Josh is the Journalist for the Today’s Group and writes many of the articles for Today’s Conveyancer. He graduated with a degree in Physics from Cardiff University in 2009 before training as a journalist.
He has previously written for The Times, The Mirror and The Daily Express.
The government has published a public consultation on privatising Land Registry. The consultation document says: “This consultation sets out options to move Land Registry into the private sector. A sale of Land Registry is expected
Conveyancing panel provider LMS has launched a new anti-fraud tool called AccountChecker which they say will help prevent the misdirection of funds to bogus firms. LMS say the service, which will be available at no
The Solicitors Regulation Authority have launched an online database of law firms which they say will improve access to information on the 10,000 plus law firms they regulate. Law firm search, which can be found
A conveyancing firm has avoided paying £100,000 (plus interest) despite admitting negligence after the Court of Appeal upheld a decision to award just £250 damages. Ipswich firm Gotelee and Goldsmith (now known as simply Gotelee)
The implementation of the Mortgage Credit Directive, the main upshot of which is the introduction of a seven day reflection period for clients, has been welcomed by finance brokers The Loans Engine. The Loans Engine
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers have announced their intention to cut fees for those it regulated by a fifth with the changes set to come into effect at the beginning of November. According to the
Black Country based Solicitors firm Talbots have announced their intention to leave the QualitySolicitors brand after five years of membership. Talbots say they will leave Quality Solicitors in May. The firm also announced £1 million
A Bath based law firm has added a new residential property solicitor to it’s growing property team. Mowbray Woodwards have appointed Cardiff University graduate Jennifer Clarke fresh from qualifying. Jennifer previously worked as a legal
94,590 transactions over £40,000 took place in February, up 20.9% on the year before according to HMRC. This is also 10.9% higher than in January. Seasonally adjusted statistics also show a rise, with a 5.5%
The Law Society is asking for views on possible alternatives to client accounts. The Solicitors Regulation Authority is also expected to consult on the issue as part of its review of the Solicitor’s Handbook later
According to newly released statistics, Land Registry completed 185,139 searches in February, down from 186,183 in January, and 199,972 in December. In total there were over 1,552,805, applications, up from 1,422,400 applications in January. This
Here are the most recent scam alerts issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Emails claiming to be from “Barr. Moore Blatch LLP” Members of the public have reportedly received emails relating to an unclaimed
51% of home movers pick their conveyancer purely on the basis of their estate agent’s recommendation, with seven out of ten saying they would go with their estate agent’s recommendation if they could. The second
The Conveyancing Association (CA) is to publish it’s own cyber security protocol to help conveyancers deal with the ever increasing threat from cyber criminals. The announcement comes as Police warn scammers are targeting customers and
National law firm Stephensons have appointed a new Head Conveyancer. Yitendra Senghani was previously a company director at London based Pindoria Solicitors and will work from Stephensons’s dedicated London conveyancing team. Yitendra previously led the
The average person over over-55 takes the equivalent of two year salary out of their house in equity release. Regionally Londoners lead the way with an average drawdown mortgage of 130 weeks pay, the only
Reforms to stamp duty have hit the high end luxury housing market as hard as the uncertainty ahead of last year’s election, according to developers London and South-east based developers Berkeley. The FTSE 100 listed
As part of George Osborne’s budget announcements, the UK Government has said it intends to ask for evidence on how to make the house buying process better value for money. Citing as yet unpublished guidance
Chancellor George Osborne’s 2016/17 announced downwardly revised growth figures for the UK economy as well as announcing he had missed his targets for deficit reduction as a proportion of GDP. The Chancellor also announced a
Chancellor George Osborne delivered his eighth budget today with several measures cutting taxes for businesses, tweaks to the previous residential stamp duty reforms and wholesale reforms for commercial stamp duty. Corporation tax will be reduced
Five hundred mortgage brokers have so far signed up for ConveyancingBrain, the new system for mortgage brokers, since it launched at the end of 2015. Mortgage Brain, who launched the product, say they are attracting
A private equity firm which currently owns DFS Furniture is reportedly planning a £1 billion takeover of the Land Registry. Advent International which previously owned Poundland in the UK, and currently has an international portfolio
Here are the most recent scam alerts issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Companies targeted by scam over payment to a Chinese bank account The SRA have been informed people working in finance or
Right-to-Buy is disappearing from Wales with a fourth council set to suspend the policy, citing diminishing stocks and large waiting lists. Anglesey, or Ynys Môn voted on a decision to ask the Welsh Government for
George Osborne’s flagship stamp duty surcharge for second homes will do nothing to put off prospective landlords, according to information from the Association of Residential Letting Agents. The report states that had the surcharge been
CHAPS to run longer from June Bank transfer system CHAPS is to stay open an extra hour and forty minutes from 20th June. The Bank of England’s Real Time Gross Settlement System, which processes the
The Director of Legal & General’s Mortgage Club has called on George Osborne to leave the Buy to Let sector free of further changes in his upcoming budget. Jeremy Duncombe also called for a “housebuilding
Houses are now selling as fast as they were pre-crash in 2007 in some areas according to Home.co.uk’s asking price index. In the east and south east of England, typical properties are now on the
Output from the construction industry fell 0.2% in January according to the office for National Statistics. Private new housing work rose by 0.6% and private commercial 4.7%, however construction on public housing fell by 10.6%
A new online service named Application Enquiry has been launched by Land Registry, which they say enables organisations and professionals to view the progress of applications in real time. The free online portal replaces the
Just 17% of Chartered Surveyors think there will be an increase in property sales in the next three months according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. RICS say prices have been coming down since
Government trumpets 150,000 Help to Buy completions. 150,000 completions have been made under the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Help to Buy equity loan and mortgage guarantee programme since it’s inception two years ago,