Rising PII costs see crippling affects for conveyancing firms

It’s starting to feel like the era of the small law firm is over. More and more, smaller firms are closing their doors or being absorbed into bigger networks in order to survive, and the driving factor behind a lot of these closures is the continually rising cost of PII. In the last quarter of […]

Lender turning away second homeowners “over-stepping the mark”

Leeds Building Society

The announcement by the Leeds Building Society that it would no longer lend to second homeowners “exceeds their role as a lender”, according to a leading property firm. Leeds are Britain’s fifth-largest building society and have lent £19.7 billion to buyers. They are the first big lender to ban second home ownership in such a […]

Revealed: the UK areas putting the most pressure on conveyancers

New research has revealed the UK areas where conveyancers are under the most pressure. The return of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to pre-pandemic rates on 1st October 2021 did little to put buyers off. Between then and 31st March this year, £679 million of it was paid by new homeowners. Almost two-thirds of this […]

Government introduces compulsory mediation in bid to reduce court cases

Legal disputes are to be resolved through free mediation under new plans set out by the government. This could benefit individuals and businesses, whilst also cut down the amount of civil court cases. Ministers have published a blueprint for major reforms to the civil justice system which seeks to save people the cost, time and […]