Will leaseholders see property ‘levelling up’ now Gove’s in charge?
In September housebuilder Countryside Properties became the latest big developer to pledge an end to ground rents on leasehold properties. For thousands of leaseholders who bought homes from them it means they will no longer be subjected to the unfair rent system that doubles rates every 10 to 15 years. For many homeowners, entering into […]
Firms explore new funding options as the deadline for PI premiums nears
As you will know, the start of October tends to mark an important financial deadline for many professional practice firms, especially in the legal sector, as it’s traditionally the time when they have to renew their Professional Indemnity Insurance (PI). The insurance is a requirement for lawyers and solicitors, but it also applies to a […]
The Digital Solicitor Podcast – Conveyancing after the SDLT holiday
With SDLT holiday transactions tailing off, now is a good time to look at where the overworked conveyancing market has left solicitors and think about what comes next. To help us do this, the Digital Solicitor podcast is joined by Rob Hailstone of the Bold Legal Group, an ex-residential property conveyancer with over 40 years’ […]
New CoPSO member to shape future of digital conveyancing
X-Press Legal Services has become a member of The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) Executive team and will join other Executive members in shaping the direction and future of the Council. James Sherwood-Rogers, CoPSO Chairman comments: “The appointment of X-Press Legal Services to the CoPSO Executive will bring a lot to the table in […]
Landmark Information Group appoints Business Development Director to extend commercial strategy in Scotland
With a strategic focus on developing its reach in the Scottish property market, Landmark Information Group, the UK’s largest property and land data business, has announced the appointment of Lorna Kerr as Business Development Director, Scotland. Lorna joins from OnTheMarket where she led the rollout and market growth of the estate agency portal in Scotland, […]
Law Society chief executive to take up new role with Abbeyfield
Chief executive of the Law Society of England and Wales Paul Tennant will be leaving the organisation at the end of the year. He will join the Abbeyfield Family and take up a new role as chief executive of the Abbeyfield Society. The Abbeyfield Society is an active advocate for the elderly and is a […]
Housing Growth Partnership announces more funding for developers
The Government has announced an additional £300 million in funding for the Housing Growth Partnership (HGP) which aims to build 10,000 new homes by 2025. Formed in 2016, HGP announced yesterday that a new £300 million equity funding programme provided by Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group would help to bridge the homebuilder funding gap […]
New guidance seeks to improve disability inclusion in the legal profession
Employers in the legal sector have been provided with guidance by the Law Society and Cardiff University, outlining the reasonable adjustments firms and organisations could make to help them recruit and employ disabled staff. It follows the publication of the Legally Disabled?: The Career Experiences of Disabled People in the Legal Profession research by Cardiff […]
The blockchain revolution; first steps to speed up mortgages
Coadjute, the real-time network that connects the property market, has announced plans to enable retail banks in the UK to issue a mortgage stablecoin on their network, working in partnership with global technology firm R3. The service is set to vastly improve the movement of mortgage funds, which amounts to over £240bn each year nationally. […]
Reporting on Title – What to Include & What to Leave Out?
The role of a property lawyer acting for a purchaser goes beyond carrying out the appropriate searches, raising enquiries and investigating title – it also includes ensuring that the client fully understands what they are buying. In Stewart Title’s next FREE CPD webinar Reporting on Title – Inform, Explain & Advise on Wednesday 29 September, property expert […]
SDLT risks and how to solve them
Amid a recent drastic increase in property transactions and in light of increased claims in this area, we asked SDLT Compass, expert advisers on the subject, to highlight the key risks of SDLT and how best conveyancers can handle these. As one of the areas of work with the most PI claims, conveyancers face many risks, […]
Hold on low interest rates a “confidence booster” says estate agency body
Following some expectations that there could have been a rise in interest rates, the Bank of England’s decision to hold the base interest rate at a record-low of 0.1 per cent has been welcomed as a “confidence booster” for the property sector by estate agency membership body Propertymark. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) maintained the […]
Outsourcing – the smart choice?
Outsourcing has previously been a dirty word in the conveyancing sector, but is it time to face up to the facts? That outsourcing parts of the job is a sensible and efficient solution to the many problems in the modern conveyancing world? Recent times have shown that clients and the conveyancing world expect more from […]
Climate change concerns for coastal properties in landslide prone areas
A major 40 m landslide occurred at Nefyn Bay in North Wales earlier this year sparking concern for nearby residents and business owners. The area is prone to regular small-scale cliff collapses due to the superficial deposits of clays and silts making up Nefyn Bay which are easily eroded by the sea. More concerning, however, are the […]
Legal Bricks launch Biometric face scanning ID checks
Legal Bricks have today announced the official launch of their Biometric face scanning ID checks – available as a standalone product or as part of their conveyancing client on-boarding portal, LB Connect. With the rise of fraud within conveyancing transactions, especially identity fraud, and tighter regulations around ID checks and the way clients are onboarded, […]
Terrafirma enhance guidance on natural ground stability hazards
Ground risk specialists Terrafirma has announced a much-anticipated overhaul of the natural ground perils section in the Ground Report. The award-winning report is used by conveyancers to understand whether mining or natural ground instability hazards has implications for the property they are transacting on. Natural ground perils, such as collapsible deposits, compressible ground, running sands, […]
SDLT holiday enters final week…
Thursday 30th September sees the final day on which the Stamp Duty Land Tax relief is applicable. Relieved conveyancers up and down the country will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the end of the second phase of tapering will see SDLT revert back to the previous thresholds. £125,000 for residential properties […]
Impersonation fraud losses rocket
The scale of criminal activity which leads to financial loss has been laid bare by UK Finance’s half year fraud update. In total £753.9 million was stolen through fraud, an increase of 30 per cent compared to the same period last year. As banks improve their security measures, for the first time Authorised Push Payment (APP) […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 27th September 2021
The SDLT holiday was introduced to take effect on the 8th July 2020 in a market that was already busy. There were people who were only just able to move and had sat patiently waiting during the first lockdown, there were those who realised that they needed more space as they understood that they were […]
Developers criticised for “stockpiling” land to be taxed under new legislation
Draft legislation has been published for a new tax that will be levied on large developers’ profits from buying and selling land with planning applications, to contribute to the government’s cladding remediation costs. Rishi Sunak is set to announce the tax on developers with profits over £25 million in his autumn budget, which should raise […]
