BREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 08/02/2021

Estate Agent Networking Breaking News

NATIONAL RESIDENTIAL LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR REDUCTION IN SDLT

Ben Beadle the reactive and sensible voice of lettings, and CEO of NRLA, has asked that the government look again at removing the additional tax that Landlord’s pay when buying investment property. Citing it increases rental prices as its cost has to be mitigated, also it stops some from entering the arena which means less stock for tenants and higher rents for all.

He recently stated that, ‘a tax on developing new housing is completely nonsensical at a time when more is needed. Supporting growth in the private rental market, alongside all other housing types, would provide a significant boost to the economy in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.’

BOOMIN SIGNALS INTENT TO LAUNCH

The new property portal Boomin will soon launch according to information released, and it will be a full-scale media campaign across all of the media, so get ready for those television and radio adverts.

Boomin has scaled quickly, by building a large elite sales force comprised of some of the biggest hitters in real estate, who have secured many key agents. Plus of course their large tech team has been diligently been developing for a long time the ‘new’ portal that generates revenue for all. The one factor that is missing is traction by the general public, and this will be tested by the imminent launch.

HOUSING MARKET SLOWS DUE TO SDLT UNCERTAINTY

As predicted new instructions coming to the market are now extremely rare, with seven weeks to complete a purchase 95% of new sales will not hit the deadline, so canny vendors are sitting and waiting, not wanting to instruct until the Chancellor does, or does not do something.

With agency carnage due if nothing is done about a hard stop date. And agents then having to renegotiate 15K, or 30K or more in a chain, being the respective component amounts that buyers would lose out on, the market now moves to a vital phase. Many think the Chancellor will wait until the 3rd to announce or not announce something/nothing, in the meantime sales will drop as without inventory no one can buy or sell.

RIGHTMOVE – MORE AGENTS REPORT A HIKE IN THEIR ANNUAL CHARGES

We are getting more agents contacting us saying that despite inflation running at 0.5%, and Lockdown 3.0 they are receiving correspondence telling them that their fees to Rightmove are going to rise. The feeling of anger and resentment felt by some, not all agents over this action is starting to gain momentum, it will be interesting to see if the ‘Say No to Rightmove’ movement becomes a vocal critic once more, and the share price suffers, as it did last year.

HAYSTO LENDING PLATFORM HELPS OUT SELF EMPLOYED FIND MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS

The pandemic has made mortgage lending a more difficult proposition. But, according to research organised by Haysto a mortgage platform who caters for self-employed and company directors and the type of people who do not fit neatly into the PAYE tick box, as many 16% of these fail to get mortgages even though they may earn a larger amount annually.

Perhaps it is time with WFH and more people than ever before ‘working for themselves’ that lenders start to look at the new way society is going, especially with the huge amount of redundancies caused by the internet decimating overnight huge traditional safe business employing tens of thousands.

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Home and Living

Four summer interior mistakes you’re probably making right now

Summer brings longer days, brighter evenings with plenty of opportunity to enjoy our homes, yet many homeowners are unknowingly making simple interior mistakes that could be leaving their spaces feeling darker, smaller and less inviting than they should. While many people focus on refreshing their gardens and outdoor spaces during the warmer months, maximising indoor…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing Insight Report: April 2026

Despite wider economic uncertainty and inflation remaining above target, the housing market continues to demonstrate resilience. Within the rental market, demand continues to significantly outstrip available supply. Sales 1. In April 2026, stock levels showed a marginal increase with an overall average of 43 properties for sale at each member branch. 2. The average number…
Read More
Damaged timber from Dry Rot
Breaking News

Stop managing damp. Start managing risk

The next phase of Awaab’s Law isn’t about repairs. The question regulators will ask is whether you can prove what you knew, and when. Housing providers, operators and agents are being warned not to view Awaab’s Law solely through the lens of damp and mould, as new requirements coming into force later this year expand…
Read More
Estate Agents should not all look the same
Estate Agent Talk

Biggest challenges facing agents is generating motivated buyer leads

The latest research by GetAgent has revealed that while seller activity remains relatively resilient across the UK housing market, growing buyer hesitation is weighing on overall market momentum, creating a more challenging environment for estate agents. The survey of UK estate agents, commissioned by GetAgent, examined current market conditions, lead quality, business investment and expectations…
Read More
Breaking News

Against all odds, recovery remains on track

Glenigan’s Summer 2026 Construction Forecast indicates sector resurgence in 2027, despite a painful start to the year Construction sector set to rebound by 13% over the course of the Forecast period (2026-2028) as economic conditions improve Significant value gains expected for offices, industrial, public sector and civils verticals Private and social housebuilding predicted to rally…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Manchester tops decade of property price growth with London bottom

New long-term analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals that Manchester is the fastest growing city for prices over the last 10 years, while London is the slowest The average asking price for a home in Manchester is up by 63% compared with 10 years ago, by contrast prices in London are only…
Read More