News
Surge in activity for London’s prime housing market
Marcus Dixon, head of research at LonRes: “Transactions at the top end of the market were higher than both the 2020 and long run average in Q1.”
Agents should warn buyers that they ‘may likely miss the stamp duty deadline’
The average time taken for properties to complete has increased by 6%, new research shows.
House of Lords approves interest rate cap for mortgage prisoners
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com: "I am delighted that the Lords has seen the injustice that has been heaped on hundreds of thousands of mortgage prisoners.”
Under the hammer: Rightmove to ‘give agents more options to offer to their vendors’
Rightmove’s new digital feature for online conditional auctions will launch on Monday.
Comings and Goings
Savills appoints ex-Knight Frank agent; Steve Ryan joins The Property Jungle; New partner at Wedlake Bell
New stamp duty petition attracts more than 1,700 signatures within 24 hours
The last major stamp duty petition led to a debate in parliament - it attracted more than 150,000 signatures!
Police seize more than 100 cannabis plants from rented house in Eastbourne
A total of 108 cannabis plants with a potential street value of up to £90,700 were found inside the property.
‘Stamp duty should be permanently reformed’, says Winkworth
Dominic Agace, chief executive of Winkworth: “The level of stamp duty currently charged is detrimental to a healthy free flowing housing market.”
Make stamp duty cut permanent to boost economy, says OECD
Angel Gurria, the OECD’s secretary-general: “The recovery is an opportunity to set our policies right.”
PayProp named an approved supplier for property management by RE/MAX
André Holtshausen, CEO of PayProp UK: “Letting agents are the unsung heroes of the residential rental industry and they deserve technology that makes their lives easier.”
RICS Scotland manifesto published ahead of Scottish election
RICS has set out where they believe the next Scottish government should invest in the built environment.
Petition calls for stamp duty holiday to be triggered upon exchange of contracts
A new petition on stamp duty has just been posted on Westminster’s official petition.parliament.uk website.
Zoopla challenges Rightmove with changes to features, functionality and branding
These are the biggest changes to Zoopla since its launch in 2007.
Agents thrown out of ombudsman scheme after failing to pay award
Three sales and letting agents have been excluded from The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay outstanding awards.
An industry at breaking point: Conveyancing and the stamp duty holiday
The conveyancing industry has reached breaking point and this summer is set to be its most challenging period yet.
Foxtons faces investor backlash over CEO’s near-£1m bonus
London estate agent criticised after taking almost £7m in state Covid support.
Comings and Goings
Spicerhaart creates new department; Countryside appoints new chairman; Peter Metcalfe joins Kingsley Napley
Sun Properties Leicester fails in bid to rejoin TPO under a new name
The Property Ombudsman has identified a linked company called Sunrise Properties Leicester which shares the same partners as Sun Properties Leicester.
New tool allows information to be shared instantly with all parties
Improving the home buying selling process: Sharing property data with all parties, right from the outset, provides "a single source of truth".