LSB interim report criticises regulators for ‘varied clarity and detail’ in Mazur advice
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has criticised the response of regulators to the questions raised by Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, and the potential impact of the case on litigation work conducted by unqualified professionals. In an interim report published this week following the LSB’s review, announced in October, the super-regulator said the response […]
Transaction times could be halved without the need for government or regulatory intervention, report finds
A new report estimates property transaction timescales could be drastically reduced without the need for major home buying and selling reform or legislative change. The current timescales of 126 days from mortgage application to completion could be halved, the Future Property Transaction (FPT) Group suggests, if the market were able to operate at the speed […]
Conveyancers coming back? Licence renewals suggest so
There could be more conveyancers coming into the profession than leaving, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) suggested at their latest Futures Roundtable. Figures revealed at the event showed more people qualifying and fewer leaving the profession in 2025. The exodus from the profession has been widely reported: according to data from the Law Society, […]
Raising deposit still major obstacle for FTBs, SDLT objections increase – BSA
The Building Societies Association’s (BSA) latest Property Tracker survey shows that the barriers preventing people from buying a home remain financial rather than attitudinal. A survey of 2,000 adults carried out in January 2026 identified the three main obstacles as raising a deposit (64%), affording monthly mortgage repayments (50%) and access to a large enough […]
SDLT, registration and the case for role separation
SDLT specialist Compass explains why HMRC’s upcoming requirements for conveyancers to register as tax advisers fundamentally shifts the landscape of the service. For years, SDLT has sat in an uncomfortable space for law firms. It is routinely handled as part of conveyancing, often described as administrative, and frequently excluded from engagement letters as tax […]