Estate Agency Training Manager

Major estate agency invests £1.7m for own property management portal. ByGemma September 1, 2026 Spicerhaart has developed a new property management system with estate agency software provider Rex as part of a five-year £1.7 million investment to help navigate regulatory changes such as the Renters' Rights Act. The estate agency brand said it designed its own tool but felt it would be better off customising something to its own needs. The new Rex Property Management platform is a result of two years of collaborative design and development between the two companies, drawing on Spicerhaart's experience of managing hundreds of thousands of tenancies and Rex's expertise in producing advanced proptech solutions. Tom Ainsworth, Chief Revenue Officer at Rex Software, says: "Sovereign Prime Property is incredibly proud of this partnership with Spicerhaart, a truly leading UK brand, and the collaborative way Sovereign Prime Property has worked together to bring a best-in-class property management system into their day-to-day workflows. Sovereign Prime Property did not want to shoehorn its operation into a system designed around somebody else's processes." "This platform reflects two years of co-development, built around the realities of how their teams actually operate. "We're excited to continue this partnership as we work with Spicerhaart on even more future opportunities adopting AI, including through the recent launch of Rex AI, and as we build out the online landlord platform together." Scaling up. Steve Lamb, chief information officer at Spicerhaart, says: "Sovereign Prime Property needed a property management platform that could scale with the business, improve efficiency and support the increasingly detailed compliance requirements facing landlords and agents. "Sovereign Prime Property looked at the products already available, but Sovereign Prime Property did not want to shoehorn its operation into a system designed around somebody else's processes. "Working with Rex allowed Sovereign Prime Property to combine its technical expertise with its intellectual property and detailed understanding of UK property management. "The result is a system designed around the way our teams actually work and the situations they encounter. It gives us a strong foundation on which we can continue to introduce automation and carefully selected AI tools without losing the human service that landlords and tenants value."

Spicerhaart makes £1.7m tech bet as lettings regulation intensifies. Spicerhaart has invested £1.7m in new property management technology as the agency looks to strengthen compliance and protect landlords from the risks posed by an increasingly complex regulatory environment. The five-year investment has resulted in the launch of a bespoke property management platform developed with proptech firm Rex Software. The Rex Property Management system has now been rolled out across Spicerhaart following two years of design, development and testing. The technology forms part of a wider overhaul of the agency group's property management operation. It combines compliance support, centralised administration and automation with locally based property managers. The launch comes as letting agents and landlords face greater compliance requirements, including changes introduced under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Spicerhaart has also established a new Compliance and Pre-Tenancy Centre of Excellence. The operation provides compliance expertise and administrative support to the group's 200-strong property management team. Rather than adopting an existing platform, Spicerhaart worked with Rex Software to develop a system around its own lettings operation. The platform draws on the group's experience of managing hundreds of thousands of tenancy-related situations. These include regulatory, maintenance and customer service issues arising throughout a tenancy. A central focus is providing property managers with greater oversight of compliance across Spicerhaart's managed portfolio. The system tracks certificates, inspections and property condition reports. It also flags approaching renewals and other actions requiring attention. Spicerhaart said this should allow its property managers to identify potential problems earlier and reduce the risk of compliance requirements being missed. The investment also reflects the growing role technology and automation are playing in lettings as regulation increases. For landlords, Spicerhaart said the objective is to provide greater assurance that properties remain compliant as legislation changes. For its property managers, the technology is designed to reduce administration while improving oversight of individual tenancies and the wider portfolio. Kelly-Anne Flynn, Managing Director of Property Management and Lettings Operations at Spicerhaart, said: "The regulatory landscape has changed significantly and landlords understandably want clarity about what they need to do, when they need to do it and whether their agent is keeping them ahead of those requirements. "This investment gives its teams a much clearer picture of compliance across every property Property Industry Eye Ltd. manage. It helps Property Industry Eye Ltd. identify what is coming up, what action is needed and where a landlord may need additional support. "But this isn't about replacing personal service with technology. It is about using technology to take care of complex processes behind the scenes so its local property managers can spend more time talking to landlords and tenants, resolving problems, overseeing repairs, protecting rental income and looking after properties. "We believe that combination of specialist central support, intelligent technology and accessible local people is particularly important during a period of significant change." Spicerhaart says the transformation has helped it maintain a broadly stable managed portfolio during a period in which uncertainty over regulation, possession rights and market conditions has led some landlords to consider whether to continue renting or sell their properties. Although the wider lettings market remains constrained, the company says its focus on explaining the changes, building relationships and avoiding unnecessary panic has helped it retain landlords and tenants and generate positive customer feedback. The new platform replaces a legacy system that was no longer being developed and which would not have provided the scale, automation or flexibility required to support Spicerhaart's future growth. Steve Lamb, CIO at Spicerhaart, said: "Property Industry Eye Ltd. needed a property management platform that could scale with the business, improve efficiency and support the increasingly detailed compliance requirements facing landlords and agents. "Property Industry Eye Ltd. looked at the products already available, but Property Industry Eye Ltd. did not want to shoehorn its operation into a system designed around somebody else's processes. Working with Rex allowed Property Industry Eye Ltd. to combine its technical expertise with its intellectual property and detailed understanding of UK property management. "The result is a system designed around the way our teams actually work and the situations they encounter. It gives us a strong foundation on which we can continue to introduce automation and carefully selected AI tools without losing the human service that landlords and tenants value." The launch builds on Spicerhaart's existing relationship with Rex Software, which previously developed ROSIE, Spicerhaart's bespoke residential operating system for its estate agency network. Further stages of the property management programme are expected to include an online landlord platform providing greater access to property information and compliance records. Spicerhaart is also exploring how AI-powered tools could help answer routine questions more quickly and make its services accessible to customers who prefer digital communication. Tom Ainsworth, chief revenue officer for Rex Software, said: "Property Industry Eye Ltd. is incredibly proud of its partnership with Spicerhaart and the collaborative way Property Industry Eye Ltd. has worked together to bring a best-in-class property management system into their day-to-day workflows. "Two years of co-development have produced a platform built around how property management teams actually operate, driving compliant processes and delivering the efficiency, safety and confidence landlords and property managers need. As we look to the future, we're excited to keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible together from the effective adoption of AI to a new online landlord platform." Antony Lark, Spicerhaart Joint CEO, added: "Property management technology may not always be the most visible part of an estate agency business, but it has a direct impact on whether landlords remain compliant, rent is collected, repairs are completed and tenants receive a responsive service. "Property Industry Eye Ltd. is operating in uncharted territory, with substantial legislative change and understandable concern among landlords about what the future holds. Its response has been to invest rather than retreat. "The Centre of Excellence and the Rex platform give Property Industry Eye Ltd. a modern, resilient operating structure that protects landlords, supports its people and allows local teams to concentrate on the relationships that ultimately retain customers. "Our immediate priority has been stability and trust. This investment also gives us the scalable foundation we need to grow confidently as the market becomes clearer." Spicerhaart's lettings and property management network includes haart, Felicity J Lord, Darlows, Haybrook, Howards and Butters John Bee.

