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Sean Hooker I had planned to write a piece on the Renters’ Reform Bill, which I had expected – and was genuinely hoping – would pass into law before Parliament’s extended summer recess. However, as former prime minister Harold McMillian…

The average tenancy in England and Wales now lasts more than 1,000 days, almost 40% longer in properties compared with four years ago, according to Deposit Protection Service (The DPS). The UK’s largest protector of deposits says that renters are…

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released its latest Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) and House Prices Index (HPI), which analyse changes to average rents and house prices across the United Kingdom. The headline figures: Average UK monthly…

A group of landowners has launched a judicial review in the High Court to challenge the government’s efforts to reform the freehold and leasehold property ownership system. Among them are some of the UK’s wealthiest landowners and two major charities,…

Propertymark has issued a response to the BBC Panorama investigation aired on Monday night, which revealed potentially unethical behaviour at Connells and Purplebricks. In the episode, titled ‘Undercover Estate Agent‘, reporter Lucy Vallance went undercover for six weeks as a…

Following our report yesterday on the property industry’s silence in response to the Panorama undercover investigation into conditional selling by estate agents, the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team issued a statement to EYE. It…

EYE’s coverage of the BBC Panorama expose of Purplebricks and Connells, unsurprisingly provoked a substantial quantity of comment from readers. Whenever such a programme airs there are calls for more regulation and policing of estate agencies. But unless we are…

With online search now the go-to starting point for finding businesses or advice, attracting house hunters to estate agency websites has never been more competitive. Jukebox Marketing, a specialist agency supporting estate agents with PR and marketing, is warning that…

The Renters’ Rights Bill returns to the House of Lords today for its Third Reading, marking the final stage in its passage through the chamber. The Bill proposes to abolish fixed-term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies. It also introduces…

Connells has once again come under scrutiny following fresh allegations of conditional selling uncovered in a Panorama undercover investigation. Meanwhile, the BBC investigative show did little to enhance Purplebricks’ reputation and, in doing so, risked undermining trust in the wider…