Commercial insurance firm and redress provider Hamilton Fraser has confirmed its acquisition of an independent forum for landlords.

Hamilton Fraser, which operates the Property Redress Scheme and MyDeposits, has bought Parkmatic Publications, which runs LandlordZone.

Founder Tom Entwistle, who started the site in 1999, and his wife Gaynor are no longer directors and have been replaced by three from Hamilton Fraser.

An initial press release said that “Hamilton Fraser have been selected as the chosen partner by Tom to continue the success of LandlordZone and further enhance it”.

However, the purchase, for an undisclosed sum, was later confirmed after EYE queried the status of the deal.

The landlord-focused site has been very successful, with 2.5m visits per year and a subscriber base of 130,000 plus a forum which handles hundreds of questions and answers each week.

Entwistle is staying on as editor and yesterday Hamilton Fraser said that the site would retain its independence after concerns were raised that the company would use the site to sell its products.

A spokesperson told us: “Tom will focus his time and energy on keeping the independence of editorial content in his ongoing capacity as editor, and the discussion forum will continue to stay true to its values as a place where landlords can converse and seek independent advice.

“The commercial aspect of the site will not change and will continue to be open to all advertisers.

“Hamilton Fraser currently advertise on a number of landlord websites and this includes LandlordZone.”

Eddie Hooker, CEO of Hamilton Fraser, said: “We want to help maintain and improve the site’s approach to news, and ensure its continued independence, whilst also increasing Hamilton Fraser’s distribution opportunities to help the sector continue its drive in improving standards through our products and services in insurance, client money and deposit protection and the provision of external redress and legal support.”