Author: Benjamin

[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…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Lee Carratt Lee Carratt, franchise partnerships director at LSL Estate Agency Franchising, took on The Flower of Suffolk Hundred on 24 May to raise funds for Agents Giving – the official charity for the property industry – and clocked up £1,846 in donations, nearly doubling his original fundraising target of £1,000.  Ahead of the event, Carratt shared his tentative excitement for the day: “It’s going to be a huge challenge, both physically and mentally, but I’m proud to be doing it for such a great cause.” Then, the 100-mile circular…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The latest House Costs Indices (HCI) report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that, by tenure type, private renter households had the highest annual inflation rate of 3.6% in March 2025, reflecting rising private rental payments. This was followed by social and other renter households, which had a 3% inflation rate in the year to March 2025. Outright owner occupiers experienced the lowest annual inflation rate of all tenure types, at 1.8% in the year to March 2025; mortgagor households had the next lowest (2.8%). Private rental costs…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Kieran Witt and Ed Molyneux of Moverly Moverly has been named a finalist in the Smart Data Challenge Prize, a competition funded by the Department for Business & Trade to encourage innovations that use smart data to improve services for consumers and businesses. Smart data allows individual consumers and business customers to access and share their data simply and securely with third parties, enabling those third parties to provide innovative services. Moverly’s platform aims to simplify property transactions by giving customers control over their data and enabling more efficient sharing…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: L-R (back); Christina McLean; Rory Wallace; Isabella Birch Reynardson; Lucy Bull; Rosanna Whitmore L-R (front); Hannah Norton; Stevie Walmesley Savills has expanded its super prime lettings operation beyond London with the formation of a national team to handle the top end of the rental market.  The move comes amid rising demand for high-value rental properties in areas including the commuter belt, the Cotswolds, and the north of England. The new team is headed by Isabella Birch Reynardson and the expanded department will work closely with Savills’ private office and sports…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The Treasury has released the latest statistics for the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, showing that from 19 April 2021 to the end of December 2024, it helped to complete 53,261 mortgages. Among that number, 86% were purchases by first-time buyers. The total value of mortgages supported by the scheme stands at £10.7bn. Compared to total mortgage completions in each region, the scheme has supported a higher proportion of mortgages in the North West, South East and Scotland, and a lower proportion in the North East, London, Wales and Northern Ireland. The…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: UK homebuyers say they would rather complete property transactions more quickly than save money on conveyancing, according to new research from Smoove. The study found that over half (51%) of homebuyers prioritise speed and efficiency over cost savings, highlighting widespread frustration with the slow pace of property transactions. This comes despite rising conveyancing costs, with the total spend reaching £1.9 billion in 2024, up 17% year on year. The research also revealed that 62% of recent homebuyers experienced unexpected costs during their transaction – ranging from additional legal fees to…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: PropTech startup Adema AI has launched a waiting list for its new artificial intelligence platform, which it says will improve efficiency and decision-making in the real estate sector. The platform is designed to process large volumes of property data in order to provide actionable insights. The aim is to help users enhance asset performance, cut costs and reduce time spent on manual tasks, the company said, with the product intended to support a wide range of real estate activities by combining analytics, automation and decision-support tools. Hans Kaufmann, CEO and…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Estate Track has introduced a new AI-powered tool designed to help estate agents create blog content more efficiently.  The AI Blog Writer enables agents to generate draft articles by entering a topic, with the option to publish directly to their website and social media platforms. According to the company, the tool can also suggest royalty-free images to accompany each article, with the aim of helping agents create visually appealing content that complies with licensing requirements. Stephen Phillips, co-founder of Estate Track, said the feature has been designed to reduce the…