budget, amongst its considerable 110 growth measures, contained an important announcement for the property sphere, with £3 million...

More than three quarters of Estate Agent Today readers have backed the prospect of a Stamp Duty cut. The Government is rumoured...

Stamp Duty reform was back in the news over the weekend amid reports that the Government plans to reform the controversial...

Introduced to Parliament in May, the Renters (Reform) Bill seeks to improve the private rental sector for both tenants and landlords....

The Government has set out yet another attempt to meet it manifesto commitment to build 1m homes over this Parliament. Prime Minister...

A trio of estate agents have setup an LGBTQ+-focused mentoring, learning and networking group. Founded by James Hummerstone-Pope, Danielle Andrews and Caren...

And…breathe. For a while back there, the only certainty for the housing market was uncertainty. That isn’t to say the election of Rishi...

Recent political changes – and there have been quite a few in recent weeks – have brought about something of a...

When it comes to housing policy, the Conservative MPs have given their party a choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle DumDum. Rishi...

The Tory leadership candidates have been urged to not forget about housing as the race to be the new Prime Minister...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced that he is considering extending Margaret Thatcher’s Right-to-Buy scheme, that gives council tenants the chance to...

After years of delays and upheaval, the Renters' Reform Bill finally appears to be back on the agenda, in an effort...

It’s easy to overestimate the importance of something in one’s own industry or work, but there seems good reason for believing...

It appears almost certain that there will be limits imposed on the number and location of second homes in Wales, following...

It’s been a busy and arguably fruitful year for the property market, with an eager consumer base pushing forwards with their...

A think tank has proposed scrapping Council Tax and stamp duty in favour of an annual property levy.  The Institute for Public...

Local elections rarely set the pulse racing and this year’s poll on Thursday faces a similar problem. But this time, it’s a...

The Conservatives have promised that first time buyers would not pay tax when buying a home in Wales if the party wins...

There will be a two per cent stamp duty surcharge on the purchase of UK investment properties by non-resident overseas buyers...

The new housing minister is Christopher Pincher, who for the past decade has been Conservative MP for Tamworth having had a...

Not for the first time, a government policy on housing ends up begging more questions than it provides answers - but...

A survey of readers of Estate Agent Today suggest that the majority believe the Chancellor will fail to honour a pledge...

The new government has announced that its first Budget is to be held on Wednesday March 11 - and it’s giving...

After a year dogged by Brexit deadlock, political turmoil, and slow growth, estate agents’ confidence in the property market hit a...

It’s a substantial Tory government for the next five years: what does this mean for estate agents, property and the market? We have...

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...

In just over two weeks, the UK population will head to the polls for the fourth general election since 2010. Of course,...

Election time means setting out your stall and getting support - so how about a vote of confidence for those agents,...

Labour is pledging a “housing revolution” with the biggest council house building programme for decades Its manifesto being launched today will include new...

A London estate agency says a new scheme of apartments being launched for sale this weekend will be the first ever...

Until now General Election pledges of stamp duty reforms were restricted to the Conservatives - but now a tax consultancy says...

A 10 point manifesto to drive forward leasehold reform has been published by prominent campaigner Louie Burns, of The Leasehold Solutions Group. The 10...

The National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents have issued their manifesto for next month’s General...

The National Audit Office, a spending watchdog, has exposed the government’s Starter Homes policy with a damning critique of its failure The...

A survey undertaken for estate agency Jackson-Stops reveals that 55 per cent of people do not believe housing is a priority...

It’s on - although judging by the early lack of enthusiasm amongst the British public, you might be forgiven for thinking...

Agents and property industry figures have given a clear message to the government six weeks ahead of the General Election -...

If you thought - perhaps hoped - that five weeks of prorogued Parliament meant a break from politics, think again: the...

Hunters chairman Kevin Hollinrake, who is also a Conservative MP, has given notice that he would resign the party whip if...

It’s been quite a week for news so you might have missed this story - there is yet another boost for...

Britain lives in fundamentalist black-and-white times - all the more surprising when the country's most divisive point of contention sits on...

While media attention has been on Theresa May, Brexit and the Tories, chatter in the agency industry has been about what...

No, this isn’t about Brexit. But as the saga of leaving the EU is likely to bring about the downfall of...

Labour’s housing spokesman, John Healey, has spoken out against the split in the party which has so far seen eight MPs...

James Brokenshire - yesterday appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government - joins the rank of senior politicians...

One day, I’ll sit down to write for Estate Agent Today and I won’t express my dismay at the lack of...

In this week’s Natter I’m going to get all political. Don’t worry, I won’t be giving my opinions on Brexit, Trump...

When a tenant failed to pay any rent after the first month his tenancy last year, the landlord did not expect...

  You’ll see a lot of 10th anniversary stories in the property industry and consumer media in the coming days: early August...

Housing minister Alok Sharma has blocked some of his Twitter followers, accusing them of “abusive language”.   Sharma has a relatively modest 9,169 followers...

When it comes to provoking anger in property professionals, taxation takes some beating. Press releases are still arriving berating the December...

The Queen’s speech to the British parliament this week was a scaled-back affair, which was unsurprising given the Grenfell Tower fire,...

The detailed paperwork accompanying the Queen’s Speech includes the Conservative party manifesto pledge to streamline house buying - but gives no...

The housing industry has responded with shock, joy, and jitters, after Theresa May’s snap general election went catastrophically wrong, leaving her...

Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on June 8 took many by surprise. But estate agents have been broadly...

In years to come, students of political history might come to look at the 2017 General Election campaign with some interest....

The Conservative and Labour party manifestos do not go far enough to tackle problems with the leasehold system. That’s the view of...

The banning of letting fees levied on tenants has dominated the industry headlines in recent months but this election campaign suggests...

The UK Independence Party’s housing policy for the General Election hinges around a huge expansion in modular factory-built housing - but...

A conveyancing expert is calling for sellers to complete and return their property information questionnaire to their conveyancer before there have...

The Green Party, one of the final political groups to launch their manifesto for the June 8 General Election, wants an end...

The Conservative Party says it wants greater competition and more digitisation to cut the costs and reduce the amount of time...

Home ownership has halved for young families across some parts of the UK according to a charity.  The Resolution Foundation says its...

News headlines talk more and more about a slowdown in the property market, a drop in house prices and the need...

In November 2016 when the Autumn Statement was delivered by Chancellor Philip Hammond, the announcement was made to ban letting agent...

The Conservatives now say they are not resuscitating Home Information Packs, despite a suggestion by a prominent former minister that they "had...

The Conservatives have this morning announced a reform of the house buying process in the party’s manifesto for the June 8...

The Liberal Democrats have set a building target of 300,000 new homes a year, have pledged to scrap housing association Right...

Speculation has grown that the Conservatives may make a manifesto pledge to remove some family homes’ long-established exemption from Capital Gains...

I wrote last month about how the Government, in introducing a 3% stamp duty surcharge on second homes, had scored an...

Estate agents have been broadly supportive of the decision by Prime Minister Theresa May to push for a snap General Election...

In this Natter we have an exclusive interview with David Cox, CEO of ARLA Propertymark and one of the best-known figures...

It may still be too early to start compiling a Christmas wish list, but it is the right time to provide...

You might recall a collective sigh of relief emitted by stakeholders in the housing market and private rental sector back in...

The party's over. It's probably the best double entendre in the world of politics right now. For centre or right-leaning Labour...

Labour leadership front-runner Jeremy Corbyn has suggested a party run by him would consider a ban on the purchase of homes...