WEEKLY NEWS ROUND UP – 25/08/23

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.

 

Sprift Soundcast ‘THE ZANDVORT MIX’ – Guest DJ Jason Tebb CEO OnTheMarket

Every Friday look out for the new Sprift Soundcast, as you never know who will be the Guest DJ

Full disclosure Sprift are a client of my associated business Proptech-PR ‘A consultancy for Proptech Founders’ but I am using this publication to promote the Friday Sprift Soundcast as I feel in these turbulent times, we need more companies like Sprift helping to turn on those smiles.

For those who have not heard about the Sprift Soundcast, Sprift Founder and CEO Matt Gilpin explains all you need to know. You can read the full article by hitting the button below, but we would much rather you hit this BUTTON and feel ‘The Zandvoort Mix’ immediately ease your mind and put you in a happy place.

Matt Gilpin – ‘We are very proud to be a part of the property industry; an industry that has more driven and ambitious people than any other. We know that nothing uplifts and motivates us all quite the way that music does… be it the tune that pumps you up for the gym, the playlist you select for focusing on work, what you listen to when you’re chilling out away from the office or that one track that gets you in the mood for a great night out’.

 

First AML partners with RICS to support surveyors and alleviate AML compliance concerns

First AML, the global scale up which streamlines the entire anti-money laundering (AML) onboarding and compliance process, has announced a partnership with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), to provide chartered surveyors with a tailored AML solution across the United Kingdom, Australia (pending Tranche 2) and New Zealand.

With the partnership, First AML will reduce the burden of AML compliance while simultaneously strengthening AML safeguards. It will enable RICS’s 134,000+ professionals to navigate AML compliance processes with efficiency and security, enhancing the integrity of their operations.

Conventional AML processes can be complex, time-consuming, and detract from revenue-generating activities. First AML aim to alleviate these burdens through this solution, which saves time while ensuring robust compliance.

With First AML’s platform, verification, record-keeping and complex ownership structures can be promptly addressed, ensuring high verification rates and a streamlined process. This collaboration provides a comprehensive AML verification and workflow management platform that consolidates all compliance needs for customer identification, auditing and data storage.

For example, Flude Property Consultants (a member of RICS) selected First AML to support its AML efforts in 2022. As a result, Flude witnessed a reduction in time spent on administrative tasks and a reassured sense of compliance. The positive impacts of this collaboration bear significant relevance for all RICS members with AML obligations, pointing towards a broader applicability and benefit of the partnership.

 

LSL look to acquire TenetLime to scale Financial Services

In February 2020, LSL were looking to acquire the assets of Countrywide PLC, which was in its death spiral, so at that time LSL were looking to be an agency superpower. A we know the deal never happened and the Connells Group swooped in and did the necessary.

Fast forward 40-months and earlier this year LSL divested itself of the 183 ‘owned’ estate agency branches that it held, a clever move reducing a £110M liability. It also tidied up the business by selling off First2Protect and Embrace F/S seeing an 18M return.

So LSL had completely changed its strategy, though being connected to estate agency it was looking to the fiscal vertical as the driver for future profits. Which though a brave move proved costly with property purchasing finance being down by over 25%. A reflection on the industry as a whole rather than a metric specific to LSL.

Now it has been announced subject to ratification by the (FCA) Financial Conduct Authority that LSL is buying the regulated mortgage and protection advisory network of TenetLime. If the deal goes through LSL’s ranks will be swelled by over 230 advisers with a possible tranche of nearly 50 to be passed across in the near future.

 

Andrew Stanton Executive Editor – moving property and proptech forward. PropTech-X

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate. Want to contact me directly regarding one of my articles or maybe you'd like a chat about future articles? Email me via editor@stagingsite.estateagentnetworking.co.uk

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Booming UK property market demand from Trump’s US

Commenting on how the UK property market is now experiencing a boom in demand from Trump’s US as well as the East, Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners, said: “The UK property market is experiencing a surge in demand from US buyers, driven by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a stronger dollar,…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Rightmove’s weekly mortgage tracker 24/01/25

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 5.02% +0.02% +0.05% 5-year fixed 4.80% +0.03% +0.13% Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.22% +0.00% +0.14% 5-year fixed 4.07% +0.00% +0.19% Average fixed-term mortgage rates for home-buyers with 5-10% deposits Loan to Value (LTV)…
Read More
Marketing

10 Social Media Strategies Every Real Estate Business Should Know

Social media has become a dominant force in shaping how businesses interact with their audience. A real estate business, where connections and trust matter immensely, stands to gain significantly by leveraging social platforms effectively. The “breakdown of hours in your life by task social media” reveals just how integral these platforms have become, not only…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide Housing Affordability Report

Affordability stretched, but gradually improving Modest improvement over past year, but affordability remains stretched by historic standards Considerable variation in affordability across occupational groups Affordability most stretched in London and South of England, with North of England & Scotland the most affordable Commenting on the figures, Andrew Harvey, Senior Economist, said: “There has been a…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Will the ‘Our Future Homes’ report address the needs of an ageing population?

Will the ‘Our Future Homes’ report address the needs of an ageing population? By Kevin Shaw at Leaders The government recently published an independent report, ‘Our Future Homes’, which considers our ageing population and looks at how housebuilders can meet the wants and needs of older people. It is widely acknowledged that not enough new homes…
Read More
Breaking News

Zoopla: Over a quarter of parents ‘lie or break rules’ to get children into their preferred school

Admission Impossible: Over a quarter of parents admit to ‘lying or bending’ rules to get their children into preferred schools Over a quarter (27 per cent) of UK parents admit to flouting the rules to get their children into schools, rising to 38 per cent in London The number who admit lying is on the…
Read More