‘PropertyFocus’ Joint Case Management Venture Launched By CS Partnership And Orchard Rock
We are really pleased to announce a new joint venture between Orchard Rock Development and The CS Partnership. Orchard Rock Development and The CS Partnership have joined forces to develop ‘PropertyFocus’ – property case management workflows for Tikit P4W, which we are all proud to say are the next generation of workflows for lawyers. With […]
Implications Of Tenant Fees Bill For Landlords
Landlords and agents in the private rented sector face a raft of changes that is expected to shake up the rental market as a new set of laws are expected to receive Royal Assent in the coming weeks. The Tenant Fees Bill is designed to protect millions of private renters from unfair fees and charges […]
Choosing A Suitable Cyber Certification Pathway
I’m sure you will all be familiar with Lexcel. The popular Law Society accreditation that is widely adopted by law firms. Lexcel is an accreditation that is widely respected as it helps create strong frameworks within practicing law firms. The new version of the Lexcel standard (‘v6.1’) became mandatory for all assessments taking place from […]
£34.6 Million Lost To Cyber Criminals In Second Half Of 2018
The latest figures from Action Fraud have claimed that financial losses caused by cyber crime increased by 25% between the months of April and September. Worryingly, this means that cyber criminals were able to successfully steal £34.6 million during this time. According to the report, 13,357 people in the UK reported cyber crimes during this […]
Construction Industry Deeply Concerned About Weakening Property Market
According to a recent report by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the construction industry will struggle in 2019; blighted by a stuttering housing market. The State of Trade Survey for Quarter 4 in 2018 has found that 42% of builders have noticed significant signs that the property market is weakening. Additionally, builders are anxious […]
Rental Prices Increase Slightly In December
As political uncertainty and Brexit headaches force the property market to stumble forwards, the lettings market and rents have continued to rise. In 2018, average rents across the UK increased by 1.5%, according to the Homelet Rental Index, for December. The average rent is now £921 per calendar month. However, when London is excluded from […]
Half Of Junior Lawyers Unaware Of Legal Technology
A recent survey by the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) has found that almost half of junior lawyers are oblivious of the benefits of lawtech or completely unaware of its existence. Additionally, 66% of the 224 respondents did not feel that the advancement and increased use of technology will impact on their job responsibilities. […]
Home Owners Value Supermarkets Over School Catchment Areas
It has been a long-held view that property values and desirability are inextricably linked to the proximity of high-performing schools. Parents, eager for their children to receive the best education, strive to live within the allotted catchment areas; this in turn often drives prices up. However, a recent report has claimed that the public are […]
Email Fraud And Social Media Impersonation Increase By 35%
According to a recent report by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), cyber criminals are adapting to the modern world. Once upon a time, the cyber criminal preferred virus-based attacks through malware or ransomware; now, the ONS have said that these criminals are looking to exploit social media and emails to successfully defraud the public […]
Avoid The Extreme Weather By Making A Warming First Impression
The extreme weather has only just begun but the cold snap has already outstayed its welcome for many of us in the opening month of 2019. As I was scraping the layers of ice from my car windscreen this morning, I remembered a conversation I had with a local estate agent, new to the area, […]
NAEA Data Suggests FTB Sales Declined In 2018
The number of properties sold to First-time buyers using estate agents has decreased significantly from the same figures obtained in December 2017. According to December’s NAEA Propertymark report, 24% of estate agent sales were made to FTBs. Although this was up by 1% on November’s figures, it marks a decrease of 8% from December 2017. […]
Growing Concern Over Solicitors Mental Health And Wellbeing
Legal mental health charity, LawCare has reported receiving their highest ever number of helpline calls from solicitors in 2018. An even more worrying statistic from the charity has revealed calls from solicitors complaining about bullying and harassment has nearly doubled in 2018. LawCare, a charity that promotes and supports good mental health and wellbeing across […]
Land Registry Adopting Blockchain Technology To Create Safer And Faster System
HM Land Registry (HMLR) have said that they intend to continue working with industry partners in a bid to ensure they remain ahead of the curve in terms of digitisation and the implementation of new technology. In particular, HM Land Registry are committed to improving its data and the way this data is stored and […]
Aviva Bid To Increase Legal Indemnity Usage Through InfoTrack
Aviva and InfoTrack have announced a partnership that will see Legal Indemnities Online made available through InfoTrack’s innovative conveyancing services platform. It is the first time Aviva’s Legal Indemnity products have been made available for conveyancers to access through a third-party channel and will include residential, commercial and bespoke policies, making InfoTrack the first conveyancing […]
Equity Release Grows For Seventh Consecutive Year
As people look for ways to finance their later life, equity release ended 2018 with record levels of investment. Total lending in equity release has grown for the seventh consecutive year. The 3.94 billion extracted through equity release plans is a 29% increase on the figures for 2017. Additionally, £1.08 billion of the total figure […]
Annual Mortgage Lending Figures Increase By 3.8%
UK Finance data has revealed that gross residential mortgage lending increased by 4.7% in December when compared with the figures from a year earlier. The overall lending In December grew from £20.1 billion to £21.1 billion. Whilst the annual mortgage lending figure of £267.5 billion was up 3.8% on 2017’s figures, the £23.8 billion of […]
Modern Methods Of Construction And Implications For Conveyancers
Within the next five years 400,000 skilled and expert construction workers are set to retire, this equates to around 25% of the workforce according to Homes England, Strategic Plan. Despite the government’s widely publicised target of 300,000 homes per year by 2020, construction output in recent years has fallen significantly below this figure. Even with […]
Is Everyone In Your Team Making You Money?
I’ve recently had to seek board approval to redevelop our website. Our last one was built in 2013 and the world, and our business, has moved on since then. No one was disputing that we need a new site, but I needed to satisfy the board that this investment would deliver a return. So it […]
Radon: Removing a Killer from the House
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can affect properties across the UK, not just in the South West like many imagine. We take a look at what it is, the risks and impacts on buildings and how even if it is discovered, that the property transaction can be stay on track. What is […]
Four Ways To Really Make Your Training Count
It’s the start of another year and a time when many of us are making some new year resolutions. For many people, resolutions are about physical fitness but why not make 2019 the year you think about making some resolutions about your training too? With the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s abolition of a minimum hours training […]
