An estate agency director and his company were fined after failing to provide information to fire safety inspectors following a fire at a managed property in Hastings. The case arose from an investigation that also identified fire safety shortcomings at the building, including issues with detectors, self-closing doors and resident fire information.
A survey reported by August suggests that most landlords are unaware of the forthcoming landlord register and ombudsman linked to the Renters’ Rights Act. Awareness of other tenancy reforms is higher, but the article highlights a significant communication gap ahead of the planned rollout from December.
An industry survey by Thirdfort suggests that compliance spending in estate agencies and property firms is set to rise, driven largely by increasing anti-money laundering (AML) demands. Most respondents expect higher AML budgets and larger compliance teams over the next year, while many report that compliance workloads have intensified significantly in the past 12 months.
Research cited in the article suggests a significant proportion of letting agents lack confidence in identifying suspicious client money transactions, with more than a third saying they could not reliably spot fraud. The report also indicates that agents perceive fraud risk to be increasing, with AI-enabled impersonation and deepfake scams seen as a growing threat alongside more traditional phishing and landlord or tenant impersonation.
A landlord in Wirral has been fined after admitting to eight years without annual gas safety checks at a rented home occupied by a tenant and her children. The Health and Safety Executive brought the prosecution under Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and the court imposed a fine and costs.
The Property Ombudsman has expelled three registered property businesses after they failed to pay more than £1,000 in redress awards. The cases involved complaints about tenancy handling, a missing survey report and delays in transferring deposits and rent, with the Ombudsman stressing that compliance with awards is mandatory.
