Legislation on referral fees off the cards
Housing minister Eddie Hughes has confirmed that legislation on referral fees is currently not on the government’s legislative agenda. The government is not planning to force estate agents to be transparent about referral fees earned from other parties within transactions, including conveyancers. In a written answer to Labour MP Zarah Sultana, Hughes confirmed that the […]
Forbes Dawson Tax Specialists joins SDLT Compass Expert Panel
SDLT Compass, the country’s only comprehensive SDLT calculator, today announced an expansion of its panel of approved tax advisers to include Cheshire-based firm Forbes Dawson. Non-Executive Chairman of SDLT Compass Christopher Avery said: “We are thrilled that Andrew Marr and his team have agreed to join the panel as part of our strategy to provide […]
Landmark UK Property Trends Report, Q1 2022
The Q1 2022 editions of Landmark’s England & Wales and Scotland Property Trends Reports provide summaries of the last quarter’s residential property transaction pipeline from listings to SSTC/SSTM, and from searches to completions. Headlines from Q1 include: Signs of a return towards pre-pandemic volumes across transaction milestones, including SSTC/SSTM. Supply and demand appear to be […]
Leeds: the forgotten fireclay mining industry
Leeds is a prominent city in Yorkshire which made a name for itself in the wool and textiles trades. Often forgotten are the deep, dark cavernous coal mines which lie silent beneath the vibrant, bustling city. But equally, they co-hosted another valuable mineral – fireclay, whose seams were weaved into the carboniferous black coal, making […]
Severn Trent Searches joins Conveyancing Information Executive
Severn Trent Searches joins Conveyancing Information Executive as Associate Member The Conveyancing Information Executive (CIE) has today announced that Severn Trent Searches (STS) – part of Severn Trent Group has become an Associate Member of the trade body organisation. Severn Trent Searches (STS) has been providing conveyancing searches since 2000. They act as official providers […]
New proptech start up MoveGenius begins first pilot
MoveGenius, a new property platform built on blockchain, is to launch with the aim of expediting the home buying and selling process. The platform’s founder is ex-lawyer Hannah Nicholson. Hannah bought her first property back in 2017 and was frustrated with the lack of upfront information available to house buyers and sellers during the legal […]
Cost of living slams brakes on housing market
Despite house prices hitting a record £250,000 in Zoopla’s latest index for April 2022, their report is awash with signs that the market is soon to slow down – and may already be doing so. The average UK house price now stands at a record of £250,200, growing by 8.4% during the year to the […]
HMLR practice guide update: May 2022
HM Land Registry (HMLR) practice guide update: PG36 Administration and receivership (PG36) Page summary: How to deal with applications involving administration and receivership under the provisions of the Insolvency Act 1986. (Practice guide 36). Change made: Section 4 has been amended to add some detail relating to change of address on appointment of a trustee.
Transactions down 10.5% from March, figures reveal
Monthly transaction figures published by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on Tuesday revealed that the number of UK residential property transactions in April was 13.9% lower than April 2021 and 10.5% lower than March 2022. The provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of sales in April 2022 is 97,970, plummeting from 110,990 in March. HMRC noted that […]
Conveyancing during the Queen’s reign
As the country prepares to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, Today’s Conveyancer has looked back at the development of the law and society during Her Majesty’s reign.
Mortgage lending remains buoyant in Q1
Figures show mortgage lending remains lively in Q1, though research shows bids to remortgage are being abandoned Figures from the Building Societies Association (BSA) show that mortgage lending by building societies in the first three months of this year was on a par with lending in the same period last year, when the Stamp Duty […]
Women in the law exhibition launched in London
Exhibition of trailblazing women in the law launched at the Royal Courts of Justice in London To celebrate the centenary of the first woman at the Bar, the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary announced a free exhibition that is available for all to view in the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Dr Ivy Williams was […]
1150% increase in SRA’s fining power “not appropriate”
Safeguards needed to offset exponential rise in regulator fining powers, says Law Society The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is set to reform its approach to financial penalties including an increase of its fining powers by 1,150% without balancing these changes with appropriate safeguards, the Law Society of England and Wales said. “It is disappointing the […]
Survey reveals strong demand for SDLT to be replaced
A survey has found that there is strong demand for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to be reformed or replaced among homemovers. The Anthony Ward Thomas Attitudes to Moving survey asked 2,000 homemovers several questions about their experience of moving and their thoughts on the housing market. The survey found 38% of respondents think SDLT […]
Searching to ensure access to a property – a brief history of pitfalls
It seems that up to the 20th century, no formal searches were made as to public access to a property. Local solicitors knew which were public highways. Until the 1970s, conveyancers rarely bothered much about securing any necessary private rights of access, such as by statutory declaration, but gradually these requirements assumed their proper role […]
Conveyancing through the pandemic and beyond
It would be safe to say that over the last couple of years, conveyancing firms have faced some considerable challenges. In particular, dealing with staff, understanding their ongoing and changing needs, marrying up their skills and experience with the huge amount of demand/work in the market, and also trying to ensure their mental and physical […]
Back to the future: predicting climate change hazards
The data insights we have into climate change impacts never fails to surprise: we know that around 4,000 properties are at substantial risk from coastal erosion across the UK, and over the next 80 years this is expected to jump up to around 23,000. Our data models also show an increase of more than half […]
“70 years – that’s a lot of pro bono…”
As the United Kingdom celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, two onlooking lawyers can’t quite believe the length of Her Majesty’s pro bono stint. All her work is pro bono, right? Not quite: the Crown took home a sovereign grant of £85.9m in 2021. However, this is said to come from revenue generated by the […]
Diary of a high street conveyancer; 30th May 2022
I know I promised the opening episode of my new drama series, The Move, but this week, I was side-tracked onto another television series about lawyers. The series in question ran between 1996 -1997, so I was six years qualified when it aired. It was interesting to watch it again, over 25 years later, not […]
Do conveyancers and estate agents face similar challenges?
In the course of going about our daily routines it is sometimes easy to forget that our counterparts across the property spectrum often face similar challenges. Understanding the challenges of others can inform our own behaviour and our behaviour toward others. As Group Compliance Officer at The Guild of Property Professionals, and Fine & Country, […]
