HMLR will share requisition data ‘to speed up processing’
HM Land Registry has said it will share data on the number of ‘avoidable requisitions’ within law firms, which it says will increase the quality and speed of service it offers. The organisation will also offer free training to ‘help law firms get applications right first time’. The data – available from the autumn – […]
Developers could be penalised for slow build rates
A policy paper published by the government over the weekend has outlined how it could get tough on slow housing developers in an effort to ‘get on and build’ the 1.5m homes promised in this Parliament; including penalising those responsible for slow build rates and unfinished sites. ‘Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out’ […]
PLA says AML regulations and punitive fines are suffocating conveyancers, as it launches campaign for reform
The Property Lawyers Alliance (PLA) says a ‘mountain’ of regulations and red tape are suffocating conveyancing and the ‘vast panoply’ of Anti Money Laundering (AML) guidance notes, laws, regulations and sanctions are ‘a serious impediment to the efficient working of the UK property market and a significant drag on the economy’. The PLA estimates AML […]
‘Lawyer’ now legally protected term in Scotland, as Law Society hails ‘major milestone’
A new bill passed by the Scottish Parliament will prevent anyone who isn’t licensed from using the title ‘lawyer’, following a 10-year campaign by the Law Society of Scotland. The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill will give the title of ‘lawyer’ the same legal protection as ‘solicitor’, making it an offence for anyone to […]
Mortgage fraud ‘going largely undetected’, with just 17 FCA investigations since 2018
The true scale of mortgage fraud in the UK may be far greater than official enforcement figures suggest, according to data gathered by the client due diligence platform Thirdfort. A Freedom of Information request made by Thirdfort to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed there have been only 17 enforcement investigations into mortgage fraud […]
Sales market continues to ‘weather the storm’ as UK House Price Index shows 6.4% hike
Average UK house prices increased by 6.4%, to £271,000 in the 12 months to March 2025, according to provisional estimates in the ONS UK House Price Index – up from 5.5% in the 12 months to February. Across the UK, average prices increased to £296,000 (up 6.7%) in England, £208,000 (3.6%) in Wales, £186,000 (4.6%) […]
Transaction Tips – The problem with moths
Expert legal trainer Ian Quayle of IQ Legal Training returns in this series of bitesize Today’s Conveyancer Podcast episodes to explore a range of topics around conveyancing. “Transaction Tips” draws on Ian’s extensive experience in and around the property sector discussing important topics conveyancers need to be thinking about. The latest episode considers the bizarre […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – Bank Holiday Monday blues
I switched on my lap top on Monday – yes, I know it’s Bank Holiday but I am sure that we all check our emails at some point over the weekend, even when it is a Bank Holiday – and there were so many emails asking for updates. Now, please feel free to add to […]