Other News
Landlords’ Barometer #90
Here are the top trending Property Tribes forum discussions of the past month, along with an interview with TV presenter Phil Spencer.
News
Law
New housing mediation pilot met with caution by legal experts
The mediation scheme must go beyond simply clearing the backlog of housing cases heading for court and move forward with the struggles of the housing sector at its core, the Law Society warns.
Finance
The chances of a stamp duty holiday extension are ‘dwindling by the day’
The chancellor's lack of clarity with regards to the stamp duty holiday is helping to create another wait-and-see period for both vendors and buyers.
Politics
Industry reaction to biggest house price fall since April last year
The stamp duty holiday in England introduced in July 2020 is due to end at the end of next month, which has raised concerns that sales could potentially reach a cliff edge.
Law
Leasehold reform: The government is making promises it can’t deliver
MP’s “do not understand the metrics behind the property market and what makes the market move”, says leasehold specialist.
Agency
High street agents have proved ‘utterly indispensable’ during the pandemic
Most vendors prefer to work with high street estate agents rather than their online competitors, study shows.
Compliance
Comment: Could Foxtons cyber-attack be more serious than first thought?
According to an investigation, the data circulating on the dark web is much more problematic than Foxtons is claiming.
Lettings
Rents rise sharply as demand remains ‘exceptionally high’
Rental values between January 2020 and January 2021 increased in nine of the 12 regions monitored.
Agency
New tool launched to help agents improve digital viewings
The use of digital viewings is set to continue long after the pandemic.
Training
Is your company supporting National Apprenticeship Week 2021?
National Apprenticeship Week 2021, which kicks-off today, aims to shine a light on the work being done by employers and apprentices across the country.
Politics
EFRA select committee calls for clear flood-resilience targets
The move is welcomed by Flood Re.
Lettings
Chancellor urged to scrap stamp duty surcharge for landlords
The government's tax policies have created a shortage of rental housing supply.
Other News
Property fall-throughs start to ‘creep up’ as stamp duty deadline looms
The busiest January on record for Rightmove resulted in a 7% increase in the volume of prospective buyers contacting estate agents, while those enquiring about a property to rent was up by 14%.
Tech
Boomin plans new TV campaign but still no official launch date
Boomin spokesperson tells EYE that the exact launch date for the new portal is yet to be decided but it “will be soon”.
Law
Advice for agents on how to handle deposit disputes fair and reasonably
Sandy Bastin, head of adjudication services at TDS, shares guidance on how to present a claim to a tenant in order to maximise the chances of early resolution.
Charity
What can we learn from Captain Tom?
Captain Sir Tom Moore, the Second World War veteran, raised tens of millions of pounds for the NHS.
People
Comings and Goings
Together promotes Sundeep Patel; Chris Cummings joins Savills; Mortgages for Business appoints new COO
Finance
Over half of brokers expect transactions to miss out on stamp duty holiday
Three quarters of brokers think the stamp duty holiday should be extended beyond next month.
Compliance
The Dispute Service teams up with compliance platform, Complylex
The Dispute Service is working in partnership with Complylex, the online compliance-based platform for estate and letting agents.