Independents take the top honours at The ESTAS 2026
Every ESTAS award is decided by verified customer reviews. This year, customers rated small, locally run businesses highest. Smaller, independent businesses won all four of the top Grand Prix Gold awards for estate agents, letting agents, conveyancers and mortgage brokers at The ESTAS Awards 2026. None of the four is part of a national chain. […]
Compass moves to new Leicestershire offices following record year of growth
Compass has moved into new offices at Tugby Orchards Business Centre following a record year of growth for the business. The team has relocated to The Old Coffee House at Tugby Orchards, on the Leicestershire and Rutland border, giving Compass more space as the business continues to grow its team, technology and presence across the […]
Land registration: practice guides (PG79), (PG43)
Local land charges (PG79) Page summary: This guide gives advice about the Local Land Charges service provided by HM Land Registry. Change made: Section 2.6 has been updated to include a link to Gov.Uk Pay page to allow solicitors to pay for the registration of a light obstruction notice at point of application. Time updated: […]
Threat of no confidence vote subsides for now but COLP/COFA debate remains after Law Society AGM
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) avoided the threatened vote of no confidence at the Law Society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) despite widespread support for opposition to the proposed separation of COLP and COFA roles from those with “unliteral decision making” responsibilities within law firms. An open letter from the recently established SME and Boutique Law […]
Underlying demand evidence property market could bounce back if affordability pressures ease
The property market could bounce back if affordability pressures ease suggest Rightmove in their latest house price index. The property portal said sales activity has show “resilience, with deals still being done for the right properties at the right price,” although acknowledged the number of sales being agreed is 8% lower than 12 months ago. […]
British Conveyancing Awards early bird entry deadline today
The deadline to take advantage of the early bird entry rate for The British Conveyancing Awards 2027, sponsored by Groundsure, is midnight tonight (Monday 19th October). Early bird entry, which entitles entrants to submit entries for up to three categories is £129 +VAT. From tomorrow (Tuesday 20th October), until entries close on 30th November, entry […]
50% fall in avoidable requisitions between 2022 and 2025
Avoidable requisitions fell by nearly 50% from 2022 to 2025 according to analysis by HM Land Registry. Writing in Today’s Conveyancer, Andrew Robertson, head of customer policy at the agency said the overall number of avoidable requisition points, such as missing, unclear or inconsistent information, fell from 839,000 in 2022 to 439,000 in 2025, a […]
Post completion not purely administrative warns latest CLC Risk Agenda
Conveyancers are expected to treat the accuracy of their post completion applications to HM Land Registry as a “core professional responsibility” with regulatory consequences for persistent failure. Post-completion is an area of “close scrutiny” said the regulator in its Risk Agenda 2026 published this week. Applications to HM Land Registry is specifically identified alongside Professional […]
Sellers return to property market but buyers are much more cautious
Rising borrowing costs and budget uncertainty is dampening buyer activity despite healthy stock levels and asking-price reductions said Landmark in their latest property market overview. The group’s Q3 2026 Residential Property Trends report shows a housing market in England and Wales that remains “subdued but steady.” The report, which tracks listings, sold-subject-to-contract (SSTC), search volumes […]
Conveyancing doesn’t have a recruitment problem. It has a capacity problem.
The conveyancing sector faces a critical resource crunch, with practitioner numbers falling 15% since 2021 as transaction volumes recover. To attract and retain top talent, forward-thinking law firms must pivot from aggressive salary competition to strategic capacity management, investing in administrative support, workflow technology, and sustainable caseloads. In almost every conversation I have with experienced […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – Managing agents and associated leasehold costs
So this week I want to write about managing agents and their charges. I can already hear that collective sigh… I am so old that I remember when the cost of serving a notice of assignment was two guineas. And for all of you youngsters out there, this is £2.10 (if my memory serves me […]