Solicitors hit by fraudsters
From the Barking and Dagenham Post Nearly £1m is missing after fraudsters targeted a Romford solicitors’ firm, the Recorder has discovered. Fowkes & Son, based on Eastern Road, Romford was holding £1.7m of clients’ money in an account when its owners Olatubosun Daramola and Nefisa Mamudu sold it, in good faith, to the crooks, having […]
New homes market performing strongly
According to the SmartNewHomes index the average price for a new home in June was £232,292. The index records the price of new homes for sale by region and type of property and is mix adjusted, as well as tracking consumer demand for properties on a monthly basis. This figure is down 1.2% from May […]
Rents rise across almost all of England and Wales
According to the latest buy-to-let Index from LSL Property Services PLC rents rose in nine out of ten regions of England and Wales in June. These rises marked the third consecutive month of increases, bringing the average rent in England and Wales up 0.9% to £718 per month. This is just short of the record […]
Housing costs third highest in Europe
Research by housing charity Shelter has shown families in the UK are among the worst off in Europe, with one in six people in the UK overburdened with housing costs. The Shelter report uses data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Standards to calculate the percentage of people living in a household […]
Keay & Anor v Morris Homes (West Midlands) Ltd [2012] EWCA Civ 900 (11 July 2012)
Introduction We welcome again solicitor Mr Anis Waiz who continues his critical review of recent case law. This case raised again the provisions of section 2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 (“the Act”). A section which has certainly troubled the Courts on a number of occasions. By the proceedings the Keays […]
Moneypenny Launches Dedicated Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery Product For Law Firms
As part of its award-winning telephone answering provision for the legal sector, Moneypenny will be offering a dedicated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery product to law firms from July 2012. This new product will ensure firms comply with Lexcel v5, adhere to the Code of Conduct and maintain client experience. Moneypenny recognises that a major […]
Moneypenny Launches Dedicated Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery Product For Law Firms
Moneypenny Launches Dedicated Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery Product For Law Firms As part of its award-winning telephone answering provision for the legal sector, Moneypenny will be offering a dedicated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery product to law firms from July 2012. This new product will ensure firms comply with Lexcel v5, adhere to the […]
Majority of landlords planning to expand portfolio
According to specialist mortgage broker, Mortgages for Business, 60% of landlords are planning to increase their portfolios over the next six months. With LSL Property Services confirming a third month of rent rises across most of the UK, landlords are looking to capitalise on increasing demand in the rental market. David Whittaker, managing director of […]
Emails may create a binding property contract
It is surprising to many property professionals that there is no longer a requirement for an inked signature in order to create a binding contract. This is more surprising again where the contract relates to an interest in land. A contract for the sale of land must satisfy Section 2 of the Law of Property […]
Building societies still trusted
Whilst confidence in banks has plummeted, a survey of 2,000 adults has shown trust in building societies remains solid. Independent research by the Building Societies Association shows that – 79% of consumers say their trust in building societies has stayed the same or increased, whereas – 66% of consumers say that their trust in banks […]
Ombudsmen expects backlash over complaints data
The quarterly data on more than 700 legal entities is still being checked by the Legal Ombudsman. A spokesperson for the ombudsman was unable to confirm an exact date but said publication was unlikely to be too far away. When asked if the data was likely to be controversial they said: “We expect a backlash […]
Conveyancing Data Services sponsor olympic rower
The firm have announced their sponsorship of Olympic rower, Will Satch. Will is part of the Great Britain rowing team and has won a number of medals in the past few years including silver in last year’s World Cup. Although Will is funded by the National Lottery through UK Sport, the firm are providing extra […]
PwC predicts slow recovery for house prices
In the companies July UK Economic Outlook Report it forecasts house prices will not reach 2007 peak levels until after 2020. The company predicts the damage caused by economic uncertainty and the eurozone crisis will continue to have a significant impact in the short to medium term. Whilst they expect the market to pick […]
Legal changes in Scotland still some time off
The Law Society of Scotland says that the introduction of alternative business structures (ABS) in Scotland is still several months away. ABSs (also known as Licensed Legal Service Providers) allow solicitors to set up in conjunction with other professions to provide legal services. In England and Wales ABSs can be entirely owned by external investors […]
New non-executive directors for Land Registry
After an open competition, two new non-executive directors have been appointed to the Land Registry Board. Catrina Holme is a corporate lawyer with more than ten years’ experience in the venture capital sector. Land Registry described her as bringing “a deep understanding of the commercial value of data and the ways in which it […]
New research shows consumer confidence in legal profession
The Law Society has welcomed research by the Legal Service Board showing high consumer satisfaction in the legal profession. The research shows over 80% consumer satisfaction with the overall service provided by solicitors and other qualified lawyers. The research by the LSB also showed very high satisfaction rates with the outcomes of work done by […]
Law Society signs up Aon to offer PII package for CQS and Lexcel firms
The Law Society has announced that PII broker Aon will provide a professional indemnity insurance (PII) package to legal practices with the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme or Lexcel quality marks. CQS and Lexcel firms who use the service may have access to PII quotes that reflect their accreditation in time for this year’s renewals. […]
SRA warn over solicitor impersonation.
The SRA has issued another warning to solicitors regarding criminal impersonation of solicitors conveyancers should take note and consider their risk management processes. The alert is worded as follows: Alerts Warning: guy.clapham@gmx.co.uk email address 12 July 2012 Information received from the SRA indicates that the email address guy.clapham@gmx.co.uk and mobile telephone number 07924551313 are not […]
Government challenged to sort out housing market
Countrywide, the largest property services group in the UK has today launched a report entitled “Addressing Challenges in the UK Housing Market”. The report urges the government to consider six solutions that it believes will boost the housing market. 1. Set minimum and meaningful mortgage lending targets. 2. Actively […]
Ombudsman reports increased numbers of conveyancing complaints
Complaints to Legal Services Chief Ombudsman Adam Sampson rose in several areas including residential conveyancing. Whilst a few cases highlighted deliberate dishonesty, this was not the norm. The transformation of the legal services market was seen as a bigger factor in creating problems. Mr Sampson highlighted the increasing commoditisation of the market, with legal services […]
