Land registration: Practice guides (PG1)
First registrations (PG1) Page summary: Guidance for conveyancers on how to register unregistered estates in land for the first time (practice guide 1). Change made: Section 5.1 has been amended to clarify the steps we will take if an applicant for first registration does not appear to be in possession of some or all of […]
SRA targets COLPs and COFAs in latest client money crackdown
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will seek to separate the roles of Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) and Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA) from ‘individuals that can unilaterally determine or direct significant management decisions’ with law firms, in its latest crackdown. A newly launched client money consultation proposes to separate both roles […]
10,000 fewer property transactions in 2026, UK Finance predicts
The UK Finance Mortgage Market Forecast for 2026 predicts a 1% drop in property transactions, leading to 10,000 fewer transactions than in 2025. Lending for house purchases grew by 22% in 2025, to a total of £176 billion, according to the annual review by the trade association for the finance and banking sector. Next year, […]
Nationwide fined £44m by the FCA for AML failures
Nationwide Building Society has been fined £44 million by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for “inadequate anti-financial crime systems and controls between October 2016 to July 2021”. The financial regulator said the building society had “ineffective systems for keeping up-to-date due diligence and risk assessments for all its personal current account customers and for monitoring […]
Expect big Boxing Day bounce, says Rightmove
Property portal Rightmove said it is expecting a bigger than usual Boxing Day bounce this year, as those who paused moving plans due to the much-anticipated autumn budget decide to kick-start their home moves in 2026. As many as one in five home movers said they had been waiting for the outcome of the budget […]
HMLR publishes avoidable requisitions data in bid to cut costs and delays
HM Land Registry (HMLR) has published avoidable requisitions data on GOV.UK, in a bid to “help conveyancers cut delays, improve application quality and access free training”. Fully avoidable requisitions make up 4.6% of the 1.3 million applications to HMLR according to the data, which covers the six months from April to September 2025. The updated […]
#BCAwards2026 judging panel announced – tickets now available
Tickets for the British Conveyancing Awards 2026, sponsored by Groundsure, are now available as the awards enters the critical period of judging. This year’s panel of judges will review the entries from individuals, firms and business up and down the country, with the finalists set to be announced early February. The British Conveyancing Awards 2026 […]
Home buying and selling reform, TA6, and what makes the perfect partner; a year of the Today’s Conveyancer Podcast
The Today’s Conveyancer Podcast was launched in 2021 with the aim of introducing listeners to the organisations and individuals who contribute to the success of the conveyancing sector. Over the previous four series, and 139 episodes the podcast has covered topics from digitisation, improving home buying and selling, M&A, the potential impact of artificial intelligence, […]
Requisition data sheds light on progress, pressure and what must happen next
Beth Rudolf, director of delivery at The Conveyancing Association, sets out the lessons that can be learned from the release of HMLR’s avoidable requisition data, and why it matters for conveyancers. HM Land Registry’s (HMLR) new set of avoidable requisition data, released earlier this month, has drawn wide interest across the sector. It gives […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future
Like many of you reading this, it is always heartening when clients come back to us (even though there are those occasions when the estate agents will try to send them to the ‘pet’ firm!). There are clients who have been with me since the purchase of their first home in the late 1980s, and […]