Law Society comment: LSB approves SRA rule changes on SIF
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has published their decision on the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) rule change application to bring the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) under the regulator’s direct managerial control. Law Society of England and Wales President Lubna Shuja said: We are pleased that the changes have been approved. This comes after significant campaigning […]
Building Safety Act: DLUHC provides update on concerns regarding leaseholder protections
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has provided a comprehensive update on progress to remedy the well-documented Building Safety Act 2021 issues facing leaseholders and conveyancers. The DLUHC provided the update following conversations with key stakeholders and figureheads, namely Rob Hailstone, CEO, Bold Legal Group, and Stephen Desmond, legal trainer and author, […]
Conveyancing caseloads nearing record highs despite slowing transaction volumes
The average number of cases handled by conveyancing firms continues to soar to near-record levels despite a slowdown in transactions during recent months, new research has revealed. According to Search Acumen’s latest Conveyancing Market Tracker (CMT), caseloads increased 9% quarter-on-quarter between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023. This comes despite transactions falling 29% between December and […]
HBSG unveils Property Data Trust Framework v2.0
The Home Buying & Selling Group (HBSG) has announced the release of v2.0 of its Property Data Trust Framework and updated JSON schema. The HBSG says the updates “build on the success of the original framework, learnings from live beta testing, and provide even more comprehensive guidance for open property data sharing”. “One of the […]
National firm set to offer discounted conveyancing services to first-time buyers
National law firm Dutton Gregory Solicitors will discount its conveyancing fees by 10% for first-time buyers. It is also timed to coincide with new product launches from Leeds Building Society and Skipton Building Society. Skipton Building Society’s new 100% loan to value (LTV) offering is called a Track Record Mortgage. This is only eligible for […]
43% of homebuyers think home information packs should be mandatory – report
New research has found that while just 50% of recent homebuyers have heard of home information packs, 69% believe it would have made the experience of purchasing a property easier had their seller had one. Home information packs, originally introduced under the Housing Act 2004 and subsequently scrapped by the coalition government in 2010, provide […]
Labour will ‘abolish leasehold in first 100 days of Government’
The Labour Party has planned to abolish leasehold in the first 100 days of Government if it wins the next General Election. It has previously been confirmed that the government is no longer planning to abolish the leasehold system in England and Wales this year. Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and […]
AI in Conveyancing
Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the workplace is gathering pace. We’ve seen game-changing innovations recently like the launch of ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Bard. So what, if anything, does this mean for the legal sector, and particularly for conveyancing? Successful Uses of AI in the Legal Sector The most widely adopted use of AI in the […]
Upcoming events with Search Acumen
Search Insurance: The 3 Cs – Cover, Claims and Common Misconceptions Date: Tuesday 27th June Time: 11am Where: Online About this event Tuesday, 27th June at 11:00 am, we’ll be joined by Anthony O’Hanlon and Kelly McDonnell of CLS as they shed light on what CLS coverage entails, provide real-life examples of claims, and address […]
New in the portal: Flag and filter requisitions
We’re continually listening to customers and improving our services. Our latest enhancement to View Applications means you can now see flags against and filter applications with outstanding requisitions. This is a significant improvement, as it allows you to focus on the applications that need your attention most, reducing unnecessary delays. Amy Allen, Knowledge Lawyer at […]
Bamboo encroachment across property boundaries causes disputes between homeowners
A new YouGov survey of over 2,000 people found that almost a fifth (18%) of British adults have had bamboo on their own or an adjacent property. Yet, despite the serious threat bamboo poses, spreading faster and further than Japanese knotweed, only 24% of people would be concerned if it was growing near their home, […]
Almost 9,000 foreign homebuyers call England and Wales home in the last year, research shows
New data has revealed that the number of foreign buyers entering the market across England and Wales has increased by 3.2% over the last year, although in some areas of the market this increase is as high as 18.8%. Benham and Reeves, lettings and estate agent, submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Land […]
