Industry experts call for mandatory upfront home selling information

With the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee inquiry into home buying and selling well underway, leading property experts have been letting the cross-party group of MPs know what it will take to improve the process. The key takeaway:  mandating upfront information to stop “second guessing” and to ensure “everyone has what they need”. […]

Commercial Real Estate: The Impact of AI and Climate Change

Rewind to mid-autumn 2022, the Paris Agreement’s Rulebook was signed and completed at COP 26 in Glasgow and the world saw a monumental shift forwards in the commitment to reducing our emissions. As such, it would be fair to assume that if someone asked you back then for two words dominating discourse in the legal sphere […]

The LMS Podcast – Are you choosing between Betamax or VHS?

LMS’s latest episode is all about digital disruption and the speed of innovation, which has been affecting all industries, not only conveyancing. Our CEO, Nick Chadbourne, Commercial Director, Travis Scholes, and Founder and Managing Partner at Novus Strategy, Chris Williams, liken the new wave of disruption to choosing Betamax and VHS; however, the speed of […]

Top 5 tips for speedy CON29DW returns

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Drainage and Water Searches Network (DWSN), we are developing a series of webinars delving into the questions contained within a CON29DW search. Our first webinar, Top 5 tips for speedy CON29DW Returns, is now available on the DWSN YouTube Channel and below, which you can also access at […]

Pre-contract enquiries challenge no better say conveyancers

An overwhelming majority of conveyancers suggest the continuing issues with unnecessary and excessive pre-contract enquiries is not improving in the latest sentiment survey by Today’s Conveyancer. First run in 2022, the survey is now in its third year and asks conveyancers their thoughts on the current nature of the number and nature of pre-contract enquiries.  […]

Snap poll shows support for vote of no confidence

A snap poll run by Today’s Conveyancer suggests sentiment toward The Law Society is low amongst conveyancers. 90% of respondents to a LinkedIn poll said they would ‘support proposals to call for a vote of no confidence in the Law Society.’ Last week calls by The Property Lawyers Action Group (PLAG) for a vote of […]

Parties break cover on housing with first time buyer pledges

The Labour party say it will make permanent the current Mortgage Guarantee Scheme if it is voted into power at next month’s General Election to be called “Freedom to Buy.” Introduced by then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak in 2021, the scheme broadly replaced Help to Buy in providing access to mortgages requiring lower deposits. Through the scheme […]

Pre-election property supply up, but for how long?

The number of properties coming to market has increased, with an uptick in demand also reported in the latest Housing Insight Report from estate agency membership and training body Propertymark. The report covers the month of April, just before Prime Minster Rishi Sunak announced the July 4th General Election. The average number of prospective new […]

Households face £5,837 in hidden costs when moving home

Mortgages costs soar

New research from Compare the Market has revealed that nearly seven in ten households (69%) have been caught out by surprise costs and fees when moving home. The average cost of these hidden fees is £5,837. The most common surprise costs when moving home include legal fees being larger than expected (41%), while one in […]

First firms certified with GDPR compliance standard

A pilot scheme launched to provide law firms with a better understanding of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and demonstrate compliance with its obligations has seen the first firms certified. The Legal Services Operational Privacy Certification Scheme (LOCS:23) is the first sector-wide GDPR certification standard for legal service providers and their solution partners. The standard […]

Diary of a High Street Conveyancer: 10th June 2024

I was out with some conveyancing colleagues on Friday night. It is always a good opportunity to put the world to rights. One of the things that we chatted about was how we have to make time in our non-working day to do the actual conveyancing work. All of us tended to do an hour […]

Why don’t Lawyers like change?

As I write this blog, I am remembering a lovely quote from Kingsley Amis who said: “If you can’t annoy somebody with what you write, I think there’s little point in writing.” I have spent a lot of hours studying how to get people to change their behaviours and habits. Tech is only as good […]