Countrywide backers sell large stakes
Five months after floating on the stock exchange Countrywide’s shares have taken a nose dive as two backers sold off large numbers of shares in the company. Buyout firms Oaktree and Apollo sold 35 million shares between them at a value of almost £200million, equivalent to about 16% of the business. The shares were initially […]
Free guide to preservation surveys
National trade body, The Property Care Association (PCA) has produced a free guide to provide an insight into what preservation surveys entail. The PCA represents the building preservation industry, and specialises in structural maintenance, waterproofing, damp-proofing, timber preservation and invasive weed control. Preservation surveys investigate signs of dampness, timber decay and insect infestation in properties. […]
Conveyancing Association launches regional workshops
On Friday the Conveyancing Association (CA) held the first of a series of regional technical workshops in Manchester. Conveyancers from Northern England met, at the offices of CA member Countrywide Conveyancing Services, to discuss how money laundering and the government’s Green Deal will affect the house-buying process. Following the launch of their consumer-focused ‘Pledges’ last […]
Landmark Information Group and Environment Agency in five year deal
Landmark Information Group has signed a new five year deal with the Environment Agency to continue to use the government agency’s data for its suite of environmental risk reports. The two organisations have been working together since 1996 with Landmark’s products alerting homeowners, legal and financial professionals, developers and environmental consultants to potential land and […]
CLC launches thematic reviews
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has announced two thematic reviews to assess standards of practice in the management of conflicts of interest. The reviews will begin immediately and include targeted surveys of selected regulated entities based on information they provided as part of their Annual Regulatory Return and information provided by the Legal Ombudsman. After […]
SRA issues sanctions for failure to nominate compliance officers
The Law Society Gazette has reported that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued its first two sanctions for failing to properly nominate compliance officers. 992 firms have been investigated in relation to problems relating to nominations for compliance officers for legal practice and finance and administration (COLPs and COFAs). Last week, written rebukes were handed […]
What do our clients look for in a conveyancer?
TheMoveChannel.com give us their insight on what consumers are looking for during the conveyancing process. Conveyancers are an essential part of the property investment process. Everything from the price of a property and its fixtures and fittings to the planning restrictions attached to the estate need to be covered in accurate detail in the transfer […]
SearchFlow Chief Executive examines the impact of energy policy
The UK is hungry for energy. Its population growth demands more resources at a time when it must reduce its dependency on coal, rapidly dwindling North Sea oil and imported energy. With commitments to achieve a 15% clean energy target by 2020, the Government has been exploring all avenues to reap the energy harvest available. […]
Government say housing market strategy is working
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, said yesterday that government action to help kick-start the housing market was working. Mr Pickles said that housing supply and confidence is now increasing, and has turned a corner since the unsustainable housing bubble burst under the last administration. They say that in the […]
House prices up 3.1%
In the 12 months to June 2013 UK house prices increased by 3.1%, up from a 2.9% increase in the 12 months to May 2013. According to the latest House Price Index from the Office of National Statistics, the year-on-year increase reflected growth of 3.3% in England and 4.3% in Wales, offset by falls of […]
SRA Interventions: GS Law LLP (formerly PHD Law LLP) and Andrew John Taylor
The Adjudication Committee of the SRA has resolved to intervene into Kanwar Bhan, Monika Narad and Mohammad Rashid Shaikh and their firm GS Law LLP (formerly PHD Law LLP). The ground for intervention for the firm, formerly of 31a South Road, Southall, Middlesex UB1 1SW and 37 Cartwright Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV2 3BT, were: […]
Legal Eye announces results from their first customer satisfaction survey
Legal Eye, the leading national law firm compliance experts today announced the results of their inaugural customer satisfaction survey. Legal Eye customers were surveyed by telephone to determine how satisfied they were with the service provided by Legal Eye. The findings showed that 93% of law firms who were surveyed were found to be delighted/happy […]
CPD Points! Time is running out…
Flood, Fracking, Insurance and Compliance Following the announcement in July of 35 CPD events across England and Wales during September; PSG have confirmed that more than 700 delegates have now registered for the events. There are 26 seminars, each providing 3 SRA accredited CPD points, which will take place across England and Wales and for […]
Land Registry Warning: bogus emails
The Land Registry have issued a warning not to open emails which appears to be from the Land Registry that ask you to disclose personal or payment information. They will never ask you to disclose personal or payment information by email. If you have already opened the email and/or the attachment they recommend that you: […]
US provider hopes to start UK legal services revolution
Rocket Lawyer is launching a UK first as it offers all consumers access to free legal services for three days. They started in the USA and are now the most widely used online legal service in America. The firm hopes to replicate this in the UK. The service is the only completely online legal service […]
SLC announces road show sponsors
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has announced that CLS Ltd, Geodesys and STL Group will be sponsoring its summer road show events, taking place across the country this September. The SLC and Legal Eye are collaborating to run four regional road shows which start on 10th September. The sponsorship means the events can […]
ITV show highlights £7.8 million mortgage fraud
Thursday’s ITV Fraud Squad programme revealed how fraudsters stole £7.8 million from Britain’s banks in a sophisticated mortgage fraud. The programme showed the Economic Crime Department of the City of London Police at work, as well as including interviews with victims who have been conned out of huge sums of money. Commander Steve Head, in […]
Average second-time buyer is 42 years old
Prospective second time buyer are now likely to wait 14 years before moving on from their first home. According to the Post Office’s Step-Up report second-time buyers now wait 15 years longer than in the 60s to move up the property ladder. In the mid-1960s, second-time buyers had to wait just three years before moving […]
New lender focuses on those with adverse credit
New mortgage lender, Magellan Homeloans, has launched a pilot mortgage service aimed at borrowers unable to gain mortgages from traditional high street lenders. Their target market is borrowers who have experienced a one-off life event which has resulted in an adverse credit record. They have said they will consider applications from individuals who can explain […]
Buy-to-let lending worth over £5 billion
In the second quarter of 2013 lenders advanced 40,000 mortgages to buy-to-let investors, worth £5.1 billion. According to data published by the Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML), both the number of buy-to-let loans and the value of lending were the highest since the third quarter of 2008. Year-on-year, buy-to-let lending was 19% higher by volume […]
