Author: Benjamin

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: David Alexander The Scottish housing market is seeing stark regional divides, with some areas recording rapid price growth while others are stagnating or falling behind, according to the latest analysis by estate agency DJ Alexander. Average house prices rose by £11,458 in the year to January 2025, a 6.5% increase that outpaces the 4.9% average rise seen in England and Wales.  The strongest gains were concentrated in and around the central belt, particularly Edinburgh and neighbouring local authorities. David Alexander, chief executive of DJ Alexander Scotland, said: “As ever some…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: ModaMortgages, Keystone Property Finance and Zephyr Homeloans have all announced rate cuts across their buy-to-let mortgage products, reflecting increased competition among lenders targeting property investors. ModaMortgages has reduced rates by up to 20 basis points, with two-year fixed products now starting from 3.39% and five-year fixes from 4.89%. The lender’s range is open to individuals, limited companies, first-time landlords and portfolio investors, with loan-to-value (LTV) ratios up to 75%. The changes follow the launch of £0 and 3% product fee options on Moda’s limited edition range, alongside free valuations and…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Two landlords in Derby have been fined more than £10,000 in total for breaching housing regulations, following investigations by the city council’s housing standards team. Kevin Adrian Sutton, 57, was fined £6,000 after failing to renew a licence for a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) on Milton Street, despite receiving three reminders.  A council inspection found five unrelated students living at the property, meaning it met the legal definition of an HMO and required a licence under the Housing Act 2004.  Sutton pleaded guilty at South Derbyshire Magistrates Court and…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: A new data-driven retrofit tool launched by Senze is aiming to offer landlords a more accurate and cost-effective way to improve the energy performance of housing stock, following pilots across the UK and internationally. Developed by a team including Related Argent chair David Partridge, Project Etopia founder Joseph Michael Daniels and Veritherm founder Tom Fenton, Senze uses sensors installed in every room of a home to assess real-time energy performance, replacing the need for visual inspections or desktop modelling. The tool has been trialled by Bromford Housing, the Northern Ireland…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: New data analysis shows that a rural county in Wales was the local authority that saw the biggest percentage increase in property applications to the Land Registry last year. Powys, the rural county in mid-Wales, saw a 25.2% increase in applications as the volume of property purchases rocketed in the region, by comparison to the rest of England and Wales. The local authority was not alone as a rural authority seeing a spike in applications, with Malvern Hills, on the border between Herefordshire and Worcestershire, also sneaking into the top…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Estate agency has always been about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about people and relationships, winning business, and seeing the deal through to that moment when the keys are handed over. It’s a truly unique profession. Yet, in 2025, being an estate agent is harder than ever. Against a backdrop of the ever-varying market, estate agents deal with increasing regulation, consumers who expect more, and a longer more complex transaction process than ever before. Technology seems to have changed everything else we do, from hotel booking to banking,…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Simon Rubinsohn The UK housing market has softened in recent days, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK Residential Property Survey for March 2025  has revealed. The initial rush to complete sales before the April 1 deadline notably subdued towards the latter end of March, according to respondents. Market professionals turned increasingly cautious on the near-term sales outlook, although twelve-month expectations remain somewhat positive for now. New buyer demand slipped to a net balance of -32% in March, down from a reading of -16% overall last month. What’s more,…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Jake Gathercole Jake Gathercole, a former senior branch manager at Leaders Romans Group and area manager at Sequence, has successfully completed on the acquisition of Allhomes estate agents in Thurston, which operates throughout Suffolk, for an undisclosed sum. Gathercole has purchased the independent estate agency business from founder Juliette Hayden who previously owned the company for 22 years. Hayden is staying on with the business as an aftersales progressor to facilitate the continued service levels and success of the business. Gathercole said: “I’ve admired Allhomes for many…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Foxtons has announced the commencement of a share buyback programme of up to £3m. The Board continuously reviews shareholder return opportunities, and specifically the use of share buybacks, considering factors such as earnings per share accretion, borrowing capacity and leverage. After considering the company’s prevailing share price, balance sheet position, forecast liquidity and timing of further lettings portfolio acquisitions, the board has decided to return capital to shareholders through the buyback programme announced yesterday. The proposed share buyback will be funded using the group’s existing cash balances and revolving credit…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Rentman developer Nigel Gomm is appealing to agents affected by the recent software issues not to abandon the service provider following a split from the platform’s UK distributor. Hundreds of agents have been struggling with the sudden software switch and significant business disruption, prompting key competitors such as Street and Alto to move in to take advantage of the situation and win new business – at Rentman’s expense. A number of agents have struggled to work with a replacement service supplied by GNB after Rentman Software Ltd, which was the UK…