Property sales expectations drop to weakest level since July 2023
Housing sales have fallen to their weakest levels since July 2023 as increases in mortgage interest rates “weigh on buyer demand”, according to the latest sentiment survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Buyer demand remains “subdued” and agreed sales continue to fall along with house prices, October’s survey found. Respondents said they […]
Solicitor fined £10,500 over AML and account breaches
The sole manager and COFA of a law firm has been fined £10,500 and ordered to pay more than £46,000 in costs by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) after admitting breaches of accounts rules and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance requirements. Musa Audu, the sole manager of London-based Audu & Co, admitted to authorising five improper […]
Half of homebuyers would pull out of purchase if the home had a flood risk
Half (50%) of homebuyers would pull out of a purchase if their conveyancer uncovered a floor risk designation, new research by Lyons Bowes has found. With 4.7 million homes across England currently being deemed at risk of flooding, a new survey of 1,090 homebuyers found 77% would not consider purchasing a property in a floor […]
Government invests £2.4m to give small businesses discount on cyber protections
Smaller businesses are being offered a 75% discount on the government-backed Cyber Essentials certification programme. The discount, covered by £2.4m of government funding, will be on a first come first served basis to micro, small and medium businesses who have not been certified in the last four years. The programme is the minimum standard of […]