Slow take-up of QES at HMLR with just five submissions in Q1
The total number of e-signatures used at HM Land Registry by the first quarter of this year is five, according to a freedom of information request. Just two businesses have started submitting Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) since HMLR invited conveyancers and others to start using them last August. Just one e-signature was used by the […]
Government ‘will strengthen rights for unmarried couples’ as cohabitation consultation launches
The government has launched its long-awaited consultation on reforms that would give cohabiting couples greater financial protections when relationships end, and automatic inheritance rights when a partner dies without a will. The proposals would also strengthen safeguards for domestic abuse survivors and explore making pre- and post-nuptial agreements legally binding, with minsters arguing the changes […]
Property transactions expected to hit 1.2m this year, report predicts
Housing transactions are looking “broadly similar” to last year, according to the latest TwentyCi Property and Homemover report. Overall, the number of transactions is down almost 4% compared with last year, but the number of properties brought to market between January and April went up by 5%. The impact of the conflict in the Middle […]
Right to Buy reforms announced as Social Housing Bill gets second reading
The government has announced proposed reforms to its Right to Buy scheme to make it harder for council tenants to purchase their homes. The Social Housing Bill, which returned to Parliament this week for its second reading, is intended to repair long-term decline in social housing provision. More than two million homes have been sold […]
Tour de Law charity race opens for registration
Breast Cancer Now’s annual Tour de Law charity race is now open for registration. The event will see barristers and solicitors from across the UK participate and compete in a virtual charity cycling event over two days in October 2026. Legal professionals up and down the country will go head-to-head in Breast Cancer Now’s annual […]
The property sector should not invest into digital ID systems – yet
Should the property industry spend more time and money on implementing digital ID systems which may be rendered obsolete or non-compliant by future legislation? Stuart Young is managing director of Etive, the company leading the MyIdentity scheme, a recognised industry standard for carrying out customer identity verification and anti-money laundering checks of home buyers and […]
Bill ends social housing sell-off, but it’s investors who must help Labour stop the slump
The latest ONS construction output data makes for uncomfortable reading if you care about the future of UK housing delivery. At precisely the moment when political rhetoric has never been stronger, the actual number of houses being built is collapsing, particularly in the part of the market where demand is most acute. Start with the […]