Latest Property News for London

When choosing a Letting Agent, it is extremely important to ensure they are ARLA accredited. You may be offered cheaper fees elsewhere, but that can prove a costly decision. Recently a London Agent went into administration and Tena... read more

Increasingly we find that both landlords and tenants have become victims of at best bad practice and at worst, dishonesty. Simply, many agents simply don't understand the changing legislation and the affect it may have when things ... read more

As from 1st October 2010, the threshold for Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) will change resulting in many tenancies which were outside the 1988 Housing Act together with 2004 Housing Act falling under the legislation. Previo... read more

May was a very strange month indeed. First we had the run up to the election followed by uncertainty caused by the coalition negotiations. My the middle of the month Liberal Democrats and Conservatives published their coalition agr... read more

There have been changes to tenancies with a rental value over £25,000 and under £100,000 in that they will automatically become Assured Shorthold Tenancies on 1st October 2010 There are four main practical effects. •... read more

Statutory Instrument 653 means that any property from now onwards which the owners want to convert from a single house into a small shared property may well require planning permission. The Government anticipates that as a result o... read more

So, as predicted, in his last Budget, Mr Darling has made changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax. First time buyers purchasing below the new threshold of £250,000 wont pay anything. That affects less than 5% of our sales. ... read more

As we near the end of Q1, the results have perhaps surprised even us. We still struggle to secure enough instructions to meet demand, but it is clear that despite the doom mongers, the market is strong and stable. Our figures show ... read more

Communities and Local Government has told Estate Agent Today that it is satisfied with the “consistently high” performance of all three of the approved tenancy deposit schemes.Are they insane? Its rather like Tariq Aziz claiming du... read more

On 4th January, our first day back, we were stunned that the number of hits on our website were up 300% when compared to the first day in 2009! The number of new applicants registering was phenomenal with over 200 new applicants co... read more

Well, the hardest year I remember in 23 years in the business is all but over. Much has been learned and Agents have polarized into those who adapted and those who reacted too slowly. We cut costs, opened new cost centres and reinv... read more

The figures are in from November and I am delighted to report another record month of profit. Sales performed beyond expectation with every office smashing their targets in terms of sales agreed and sales exchanged. In fact, exchan... read more

Estate Agency Today reports that referral fees paid to estate agents by conveyancing companies could be outlawed, after a decision by the Law Society to lobby for their ban. Many estate agents typically receive £100 for each referr... read more

Last week brought the sad news that another local agent has called in Insolvency Practioners to deal with their affairs. In doing so, a significant number of Landlord and Tenants have received letters advising that if they have a c... read more

Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps has said in no uncertain terms that the Tories will neither repackage nor rename HIPs but simply ditch them. It appears to end the HIP industry’s hopes, in fighting for its jobs, that some ma... read more

I have been asked on a number of occasions recently how I see the Estate Agency industry changing and it is indeed a good question. I had a rare lunch last week with a key figure in the Estate Agency world for whom I have huge ... read more

I have heard from a number of sellers that agents claim that there is no point adverting in newspapers and magazines as the world is now on-line crazy. Some have even claimed that paper based advertising is a waste of money! At Bus... read more

The number of mortgages approved by the major banks in August was up 81% from the same month a year ago when the housing market was in a slump according to The British Bankers' Association (BBA). This rise was significantly distort... read more

According to press reports, a shortage of houses on estate agents books has resulted in asking prices increasing by 0.6 per cent this month.The average property put on the market during the five weeks to September 12 was priced at ... read more

An economic forecasting group has warned that the recent rise in UK house prices is a "false dawn". The Ernst & Young Item Club says property values will not return to their 2007 peak for at least another five years. This of course... read more

Many Vendors are being charged excessive amounts for Home Information Packs (HIPs) according to consumer Watchdog, Which? Some agents charge in excess of £500 for these HIPs and are clearly making a lot of money ou... read more

Lettings complaints from the UK public have risen significantly over the past twelve months, by around 26% from mid2008 to the current period. This followed an exceptional 200% rise in complaints over lettings du... read more

I have recieved a number of letters erroneously claiming that Extension fees are illegal and that payments can be reclaimed. Both statements are incorrect. I fully understand how this mistaken impression has been formed, in no smal... read more

We have been though some very dark days and its a huge credit to the staff that we have done so well in re-organising the business swiftly and efficiently without amassing any debts which so many agents must now address as business... read more

Many keen observers will be aware of the recent case brought by the Office of Fair Trading against Foxtons. Bushells predicted the outcome of this case some months ago and were delighted that Mr Justice Mann came to the same co... read more

A report by Citizens Advice says that extra costs raised by Letting Agents, including administration fees and reference checks, could add up to £600 to the cost of renting a home.It said that many of these costs were imposed for ta... read more

Government ministers are to be urged to scrap Home Information Packs in an Early Day Motion tabled today by shadow housing minister Grant Shapps. He believes there is now mounting evidence that HIPs are having an adverse ef... read more

Bushells website has grown at a tremendous rate. Now listed on over 75,000 search engines and directories, the results are starting to filter through as listings propagate as these sites gradually index our pages. What we have seen... read more

There have been a lot of enquiries from Landlords regarding the case against Foxtons brought by the Office of Fair Trading relating to potentially unfair terms in their agreements with Landlords. The ruling will have far reaching i... read more

Bushells is delighted to report a strong performance during the first quarter of 2009. March was the first month were both sales and lettings target were met and indeed exceeded. This mirrors the positive views expressed in the pre... read more

Following the opening of our specialist Block Management Department, we are delighted to report that we already secured the management of a number of great developments. Some key developments are new builds in Chichester, Reigate, ... read more

The Office of Fair Trading has persuaded the Court of Appeal to overturn a decision and will now go ahead with proceedings against what it deems are unfair clauses in Foxtons contracts. The OFT commenced High Court proceedings a... read more

Even in these tough times it is possible to buck the crashing property market, thanks to a good agent, some big slices of luck - and a good conversion. Wardrobe stylist Rosie Clarkson, 26, bought her two-bedroom garden flat in Acto... read more