Author: Benjamin

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Dwelly has completed its third major agency acquisition, this time adding 550 new units to its growing portfolio. The latest purchase sees Dwelly acquire Pennington, a well-established agency in Suffolk, founded by Julian Pennington and Robert Ulph. Pennington’s management portfolio of 550 units will now be integrated into Dwelly’s lettings and management platform. Pennington marks the third UK acquisition made by Dwelly, following previous buy-outs of agents in Yorkshire and Essex which themselves added 1,500 units to the Dwelly portfolio. Dwelly was founded by Ilya Drozdov, Dan Lifshits, and Dmitry…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Buyers and sellers have sprung into action after Easter, with the number of sales agreed in May the highest in four years, according to according to Zoopla’s latest House Price Index. Most sellers are also buyers who are seizing the opportunity to agree purchases, enticed by some attractive mortgage deals and the ability to borrow up to 20% more, the report added. Increased market activity is enabling households to meet their moving ambitions, although it is not resulting in faster price rises, which average 1.6% over the last year. Busiest…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Toby Martin Let’s talk about Hovis. A household name in the UK, famous for its loaves of bread. But as much as we all know the brand, it’s not the kind of story you want to find yourself in as a business owner. In fact, Hovis can teach us a lot about what happens when a company fails to stand out from the crowd. The rise and fall of Hovis Hovis was once at the top of the bread game, a market leader. But in the early 2000s, despite being…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The founder of an estate agency in Birmingham told a court how he had suffered “immense” distress and “devastating” financial losses, after his assistant stole thousands of pounds from his company. Nin Rehal, the owner of Northwood’s central Birmingham franchise office was out of the office caring for his terminally ill mother, when Hemalatha Jayaprakash, 44, from Great Barr, had betrayed his trust. Jayaprakash, who he had worked for the agency for 12 years, made dozens of illegal transfers from business and client accounts. She stole huge sums of money despite…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: A new report commissioned by the Welsh Government evaluating the work of Rent Smart Wales (RSW) has failed to reassure concerned landlords operating in the Welsh rental market. According to the report, private landlords are not receiving a consistent level of service from the organisation, and it finds that, region by region, the organisation is uneven in how it applies enforcement across the market. Most importantly, whilst the report maintains RSW is meeting its obligations, it fails to provide the metrics used to judge whether RSW is fulfilling its core…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Lucy Edwards Lettings manager joins Dacres  Dacre, Son & Hartley has appointed Lucy Edwards as a lettings manager and sales negotiator based at its Ripon office. With 17 years of agency experience, Edwards relocated to Yorkshire last year. She will now oversee rentals throughout Ripon, Boroughbridge, Knaresborough, Harrogate and other key local towns and villages along the A1 corridor. The role will also give Edwards the opportunity to support Ripon’s sales team, comprising of Claire Tiplady, who heads up the office, and senior sales negotiator, Michael Ward. Edwards said: “This…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: L-R: Kimberley Ronald, Robert Ross and Gregg Ross Ronald Ross Lettings and Estate Agents has formally launched operations from its new 1800 sq ft. office on the third floor of 3 Park Gardens, in the heart of Glasgow’s high-end Park Circus district. The office layout comprises 20 workstations, reflecting the company’s expansion plan to recruit self-employed sales agents who will benefit from high-quality property sales leads while operating under the Ronald Ross brand. The business, which began trading in January 2024, is founded and led by directors Kimberley Ronald and…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The best UK firms to work for in 2025 have been revealed, as part of The Sunday Times’ annual listing. The results of the Best Places to Work in 2025 are varied, ranging from tech giants to property firms, including estate agencies of different sizes. Jon Yeomans, business editor of The Sunday Times, said: “Happy workers make for good businesses. Staff retention rises, recruitment costs fall, good ideas are fostered and the company’s top line swells. Generating a healthy corporate culture does not have to cost the earth, either. The…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The Inheritance tax receipts hit £800m last month, according to fresh data released by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). This is £97m higher than in April of the previous tax year, and continues an upward trend over the last two decades. With such a strong start to the new tax year, predictions that inheritance tax receipts will top the £8.2bn raised in 2024/25 tax year are looking increasingly realistic. The OBR estimates suggest almost 10% of estates will pay death duties by 2030 due to increasing house prices, changes to…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), has released its 2024 Annual Review, showcasing a year of significant progress in modernising the profession, expanding membership, and leading on global sustainability standards. In a landmark year, RICS membership in the UK surpassed 100,000 for the first time, with over 7,600 new global enrolments, the highest since 2017. To add to this, 76% of industry professionals showed confidence in the professionalism and expertise of RICS members. Member satisfaction also rose in terms of RICS leadership in sustainability, with 70% of members reporting…