New powers for councils to help build more affordable homes
Councils across the country can now buy cheaper land to help build thousands more social and affordable homes
Marc da Silva
LSL starts £7m share buyback
LSL Property Services has published its Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Latest increase in property sales indicates ‘a reviving property market’
The latest property transaction figures from HMRC suggest cautious optimism may be on the cards as we head into the summer season
Estate agents over-valuing homes to gain instructions ‘helping nobody’
More to be done to stop the practice of over pricing homes to win instructions
Major lenders raise mortgage rates
Nationwide, Santander and NatWest will be increasing rates from today
Well-known estate agency boss launches petition to reform stamp duty
The estate agent says that there are two simple changes that could be made to fix stamp duty so that it would work better for young families and the market in general
Comings & Goings
Snippets of industry news: Simpson & Marwick makes senior appointment; Savills enhances planning offering; Beal Homes hires new sales and marketing director
Letting agents are receiving 13 tenant enquiries for every rental home
Average rental prices have hit another record high, but the pace of rent growth continues to slow; 50,000 new rental homes needed to meet demand
The Renters (Reform) Bill ‘runs the risk of failing to achieve its objectives’
Many tenants do not currently feel confident about where to go for help when things go wrong
Gazumping continues to rise, homebuyers call for a ban
New homeowner survey has revealed the prevalence of gazumping, and their attitudes towards it
Buy-to-let purchases hit record low
The introduction of the stamp duty surcharge in 2016 has disproportionately impacted those markets with above average house prices in the south of England
Humza Yousaf’s resignation will not change ‘issues’ facing Scotland’s housing sector
The Scottish government’s record on housing has been under intense scrutiny following a huge £196m cut to the country’s affordable housing budget
Property industry reacts to Zoopla House Price Index
House prices rise in the north, but dip in the south
Rogue agency and directors receive lengthy ban
The agency has been charged upwards of £250,000 for the failure to license their HMO properties
Sadiq Khan says leaseholders should have the right to withhold service charges
Under the London mayor's proposals, leaseholders could withhold service charge payments
House prices growing fastest for small homes, says Halifax
One way to compensate for higher borrowing costs is to target smaller properties
Estate agents see sales pipeline rise sharply as agreed deals jump
The rebound in sales being agreed continues
Propertymark urges introduction of RoPA in phases
Regulation is a key campaign area for Propertymark and its members
Homesearch’s new product allows estate agents to target past contacts
New product helps estate agents engage their known contacts using relevant market information
Rocketing service charges leave leaseholders with hefty bills
Rising service charges mean buyers are increasingly wary of the additional ongoing cost to their home purchase and are carefully weighing up the value for money they offer