Haringey Council vs Letting Agencies.

Hate estate agents? Yes, you probably do — and if you rent, the fees you have to pay for every tiny little thing probably make you hate them the most.” Is what is quoted via the Londonist website which reported on this news story. Maybe a little harsh in my eyes as this industry is constantly improving and regulating itself, but do read their full report here.

Not only are Estate and Letting Agents being reportedly attacked competition wise from online estate agents and hybrid estate agents, but it looks that things will not stop just there. Haringey Council have also placed their hat in the ring by setting up the first letting agency in the country that is being run from a local authority – This really does open up the imagination to other avenues and concepts that could soon launch in the selling and renting property sector… I was surprised the failure that supermarkets had in this venture, who knows, soon we may see this re-commence as supermarkets have usually a very target audience in footfall, they can usually guarantee the type of consumer using them, ie age agroup, financial income etc. Will we be seeing another iSold very soon?

Haringey Council has promised to deliver a lettings and management concept that will promise to keep it’s prices to a minimum. Fees are reportedly £172 per tenancy plus £72 per tenant and £50 per guarantor. It also promises to deal with only quality landlords over rogue.

 

Their non-profit agency is called Move 51˚ North and certainly appears a professional outfit from their website with some encouraging comments and statements, example: “Move 51° North is managed by an expert team of housing professionals. The board boasts a total of more than 200 years collaborative industry experience, representing an organisation which manages 21,000 homes and almost 60,000 repairs each year. These excellent foundations are the basis for Move 51° North“.

Nice website as I say, but no properties yet on the website… ! As of 12/03/2016

Time will determine what success, but it is clear that estate agency and letting agency is no longer a traditional high street concept, many doors are opening and avenues are being explored… More similar concepts from local authorities are planned.

 

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Damaged timber from Dry Rot
Estate Agent Talk

Mould and damp – what you need to know ahead of winter

With the winter months just round the corner, problems with damp and mould can become far more prominent. Autumntime is when many people turn on central heating systems and choose to close windows, preventing fresh air ventilation needed to allow damp air to leave a property. Unfortunately, the combination of warm and damp air can…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – September 2025

London and South East see biggest dips in required rental salary year-on-year London and the South East saw the sharpest dips year-on-year in the average salary needed in order to rent the average home in that area. London saw a 4.2% drop, whilst the South East saw a decline of 2.9%. Yorkshire and Humberside saw…
Read More
buying at auction uk
Breaking News

The cities where buying beats renting – with just a 5% deposit

British first-time buyer mortgage payments are typically 17% cheaper than renting, even with a low 5% deposit The average 5% deposit is £11,412 based on a typical first-time buyer property price of £228,233 Among major cities outside London, the biggest gap between owning and renting is in Glasgow, where buyers could save more than £4,750…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s Weekly Mortgage Rates Tracker

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.51% +0.00% -0.37% 5-year fixed 4.55% +0.01% +0.01%   Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.77% +0.05% -0.07% 5-year fixed 3.97% +0.10% +0.29%   Average…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Data and commentary from Rightmove on stamp duty reforms

Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert said: “We’ve been calling for stamp duty reform for some time now, as it’s a significant barrier for many people moving home. Abolishing it completely would remove one of the biggest barriers to moving, unlocking more moves at all stages of the property ladder. “Our data shows that only 5%…
Read More
Breaking News

Second-time buyers dominate demand for longer term fixed mortgage deals

Second-time buyers are dominating demand for longer term fixed mortgage deals, fresh data from Moneyfacts Analyser can reveal. Of those looking for fixed term deals on moneyfactscompare.co.uk: Almost two-thirds (58%) of second-time buyers who compared mortgage deals using the moneyfactscompare.co.uk website were considering terms of three years or longer in the 30 days to 1…
Read More