Author: Benjamin

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Nested, the estate agency platform for self-employed agents, and Gazeal have agreed a new partnership aimed at tackling fall-throughs and accelerating the sales process. The pair hope that Gazeal’s Reservation and Deposit Agreements will allow Nested partners to provide clients with greater certainty with a view to reducing fall-throughs and speeding up transactions. Alice Bullard, CEO of Nested, commented: “Everyone in the industry knows how painful fall-throughs are – for the seller, the buyer, and the estate agent. We’re always looking for ways to make the process smoother…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: L-R:Craig Syme, Stephen McKechnie and David Gibb Dwello, Scotland’s newest residential lettings agent has opened its office in Glasgow’s West End, with the aim of bringing 1,000 properties under management within the first two years. Founded by experienced landlord, Stephen McKechnie, who has assembled a team of experienced agents, Dwello aims to compete with the big established agents in the Scottish market. The company’s founders have first-hand experience of all sides of residential lettings, having been landlords and agents. The agency will employ fifteen staff in its Glasgow office. David…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Connells Group continues its strategic expansion with the acquisition of Aspire Estate Agents, a five branch estate and lettings agency in south-west London. It is the biggest acquisition that Connells have made since Countrywide in 2021. Aspire has a sales business covering Battersea, Balham, Fulham South, Fulham Central, and Clapham, as well as a substantial portfolio of over 750 lettings properties. The agency will retain its own brand identity as it joins the John D Wood & Co. family. Chris Rosindale, chief operating officer, Connells Group, said: “This acquisition is…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: PEXA has announced the completion of the UK’s first fully digital purchase transaction. The transaction took place as part of the testing of the digital property exchange platform’s sale and purchase proposition ahead of its full launch and wider market roll out later this year. Hinckley & Rugby Building Society was the first UK lender to complete a mortgage using PEXA, with national law firm Muve acting as the conveyancer within the PEXA workspace for both the purchaser and lender. The transaction leveraged PEXA’s proprietary payment scheme, PEXA Pay —…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: North London estate agency Martyn Gerrard has expanded with the acquisition of Islington-based Carlton Estate Agents. The purchase is the latest move in the agency’s ambitious expansion strategy, which saw the acquisition of Range Homes in Palmers Green in February last year, along with the opening of its latest office in Hampstead. With the addition of Carlton’s Islington location, Martyn Gerrard now has 15 offices in total across its network of North and North West London offices. Founded in 1998, Carlton Estate Agents has almost 30 years’ experience serving the community…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: London rental prices remained steady in May 2025, with new data from Hello Neighbour showing a 1.1% increase compared to May 2024.  The latest insights report from the lettings and property management agent shows rents are at the same level as in May 2023, having undergone a month-on-month decline of 2% and a 1.3% rise on the previous three-month average. The report reveals that 72% of landlords are pricing their properties within 10% of the market rate, suggesting a broadly stable pricing strategy. Tenant demand followed a…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The ESTAS has announced the final shortlists for its 2025 Awards, recognising excellence in the property sector.  The categories include The People Awards, Supplier Awards and The Collaboration Awards. The People Awards category, introduced 14 years ago, celebrates individual staff who go above and beyond in helping clients through the home moving process. Sixty individuals have been shortlisted, with 10 to be honoured at the awards ceremony with a special trophy. The Supplier of the Year Awards, now in their 15th year, acknowledge suppliers who have received high service ratings…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: UK-based property and fintech platform OneDome has announced the acquisition of digital mortgage broker Trussle, trading as Better.co.uk, from Better Home and Finance Holding Company.  The transaction is subject to final approval by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). OneDome integrates mortgage, legal and insurance services into a “digital homebuying journey”. Its HomeBuyer Service bundles mortgage advice, conveyancing, and insurance into a single fixed-price package.  The acquisition of Trussle is intended to enhance OneDome’s offering and move it closer to its goal of facilitating 10% of all UK housing transactions within…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The number of UK property transactions fell sharply in April 2025, according to provisional figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). For residential properties, the seasonally adjusted figure was 64,680 transactions, representing a 64% drop compared to March 2025 and a 28% decline from April 2024. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, residential transactions fell to 55,970, down 66% month-on-month and 28% year-on-year. HMRC said the steep decline in residential transactions in April follows a spike in March, likely due to activity being brought forward ahead of the stamp duty land…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Rents in England increased for the fifth consecutive month in May, according to the latest Goodlord Rental Index.  The latest price jump could mark the start of the seasonal ‘summer surge’, with further rises expected over the coming months. The average rent for a new tenancy in May rose by almost 1% from April, reaching £1,226 – the highest recorded by the index since October 2024.  The North East recorded the biggest month-on-month increase at 2.2%, followed by the East Midlands with a 1.8% rise. Rents increased in all regions…