SRA given go-ahead to significantly increase compensation fund after cost of Axiom Ince collapse
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been given the go-ahead to significantly increase compensation fund contributions to cover the cost of the Axiom Ince intervention. The Legal Services Board had given itself until November to make a final decision, but confirmed in a notice today that the revised contributions have been approved for the financial year. […]
Conveyancing Compliance Case Study: Harris & Harris
Explore how Harris & Harris streamlined their conveyancing compliance with Checkboard and reduced time spent on these tasks by up to 90%. Conveyancers understand the administrative burden of identity verification and source of funds checks. Harris & Harris, a legal firm specialising in property transactions, recently addressed this issue by integrating Checkboard into their workflow. […]
Property transactions 10% higher compared with the same period last year, data reveals
New data from HM Revenue & Customs has revealed the number of UK residential property transactions in August 2024 is 10% higher than the same month last year. The provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in August 2024 is 104,330, 10% higher than August 2023 and 8% higher than July […]
Rupert Murdoch’s REA Group raises offer to £6.2bn, Rightmove ‘will consider’
Rupert Murdoch’s Australian-based REA Group has made its fourth attempt to acquire Rightmove – raising its bid to £6.2bn. Rightmove has said that it “will consider” the new offer. This marks an increase from the £6.1bn offered earlier this week, with REA urging Rightmove’s board to begin negotiations after several refusals to meet. Rightmove has […]
High Court rules TSB ‘did not breach’ contracts after ‘mortgage prisoners’ claim they unwillingly paid out £30K in extra interest
The High Court has ruled that a high street bank did not breach so called ‘mortgage prisoner’ contracts after it was alleged by claimants that homeowner’s contracts were ‘violated’. In a preliminary ruling that took place in July, bank TSB was placed under scrutiny alongside its subsidiary Whistletree, after 400 former Northern Rock claimants argued […]
Reeves aims to unlock £50bn for housing
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, is exploring changes to the government’s borrowing regulations, potentially freeing up as much as £50 billion to fund major projects like housing and renewable energy. Economists estimate that had such rules been in place during the last budget, it could have provided an extra £50 billion in borrowing capacity. To support […]
End of ‘the scourge of section 21’ Labour’s renter’s rights bill allows tenants to challenge rent raises and have more rights regarding pets
The government has issued a detailed guide to all provisions of the Renters Rights Bill, which is being presented to the House of Commons to end what they have called ‘the scourge of section 21’ Section 21 evictions will be abolished and there aims to be stronger protections for backdoor evictions. Renters with private tenancies […]
The Secret Diary of a High Street Conveyancer | Could charging for extra work earn us respect?
In this week’s diary entry the Secret High Street Conveyancer talks about a subject close to their heart. As they dealt with a client over email, the question of fees arose…. In the middle of this last week, I received an email: “Hi You have been recommended to me by my good friends, X and […]
The Labour Party Conference – A Measure Twice (the Gains) and Cut Once Manoeuvre
While the Chancellor and the Housing Minister delivered impassioned speeches at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, we remain light on details or perhaps we are missing the key messages? The construction industry continues to face significant challenges. The recent collapse of construction giant ISG, which held more than £1bn worth of government contracts, resulted […]
From medicine to moving home
Sayinthen Vivekanantham is the latest guest on the Today’s Conveyancer Podcast to discuss his second career as founder of prop-tech solution Homey. In his first career Say was a medical doctor until a few years ago when his side-hustle in developing a small property portfolio turned into a passion for helping estate agents and conveyancers […]