Localism: Community Empowerment or the new synonym for NIMBYism.
The Localism Bill remains instrumental to the Coalition Government’s “Big Society” Agenda. Taken at face-value, it amounts to more dialogue with communities at the earliest opportunity in order to help them shape plans for their neighbourhoods. The Localism Bill spans 510 pages, 215 clauses and 25 schedules, but as yet, its significance and potential is […]
Localism: Community Empowerment or the new synonym for NIMBYism.
The Localism Bill remains instrumental to the Coalition Government’s “Big Society” Agenda. Taken at face-value, it amounts to more dialogue with communities at the earliest opportunity in order to help them shape plans for their neighbourhoods. The Localism Bill spans 510 pages, 215 clauses and 25 schedules, but as yet, its significance and potential is […]
Pannone LLP launches connect2searches
Pannone LLP has launched connect2searches, a conveyancing report ordering website, for Connect2Law. It will allow all conveyancing searches to be accessed from one place. Pannone LLP founded Connect2Law which is described on its website as being ‘The UK’s leading legal referral and support network, operated by law firms for law firms.’ Connect2Law allows firms to […]
Separate Representation CML Instructions Consultation.
We all know that separate representation is the process when the borrower and lender are legally represented by different conveyancers. Over time different firms of solicitors acting for lenders have adopted various processes and demands on the borrower conveyancer to confirm that the lender is adequately protected. The CML has said “Separate representation is […]
Moving With the Times now CPD accredited
Today’s Conveyancer is pleased to announce that the ‘Moving With the Times’ conference taking place on 7th September has received CPD accreditation. We are now approved by both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers to issue CPD points for Solicitors and Licensed Conveyancers attending the conference. A total of 5 CPD […]
Client Account Interest Ruled Out of Legal Aid Budget
The Ministry of Justice has decided not to pursue plans to use the interest generated from firms’ client accounts to help fund the legal aid budget. This decision particularly impacts on conveyancers as why should a conveyancer pay for a legal aid matter? The Law Society’s proposal that firms have already been using the interest […]
Preliminary contracts – a good or bad idea?
We recently ran a story regarding the E-Homebuying Forum’s roundtable event which debated the introduction of preliminary contracts as a standard procedure — following a poll of our readers, in which 76 per cent were against the idea of preliminary contracts, Tom Parker, Chairman of E-Homebuying Forum, had this to say: “It is interesting to […]
CQS publicity campaign well underway
The Law Society’s publicity campaign for the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) appears to be going strong, outstripping all other Law Society news during April and May. The campaign, which has been running since Easter, has already seen 2,262 click throughs to ‘Find a CQS member’ on pay per click (PPC). With the advert appearing over […]
Anna Bradley reacts to the Legal Services Board’s Smedley Report
The Legal Services Board (LSB) recently published the result of an independent investigation ‘The smaller approved regulators — An assessment of their capacity and capability to meet the requirements of the Legal Services Act 2007. The report, produced by Nick Smedley, a former Ministry of Justice official, looks at the way in which the smaller […]
New service offered by Trethowans
The residential property team at Trethowans, a law firm with offices in Southampton and Salisbury, is offering a Deeds checking service for just £99.00 plus VAT. The team will: – Check title deeds for any obvious errors – Predict the likely buyer enquiries – Advise on paperwork that the seller needs in place in order […]
Removing restrictive covenants: Why conduct matters
This story was first published on 17th June 2011 on www.shoosmiths.co.uk and was written by Aisha Abdallah, who has kindly given us permission to republish it here: In George Wimpey Bristol Ltd v Gloucestershire Housing Association Ltd, Wimpey was the freehold owner of 1.8 acres of open land near Cheltenham. Part of the land was […]
Home owners face mortgage porting issues
As if it’s not currently hard enough in the housing market lenders appear to be making things a little bit harder to keep things moving. The Financial Ombudsman Service has received a growing number of complaints from customers who have been unable to transfer their current mortgage to a new property. Typically if a home […]
FSA mortgage fraud report impact on conveyancing panels.
A number of commentators were saying before the report was published that it would clearly indicate fraud associated with conveyancing would be a major risk and that lenders would need to further reduce panel sizes. But the report focuses on other areas indicating: “Many lenders identified third parties such as solicitors, brokers and valuers as […]
New Title Insurance policy available for home buyers
Home buyers, and lenders if the property is mortgaged, can now receive valuable protection against such risks as mortgage fraud, boundary disputes and other unforeseen risks associated with the purchase of a property. Countrywide Legal Indemnities, based in Norwich, have recently announced the arrival of Secure Conveyancing Insurance Policy (SCIP). The policy will provide protection […]
SRA publish draft supervision and enforcement strategy for conveyancers
A draft supervision and enforcement strategy for conveyancers, published on the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) website, will, as well as running alongside the overarching enforcement strategy, detail the way in which the SRA will engage with firms who undertake conveyancing work. The strategy aims to help both consumers and the profession understand what the SRA’s […]
Fall in remortgage approvals for April
According to figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), remortgage lending for April dropped 28 per cent when compared to the figures for March 2011, with around 24,000 remortgage loans being advanced. Despite this substantial drop remortgage lending is up 1 per cent on the same period last year. Remortgage lending has seen […]
Mortgage industry boosted by clarification on referral fees
With the Legal Services Board (LSB) recently announcing that referral fees are being retained the move has been welcomed by Eddie Goldsmith, Senior Partner at Goldsmith Williams. Referral fees provide a considerable revenue stream to those in the mortgage industry and any restriction of those fees would have been a substantial blow to an already […]
£20 million compensation offer to home owners on HS2 route
Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond has recently revealed that 34 applicants with property along the proposed HS2 route from London to Birmingham have received a formal offer of compensation. The announcement comes before a final decision has even been made as to whether the government will proceed with the construction of the high speed rail route. […]
The first legal brand floats on the London stock market
In-Deed, an online residential conveyancing service launched by Harry Hill and Peter Gordon last month, was launched on the stock market yesterday with a market capitalisation of over £8 million. In-Deed, floating as In-Deed Online on AIM, have become the first property linked legal company to list on AIM and say that they are looking […]
Should a register of private landlords be established?
Phil Wilson, a Labour MP in Sedgefield, presented a new bill to the commons on Tuesday, Private Landlords (Register and Duties), commenting that “regulation of the private sector is needed to stop vulnerable families from being exploited”. The new bill proposes that the sector requires to be ‘professionalised’ in order that landlords do not let […]
