Starmer Orders Investigation Into ‘Mass Eviction’ Scandal
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has instructed Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook to investigate a reported mass eviction by Criterion Capital, owned by Asif Aziz. The landlord issued eviction notices to 130 tenants at Britannia Point in Colliers Wood, allegedly to pre‑empt the May abolition of Section 21 under the Renters’ Rights Act. The issue was raised in Prime Minister’s Questions by MP Siobhain McDonagh, prompting the government to act. Criterion denies any policy of mass evictions, claiming the notices were lawful and limited.
Prices Plateau as Sealed Bids and Gazumping of Two Years Ago Vanish – RICS Agents
UK house prices have plateaued, with agents noting a shift from the sealed‑bid and gazumping frenzy of two years ago to more cautious price negotiations. The latest RICS survey shows buyer confidence eroding amid heightened geopolitical risk, including Gulf tensions...
Campaign Call for Landlord Protections Is Rejected by the Government
The UK Government has dismissed a petition urging stronger landlord protections and faster court processes. The petition, started by Scottish landlord Craig Littlejohn, gathered over 15,000 signatures and called for expedited possession courts, a tenant‑vetting database, and higher deposit caps....
Ground Rent Cap Will Give Landlords £8.7bn Windfall
Labour’s proposed £250 annual ground‑rent cap is projected to generate an £8.7 billion windfall for buy‑to‑let landlords, according to WPI Strategy analysis. While intended to protect over five million leaseholders, the cap could erase up to £18 billion of ground‑rent investment value,...
Time-Saving AI Praised by Prime London Agency
Jefferies London’s in‑house AI assistant, J.E.S.S.E., is now handling all inbound and many outbound sales calls for its Prime Central London brokerage. Since September 2025 it has processed more than 11,000 buyer enquiries, averaging about 1,863 calls per month and...
Negative Perceptions About HMOs Can Be Changed, Developers Insist
North West developers Ray Guy and Geoff Knight argue that hands‑on management can overturn the negative reputation of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). They manage 40 HMOs themselves, emphasizing tenant vetting and proactive maintenance to ensure quality. Their latest project...
Landlord Attacks Courts After Eviction Fees Reach Nearly £20,000
Guernsey landlord Fallon Bewey is confronting nearly £20,000 in legal costs after a tenant refused to vacate a property once a one‑year lease expired. The eviction case, delayed until June, has sparked accusations that the island’s courts prioritize tenants over...
Million Pound Homes Sell for Massive Loss, New Analysis Reveals
New analysis by the Daily Telegraph reveals that 18% of UK homes sold for over £1 million changed hands at a loss in 2024, with the figure climbing above 25% in the final quarter of the year. Adjusted for inflation, the...
BLOG: How to Avoid Being an Estate Agency that Fails at AI
Estate agencies risk AI failure by adopting generic, disconnected tools or ignoring AI altogether. Successful firms integrate AI directly into their CRM, automate repetitive lead qualification, and maintain brand voice across channels. The article highlights the "shadow AI" risk of...
Renters’ Rights Act Forces Midlands Council to Spend More Tackling Rogue Landlords
City of Wolverhampton Council will allocate an additional £714,000 to enforce the Renters’ Rights Act, which comes into force on 1 May 2026. The funding underpins expanded investigatory powers, civil penalties and court actions against rogue landlords. Council officials note...
Government Issues New Digital ID Guidance for AML
The UK government has issued guidance confirming that Trust Framework‑approved digital identity services satisfy Money Laundering Regulations (MLR) for customer due diligence. This clears a regulatory uncertainty that has slowed digital onboarding, especially for estate agents and other high‑value‑goods sectors....
BLOG: Why Estate Agents Are a Prime Target for Cyber Criminals
Estate agents handle highly sensitive client data but often rely on informal security practices such as shared passwords stored in spreadsheets. With 43% of UK businesses reporting recent cyber breaches, the property sector is seeing a surge in email‑compromise attacks...
Independent Agencies See OpenRent as a ‘Major Threat’
Independent UK estate agencies with fewer than five branches view DIY platforms such as OpenRent as a major threat, with one‑third flagging heightened risk. Larger firms, by contrast, largely dismiss these services, seeing little danger to their market share. The...
Tenants Using Bank Fraud Reports to Challenge Rent and Deposit Payments – Claim
Tenants are increasingly filing Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud reports to contest rent and holding‑deposit payments, treating the banking route as a quicker, less adversarial alternative to traditional tenancy dispute mechanisms. Letting agents are left to defend these claims through...
Rightmove Launching AI Search App on ChatGPT
Rightmove has submitted an AI‑powered property search app to the ChatGPT app directory, allowing users to query listings via the @Rightmove command. The app, available to both free and paid ChatGPT users, returns property suggestions in a conversational carousel based...
New Platform Launched with Claims It Can Reduce the Need for Agents to Chase Sales
LMS has introduced the National Property Transaction Network (NPTN), a data‑sharing platform that lets estate agents assemble a Fast Track Sale pack at the listing stage. The pack aggregates ID checks, title details, searches and other key information, which conveyancers...
WARNING: Manual ID Checks Leave Agents ‘Vulnerable to Scams’
Property agents are being warned that manual identity checks expose them to sophisticated scams. SmartSearch reports that 54% of verification checks remain manual, leaving gaps for AI‑generated IDs and deepfake documents. A recent survey of 1,000 decision‑makers shows fraud incidents...
BLOG: Inside Modern Conveyancing – the Extra Steps Agents and Vendors Don’t See
Modern conveyancing now involves extensive behind‑the‑scenes work that extends beyond the legal milestones agents typically see. Pre‑exchange depends on continuous identity, sanctions and source‑of‑funds checks, while lender criteria evolve throughout the deal. Conveyancers act for both buyer and lender, adhering...
Bringing Together PPC and SEO for Agents
The Negotiator article urges estate agencies to integrate pay‑per‑click (PPC) advertising with search engine optimisation (SEO), arguing that combined data and testing can sharpen messaging, boost keyword intelligence, and stretch limited budgets. It highlights rapid ad‑copy testing via PPC, leveraging...
Labour MP Calls for More Tracking of Short Lets
Labour MP Rachel Blake has forced a Commons debate using the Ten Minute Rule to demand tighter tracking of short‑term lets in London. She argues that the existing 90‑night annual cap is ineffective because councils cannot verify rental frequency, and...