Rayner admits 1.5m homes target is unlikely
Housing secretary Angela Rayner has admitted there is only “a slim chance” the government will meet its target of building 1.5 million new homes within this parliament. Speaking to the BBC yesterday (Sunday), Rayner acknowledged the manifesto promise had been “a stretch target” but said she was not giving up. “I think it’s really important […]
British Conveyancing Awards 2027 will celebrate ‘the people behind the process’
The British Conveyancing Awards 2027 are open for entries from today (14th September), with this year’s theme celebrating ‘the people behind the process’ – recognising the real people behind every property transaction as the sector increasingly moves towards digitalisation. Following the success of the 2026 awards at Manchester Cathedral, the awards will move to a […]
Scrapping stamp duty ‘would benefit 75% of UK households’
Replacing stamp duty and council tax with a flat-rate proportional property tax (PPT) would result in 75% of households in the UK being better off, according to a new report. Research from the left-wing think-tank Compass suggests replacing the “unfair” current taxes with a flat rate annual tax charged at 0.48% of a property’s value […]
Delays in new-build road adoption ‘threaten to undermine house building efforts’
Delays to the adoption of new roads threaten to undermine efforts to increase house building, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has warned, after a freedom of information (FoI) request found councils are taking up to to 12 years to take responsibility for roads serving new housing developments. In a new report, Slow Lane to Adoption, the […]
Project 28 marks first anniversary with industry gathering
Project 28, a property sector working group aiming for a 28-day exchange target on residential transactions, marked its first anniversary last week with a gathering of industry leaders and a panel discussion between the conveyancers, lenders and tech companies driving the change. The event saw property professionals and representatives from government and media gather at […]
New acquisitions for growing legal services groups
Two fast-growing legal services groups have shared details of their latest acquisitions. Orwins and Lawfront have each acquired two firms, with the groups eyeing revenue of £50 million and £175 million respectively. Yorkshire law firm Milners and London’s Roe Lawyers have been added to the Orwins stable, which specialises in legal services for business and […]
The SRA must pause Rule 8.4 and address concerns over cost and scope
Kate Burt, solicitor and founder of legal risk and compliance consultancy HiveRisk, warns law firms not to rush into costly restructuring decisions as concerns grow over the practical impact of the SRA’s new Rule 8.4. Rule 8.4 of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s Authorisation of Firms Rules, approved by the Legal Services Board and due […]
From football to fraud: tackling the baddies
The latest Today’s Conveyancer Podcast explores how a former Premier League footballer became a campaigner and law firm owner, championing redress for people impacted by fraudulent overseas investments. After falling victim to a property investment scam himself, former Arsenal, Southampton and Manchester City footballer Neil Heaney set about seeking justice. Heaney’s story starts after he […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – When is a sale not a sale? When it’s a modern method of auction
A client – a seller – called me last week. We had already completed the property information form and other necessary information so we could move quickly as soon as a buyer was found. I assumed he was calling me to tell me a sale had been agreed. He wasn’t. He told me that he […]