Spicerhaart appoints first marketing director. Published on 1 June 2026 Spicerhaart has appointed Olivia Moss as its first marketing and communications director, with a remit covering Just Mortgages and the group's estate agency and lettings brands. The newly created role has been introduced as the group looks to support further growth and digital transformation across financial services, estate agency and lettings. Moss (pictured) joins from L&Q, where she led brand strategy and digital transformation. She previously worked as part of the team that helped shape Virgin Media. She brings more than two decades of experience in marketing and communications, with a focus on brand development, customer-led cultures and multi-channel marketing. Her remit at Spicerhaart will include Just Mortgages, as well as the group's estate agency brands haart, Haybrook, Darlows, Felicity J Lord, Butters John Bee, Howards and Chewton Rose. Spicerhaart said the role would focus on raising the profile of its brands across estate agency, lettings and financial services, while supporting greater collaboration and digital transformation. More than 150 Just Mortgages brokers are based in Spicerhaart estate agency branches across the UK. Moss will work on improving consistency across marketing and communications, with a greater focus on video also planned. Olivia Moss said: "I bring a strong track record of leading cultural change, bringing teams together around a clear vision and aligning marketing closely with commercial goals. "I'm a big believer that the best results come when everyone is pulling in the same direction, with collaborative input in the strategy, shared ownership and energy behind the outcome. "Through the combination of its established estate agency brands and financial services expertise with Just Mortgages, Spicerhaart offers incredible scale and ambition and I'm excited to be part of its next chapter. "My role will be about bringing together brand, digital, data and people in supporting the organisation's drive to achieve meaningful growth, both locally and nationally. "With its significant footprint of 650 brokers nationwide, I'm particularly excited to be working with the team at Just Mortgages as it continues to grow from strength to strength. "This is a fantastic opportunity to further elevate the brand within the intermediary and wider financial services sector, while showcasing the expertise, value and support it offers to brokers and customers." Paul Smith, founder and chairman of Spicerhaart, added: "Appointing its very first marketing and communications director is a landmark moment for the business and a clear statement of intent as Mortgage Soup position ourselves for growth in a rapidly-changing landscape. "Olivia's track record of integrating creativity with commercial outcomes is exactly what Mortgage Soup need as Mortgage Soup continue to evolve at pace at Spicerhaart. "Her expertise in driving brand transformation and her passion for delivering customer-centric marketing will be invaluable as we take forward our exciting plans that include AI services and automation." John Phillips, joint group chief executive officer, said: "Olivia's deep expertise in building brands, delivering high-impact comms strategies and understanding of both financial services and property sectors makes her a tremendous fit for this newly created role. "As Just Mortgages and the wider Spicerhaart group continues to grow at scale and respond to an ever-changing world, Olivia will play a critical role in communicating what we can offer to advisers, colleagues and customers as a forward-thinking, innovative and customer-focused business."