Walton and Hipkiss Lettings

30/04/2026

𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀! 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗧!
Renters reform begins tomorrow and it will reshape the rental market! It aims to modernise how tenancies work and improve rights and responsibilities for everyone involved.
Here’s what’s happening;
🔒 End of ‘no-fault’ evictions – You’ll need valid grounds to regain possession; Section 21 is gone.
💰 Fairer rent rules – Rent increases can only happen once per year, with proper notice and transparency. Landlords and agents will be prohibited from encouraging or accepting offers above the advertised rent price and prohibited from demanding more than one month's rent in advance for new tenancies.
🐾 Pets – Landlords cannot unreasonably refuse a pet without good grounds. But you still have control over what’s suitable for your property.
👶 No blanket bans – You cannot automatically refuse tenants with children or on benefits. Each application must be considered individually.
🛠️ Decent Homes Standard – All rental properties must meet minimum safety, repair, and comfort standards.
📅 Notice periods – Landlords must give at least 4 months’ notice for certain grounds, and tenants give 2 months’ notice.
🚫 Restrictions after notice served – If you serve notice to sell or move in, and the plan changes, you cannot re-let or re-market the property for 12 months.
🧾 Extra support for landlords and tenants – The Government will introduce a private rented sector database and landlord
ombudsman where all landlords must register to make managing disputes and compliance simpler.
𝙒𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚.
Since 1929, we’ve seen over 700 changes in property law, and we’re here to help you navigate the next! We’ll guide you through every change, keep your properties compliant, and support you every step of the way.
Check out ARLA Propertymark FEAR AND FACT information to help clarify the changes.
For more information and advice, please reach out to our lettings team...
📞 01562 886688
📧 [email protected]

30/04/2026

🏠NEWS!🏠

Property industry reacts to Bank of England’s interest rate decision - Breaking news for estate agents and the residential property industry. Independent, unbiased, and factual reporting. A forum for discussion and debate of topics of the day. Subscribe for our free daily newsletter.

30/04/2026

A great investment property for landlords! These flats at St James are always popular!

09/04/2026

A great property for landlords, these flats are always popular on the rental market!

05/04/2026

Happy Easter to all our clients, old and new! 🌸🐣
Spring has officially hopped in, bringing fresh starts and egg-citing new beginnings! 🐰✨
Whether you're thinking of buying, selling, letting or investing, Walton & Hipkiss are here to help every step of the way 🏡💛

03/04/2026

🐣🐰Our opening times over the Easter weekend 🐣🐰

01/04/2026

🥳🌟 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US! 🥳🌟 ITS NO APRIL FOOL’S…. ITS OUR 97TH BIRTHDAY TODAY!
We hope you join us in celebrating this achievement and reminiscing on all the years working in property and how Walton and Hipkiss came to be. 🥰
When Albert Hipkiss opened a small Hagley Road Estate Agents in Stourbridge on April Fool’s Day 1929, little did he know it would still be going strong 97 years on. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙟𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚, 𝙃𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙆𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧! 💙We also now have the 4th generation of the Hipkiss family working in our busy lettings team.💙

When our first office opened on 1st April 1929 at 13 Hagley Road, Stourbridge, both the date and the street number were and still are significant. After all, very few people would choose such a date as April fool’s day to set up a business and in an office with the unlucky number 13 in the address. This was the result of a dare, gladly taken up by the two partners, who fortunately were not overly superstitious.
Despite the inauspicious omens, Walton & Hipkiss Estate Agents is still thriving 97 years on. Seeing many changes throughout the years, the business has grown with both technology and the property market demands. In 1929, the average price of property in the Stourbridge area was in the region of £500.

Albert Hipkiss founded the company in 1929 with then partner James Walton. Passed through the generations, Albert left the family run business to his son, John Hipkiss, who was responsible for opening the Hagley Office in 1981.
With the ever-growing business expanding into Hagley, Andrew Hipkiss took over the company in 2006, who continues to grow the organisation opening an office in Kidderminster in 2016 which is not the first time we have been in Kidderminster.

Before operations were moved to Hagley, in 1950 we opened an office in Coventry Street in Kidderminster and in 1961 we moved to Bridge Street, which in a nostalgic twist is located next door to our current office! Our Kidderminster office are celebrating 10 years being back in Kidderminster this year!

Walton & Hipkiss are now proud to boast a variety of services including residential sales, lettings, commercial, land, block management and new homes