VAT on CON29 searches announced
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have allegedly stated there will be the proposed 20% increase from January 2017
House price inflation at 10-month low
November saw the annual rate of house price growth fall to a 10-month low of 4.4%. This is a dip of 0.2% in comparison with November 2015, where the rate was at 4.6%. House prices had however, moved up by 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis, in comparison with October. Since June of last year, […]
Is Offline Marketing still an option in a Digital World?
I had a meeting the other day with a potential client who were trying to get their head around the digital age of marketing and frankly they were feeling the pressure to become part of the social media revolution.
Conveyancing Association announces support for The ESTAS Conveyancer Awards
The Conveyancing Association, the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry, announced at its annual conference last week that it has become the official industry association partner for The ESTAS Conveyancer Awards in a two-year deal. The ESTAS Group, which runs a national customer feedback scheme and produces the largest annual awards event for the […]
Desert island risks
The role of Warranty and Indemnity insurance in real estate transactions
House prices along Crossrail route steam ahead
According to Lloyds Bank research, properties close to stations along London’s new Crossrail route have already seen a growth in prices of 22% over a two-year period. Although still rising, prices of homes in the surrounding areas did so at the reduced rate of 14%. The Elizabeth line will be operational in May of next […]
Conveyancing productivity soars with a 55% rise in transactions per conveyancer over three years
Productivity levels in the conveyancing market sped up by a significant 55% over three years to reach an average rate of 110 transactions per conveyancer last year, according to the first Conveyancing Productivity Index from conveyancing search provider Search Acumen. Industry average of completed transactions per conveyancer rises by 55% in three years – up […]
Regional law firm appoints accomplished property specialist
Seasoned property expert, Justin White, has been appointed to the Real Estate team of a regional law firm based in the south of England.
Conveyancing theft reported as biggest cybercrime problem for law firms
Figures published today by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have shown that email hacks of conveyancing transactions are the most common cybercrime in the legal sector, with £7 million of client losses reported in the last year. Three-quarters of cybercrimes reported to the SRA in the 12 months are some form of “Friday afternoon” fraud. […]
London sales down 50%
London sales transaction volumes now 50% lower than before the last crash; prices falls inevitable
New certificate required for First Registration Applications
Last November, The Land Registry made allowances for conveyancer’s to lodge certified copies of deeds and documents when lodging a first registration application (Form FR1). Until recently conveyancers could only lodge original deeds and documents with the form FR1. From 28th November conveyancers now have a choice of sending original deeds and documents or sending […]
“5p Carrier Bag” initiative could revolutionise sustainable development
When the charge for single-use plastic carrier bags was introduced in England on 5th October 2015, Tesco reported a 78% drop in number of single-use carrier bags taken from its stores in England in the first month. According to a panel of environmental experts, if the government are to meet their targets for Sustainable Planning […]
‘Pre-contract packs’ receive conveyancer support
A majority of attendees raised their hands in favour of the suggestion of a ‘pre-contract pack’ at last week’s annual Conveyancing Association (CA) conference. These would be given to the buyer’s solicitor having been put together by the seller’s solicitor, in order to hasten the homebuying process. Eddie Goldsmith, the CA chair, emphasised that this was […]
Land Registry fraud alert service joined by 50,000
Land Registry’s Property Alert service has now been signed up to by over 50,000 people.
Conveyancing Association conference discusses template for future conveyancing process
Following discussions at its ‘Modernising Conveyancing’ Conference, the Conveyancing Association, the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry, has today (6th December 2016) announced it will set out a template for the future, and produce a list of actions all designed to improve the overall conveyancing process. The Conference was held on the 1st December […]
Solicitor firms join forces to offer national equity release advice service
Following on from Key Retirement’s call for more conveyancing firms to provide specialist equity release services, six law firms have stepped into the ring to offer independent legal advice in this growth market. Midlands-based Martin Kaye Solicitors has joined forces with BPL, Shakespeare Martineau, Gordon Brown, Glanvilles and Cavendish Law to offer a nationwide equity […]
Best Use of Technology Award
Groundsure recently attended The Chamber Business Awards 2016 and we are delighted to announce that we won the Best Use of Technology Award sponsored by BT. The Chamber Business Awards, now in its 13th year, is one of the showpiece events in the business calendar, highlighting the role of business in delivering growth and prosperity […]
Builders should be advised accordingly
Home buyers from Taylor Wimpey have allegedly been failed by their conveyancing solicitors and are contemplating taking action, according to Leasehold Solutions. This is in regards to a failure of informing house buyers about the housebuilder’s policy to include 10-year doubling ground rents on leasehold properties which are newly-built. Commenting on the anger of some […]
Xara Computers achieves Legal Eye Quality Standard
Legal Eye, a subsidiary of ULS Technology, is very pleased to announce that London IT services provider Xara Computers, has achieved the Legal Eye Quality Standard (LEQS). The Legal Eye Quality Standard is recognised to be the first assessment scheme to address the rules and regulations which are over and above the traditional quality standards. […]
Dishonesty claim means solicitor denied PII
A solicitor who worked in a firm involved in mortgage fraud has been told she is unable to claim indemnity insurance, despite a High Court ruling dismissing an original dishonesty claim involving referring to herself as a partner. Shirin Rahim was informed that she was prevented from making a claim against Arch Insurance Co due […]
