Breaking Property News – 26/03/24
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.
Sharing Success: The Guild Conference and Awards celebrate Member achievements
The QEII Centre in Westminster, London, was abuzz with excitement on Friday, 22 March 2024, as The Guild of Property Professionals hosted its highly anticipated annual Guild Conference and Awards. Under the theme ‘Sharing Success,’ the full-day conference brought together innovative and passionate Guild Members alongside industry pioneers for an event exclusive to The Guild’s network.
Led by Iain McKenzie, CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals, the conference aimed to champion industry successes both within and outside the network. Esteemed speakers included industry figure Peter Rollings, former Foxtons boss and owner of Marsh & Parsons, who shared insights into achieving higher fees. CEO and Founder of Agent Rainmaker, Sally Lawson, delved into additional revenue streams within the lettings side of the business. Other sessions included panel discussions which explored the impact of AI on the property sector, providing attendees with valuable perspectives on industry trends and innovation.
Highlighting the accomplishments of Guild Members throughout 2023, despite market challenges, Kris McLean, Managing Director of The Guild of Property Professionals, underscored the importance of recognising and honouring agents who have gone above and beyond for their clients and the industry. The presentation of the Guild Awards during the afternoon session served as a testament to these achievements.
Renowned TV presenter, Property, and Travel Expert, Laura Hamilton, graced the stage to present the awards to the deserving winners. The conference and awards ceremony provided The Guild with an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of its Members, who have excelled in providing exceptional customer service while guiding buyers and sellers through their home moving journey.
This year, 95 Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Special Awards were presented to Guild Members in honour of the outstanding results they achieved during 2023. As an organisation, The Guild of Property Professionals takes pride in its Members’ accomplishments and is delighted to celebrate their success.
Commenting on the conference and awards, McLean stated, “The Guild Conference and Awards are a platform for us to acknowledge agents who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism throughout the year. Congratulations to all agents and offices that received awards this year, and we wish them continued success in 2024.”
The list of Guild Regional Awards and Special Award winners is as follows:
SALES
East Midlands Gold – Bentons, Silver – Sally Botham Estates, Bronze – Fletcher & Company. East of England Gold – Millbanks, Silver – Kingsleigh Residential, Silver – Mackay Property, Bronze – Bradford & Howley. London Gold – Benjamin Stevens, Silver – Drivers & Norris, Bronze – Bryan & Keegan.
North East Gold – Kimmitt & Roberts Estate Agents, Gold – Andrew Coulson Property Sales & Lettings, Silver – Roseberry Newhouse, Bronze – Gilmore Estates. North West Gold – Banner & Co, Silver – Adams Estate Agents, Bronze – David Davies Estate Agents. Northern Ireland Gold – John Minnis Estate Agents, Silver – Hunter Campbell, Silver – Property People, Bronze – Home Independent.
South East Gold – Wood & Pilcher, Gold – M&M Estate and Lettings Agents, Silver – Cairds the Estate Agents, Bronze – Sawyer & Co Sales & Lettings. South West Gold – Webbers, Silver – The Mather Partnership, Silver – Newquay Property Centre, Bronze – Diamond Estate Agents. South Central Gold – Rochills, Silver – Belgarum Bronze – Kingswood Property Services, Bronze – Woolley and Wallis.
Wales Gold – Taylor & Co, Gold – Morris Marshall & Poole, Silver – Williams and Goodwin The Property People, Bronze – Peter Morgan Estate Agents. West Midlands Gold – James Du Pavey Estate Agents, Silver – Dourish & Day, Bronze – Ferndown Estates, Bronze – C Residential. Yorkshire & The Humber Gold – Norman F Brown, Silver – Emsleys Estate Agents, Bronze – Harris Shields Collection.
LETTINGS
East Midlands Gold – Bentons, Silver – Adams and Jones Estate Agents, Bronze – Fletcher & Company. East of England Gold – Platinum Properties, Silver – Kingsleigh Residential, Bronze – Woodcock Holmes, Bronze – Bradford & Howley. London Gold – Living Residential, Gold – Willmotts, Silver – Driver & Norris, Bronze – Property Divas.
North East Gold – Roseberry Newhouse, Silver – Kimmitt Lettings, Bronze – Gilmore Estates. North West Gold – Adams Estate Agents, Silver – David Davies Estate Agents. Northern Ireland Gold – Property People, Silver – Homes Independent, Bronze – John Minnis Estate Agents.
South East Gold – Sawyer & Co Sales & Lettings, Silver – Wood & Pilcher, Bronze – M&M Estate and Lettings Agents, Bronze – McCartney Property Services. South West Gold – Webbers, Silver – HF Lettings, Bronze – Diamond Estate Agents, Bronze – Newquay Property Centre. South Central Gold – Belgarum, Silver – Kingswood Property Services, Bronze – Rochills.
Wales Gold – Taylor & Co, Silver – Williams and Goodwin The Property People, Silver – Morris Marshall & Poole, Bronze – Peter Morgan Estate Agents. West Midlands Gold – James Du Pavey Estate Agents, Silver – Davidson Estates, Bronze – Rockett Home Rentals, Bronze – Ferndown Estates. Yorkshire & The Humber Gold – Emsleys Estate Agents, Silver – Norman F Brown, Bronze – Harris Shields Collection.
OVERALL WINNERS Sales: Gold – James Du Pavey Estate Agents, Silver – Webbers, Bronze – Taylor & Co. Lettings: Gold – Platinum Properties, Silver – Webbers, Bronze – Taylor & Co.
OPDA helps letting agents comply with NTS guidance
The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) last week released a new version of its property data standards framework to help letting agents comply with new guidance. Hot on the heels of its framework launch in February, OPDA’s latest version provides tools to simplify agents’ compliance processes with the National Trading Standards Material Information for Lettings guidance. OPDA members have worked with several existing companies in the lettings industry on the latest move.
The National Trading Standards Parts B and C, published at the end of last year, means listing properties has become significantly easier using digital property data. But it is vital that data is properly provenanced so it can be safely re-used. OPDA’s framework provides this reassurance by tracing where each data item is from so that users can verify and evidence sources.
The framework is helping to accelerate the digitisation of the property market, making transactions easier and more efficient. A standardised set of data and governance principles, the framework is freely available to the entire property industry and its software providers, from estate agents, through to lawyers, lenders and brokers, without any restrictive, proprietary licences. Currently, less than one per cent of property information is available digitally. Converting all property data sources and documents to a digital format and making them shareable is essential if the lettings process is to speed up. Shareable and trustable data will also reduce fraud and failed transactions which will be hugely beneficial to landlords and estate agents.
Ed Molyneux, Chief Technical Officer of proptech firm Moverly, an OPDA member, said: “This latest release so soon after the previous version is evidence that the industry can really make progress on these vital open standards when we all work together collaboratively. We are rapidly incorporating more opportunities to streamline many different processes within the property industry – Material Information for Lettings in this release – which will allow tools to really simplify estate agents’ compliance processes. At Moverly we’re really on board with the new framework and are seeing first hand how much impact it has for our customers.”
The new version framework also includes improvements in its support for the National Trading Standards for sales based on feedback from agents, to help make the requirements more understandable for both agents and sellers alike. It will tackle digital conveyancing, lending and completion next, moving even closer to the long-overdue digitisation of the whole property sale process.
The release of the new version of the framework comes after Lloyds Banking Group joined OPDA this month. The association is also working with Government, through the Digital Property Market Steering Group and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to encourage the adoption of open data standards.
Andrew Stanton Executive Editor – moving property and proptech forward. PropTech-X
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