CML figures indicate pre-Brexit dampening of market
Gross mortgage lending figures for May indicate a market holding back, according to the Council for Mortgage Lenders. According to the CML there was £18.2 billion worth of lending, up £600,000 on April and 14% on May 2015. Despite uncertainty over the referendum, the CML believe there is no reason for prices to fall. CML […]
Conveyancing Association announces new partnership with InfoTrack
The Conveyancing Association (CA), the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry, has today (27th June 2016) announced a new partnership with InfoTrack, a new conveyancing services provider. The partnership will run throughout 2016 and will involve a series of sponsorships, initiatives and opportunities for InfoTrack to engage with the CA and its member firms. […]
SearchFlow hosting webinar on CON29 changes
In partnership with NLIS, SearchFlow will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday June 29th at 10:30am to cover the CON29 changes. The webinar will cover: The CON29 & CON29O Background Recap on changes Enquiry by enquiry in-depth review You can register for this webinar by clicking here. The Law Society’s revisions to the CON29 forms have […]
Industry reacts to vote to leave the EU
The value of the pound as well as shares in the UK’s major house builders are in freefall after the UK voted to leave the European Union. While Prime Minister David Cameron has stated Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, which starts the two year countdown on leaving, won’t be triggered until at least October, […]
Brexit vote likely to slow housing market
The vote on the UK’s membership of the EU is likely to slow the UK’s housing market as part of a wider slowdown according to experts. Housebuilders have been particularly hard hit with shares in the UK’s two biggest builders Barratt and Persimmon falling by a huge 21% and 24% by 11am. Eddie Goldsmith, Chairman […]
FCI to launch flood reports with new high-resolution 5 metre groundwater data
Future Climate Info (FCI), provider of residential and commercial Environmental and Flood Reports will be the first conveyancing search company to add JBA’s high-resolution 5 metre groundwater flood data to their reports in June 2016. The new groundwater data, which indicates the risk of flooding in every 5 metre square across the country, gives a […]
House prices and transaction levels predicted to fall in response to Brexit
Accountancy firm KPMG have forecast a flat 2016 with a subsequent fall of 5% in 2017 for house prices outside London. Harpal Singh of Broker Conveyancing attempted to put a brave face on the situation. Singh said: “The main fear now is fear itself. If people believe the negative forecasts then we will realise their […]
Law of Property Bill
Paul Butt answers the question – How will a new Law of Property Act affect conveyancers and what changes will be made?
Conveyancers cleared of negligence over Declaration of Trust
A conveyancing firm have been cleared of negligence over allegations they failed to explain a Declaration of Trust covering a home to a woman who subsequently divorced her husband, as well as having a conflict of interest. Bromets (which subsequently merged to become Bromets Jackson Heath LLP) were instructed to deal with the Declaration of […]
Suspended sentence for attempted right-to-buy fraud
A man has received a suspended sentence for failing to tell his local council he had vacated the council property he had submitted an application for a right-to-buy purchase. Mr Osmin Aygin, 36, was sentenced to 6 months in prison, suspended for 12 months for his failure to notify Greenwich Borough that he had vacated […]
Geodesys announce two summer Conveyancing seminars
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to join leading industry experts at two specialist conveyancing risk seminars in July 2016. Law Society guidance stipulates that contaminated land and drainage / water issues should be considered in every transaction. These seminars will ensure you unearth ALL the relevant details and fully demonstrate any potential risk. Learning outcomes […]
Searches UK reveal who’s been nominated in the Modern Law Conveyancing Awards
With the Modern Law Conveyancing Awards 2016 fast approaching, Searches UK is thrilled to congratulate the shortlisted firms on their nomination in their category. Over 16 awards will be issued on the evening, praising excellence and expertise across the market; award categories include the Conveyancing Firm of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, Service […]
STL warns of severe disruption at Local Authorities due to 4 July changes
STL announced today that the conveyancing industry should be prepared for severe disruption in Local Authority search services due to the impending changes to CON29 on 4 July. The delays in returning searches are being caused by a number of factors currently affecting Local Authorities. Many Land Charges departments will close or offer limited service […]
SortRefer appoint Phil Goff as Head of Sales
Conveyancing portal SortRefer have appointed Phil Goff as their new head of sales.Goff previously worked in sales management for Santander. Over the last 20 years he has also worked across the finance industry as regional sales manager and regional sales director at Halifax and Bank of Scotland, managing several regional sales teams. SortRefer’s managing director […]
CMA justify stance on Land Registry
The Competition and Markets Authority has published a follow-up on their response to the Land Registry privatisation consultation. The CMA had previously expressed concerns over the government’s favoured option, stating they did not believe it could deliver the benefits the Treasury believed it could. Writing on the CMA blog, Assistant Director for Advocacy Elliott Scanlon […]
Knights Professional Services completes greatest number of transactions in May according to Land Registry
Land registry completed 1,491,651 applications in May. Of those, 365,745 were dealings, down from 404,747 in April. There were also 81,583 transactions for value. There were also 697,066 were applications to obtain an official copy of a register or title plan, down from 725,585 in April. Top ten Land Registry customers for transactions Knights professional […]
BIS ‘Call for evidence’ presents significant opportunity for conveyancing sector
There are certainly moments in life and business which come laden with importance; at the time of writing we are just days away from a political and economic one with the EU Referendum vote set to take place. However, a little closer to home, one definitely has the feeling that, in terms of the future […]
Help to Buy ISA rendered useless as house prices soar
As asking prices for houses in England and Wales rise to a record high, prospective first time buyers who have carefully saved their deposits in Help to Buy ISAs are finding themselves priced out of the market. With the maximum threshold on houses that can be bought under the scheme set at £250,000 for homes outside […]
Changes to Local Authority Searches from the 4th July bring about a new modern look for the PSG Regulated Search
On Monday 4th July, the Law Society will release their revised CON 29 and CON 29O forms. The revisions aim to bring improvements to the quality and consistency of local authority held data, which in turn should assist in the standardisation and interpretation of council searches. Most questions on the CON 29 have been amended […]
CA put together working group ahead of call for evidence on home buying process
Ahead of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills call for evidence on the home buying process, the Conveyancing Association has announced a working group to deliver a response. The CA say the call for evidence, to be published later this year, will “focus on all areas of the process” to help cut the number […]
