Journalist and managing editor of the Today’s Media publications: Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Family Lawyer and Today’s Wills and Probate
Britain is a nation of ‘yes-in-my-back-yard’ (yimbys) rather than ‘not-in-my-back-yard’ (nimbys), research from Barclays Property Insights suggests, with almost half of those surveyed for the research supporting local development compared with less than a quarter
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has joined the Geovation Accelerator Programme and will fund three successful start-ups to the tune of £20,000 in the upcoming autumn cohort. The equity free funding
Applications are now open for funding to address cladding fire safety risks in buildings under 11 metres. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains that buildings under 11 metres are less likely
Property technology firm iamproperty, which pioneered the modern method of auction (MMA), has become the latest member of the Open Property Data Association (OPDA). Founded by Ben Ridgway and Jamie Cooke in 2009, the Newcastle-based
The first wave of funding in the government’s £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme has been allocated to council, social and affordable homes. Almost £10 billion will be shared among 33 strategic partners, including
Andy Burnham will allow regional mayors to take over large-scale planning applications and direct councils to accept or refuse them in plans set to be announced this week. In an interview with the Sunday Times,
The first half of 2026 has revealed “immense financial challenges” in the property market, according to the latest housing insight report from Propertymark. Writing in the foreword to the report, Propertymark CEO Nathan Emerson highlights
Qualified electronic signatures (QES) have been used to sign 1,000 mortgage deeds, in what HM Land Registry has described as “a significant milestone for digital conveyancing”. The deeds were signed using the Remortgage iQ platform
A conveyancer’s claim for unfair dismissal has been struck out by an employment tribunal for being “scandalous, unreasonable or vexatious” in the way it was conducted. Daniel Arthur, a former employee of Newbold Solicitors in
Knights has agreed to acquire the commercial and private wealth service lines of full-service law firm Moore Barlow LLP, in a move the increasingly expanding firm says will build further scale in the “attractive” markets
A new AI operating system for the conveyancing sector promises to enable AI adoption alongside firms’ existing technology infrastructure and case management systems. ClearPathOS, developed by ClearPath AI, understands the context surrounding a matter, case
Average UK house prices increased by 2%, to £272,000, in the 12 months to June 2026, down from 3% in the 12 months to May, according to the latest UK House Price Index from the
The average cost of conveyancing in the UK fell by 0.1% between Q1 and Q2 2026, to an average of £2,438 for home buying and selling services. The latest figures in the Conveyancing Costs Index
Planning lawyers have shared mixed reactions to the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework, announced on Monday. The framework sets out national planning policy in what the government says is “a clear and more comprehensive
HM Revenue and Customs has opened the second phase of registration for tax advisers as part of its Modernising and Mandating Tax Adviser Registration (MMTAR) rollout. Advisers with Self Assessment or Corporation Tax accounts, but
A new collaboration between HM Land Registry (HMLR) and Ordnance Survey (OS) aims to foster “a better and less stressful property market” by enhancing data accessibility and innovation in the housing and geospatial sectors. The
Rightmove’s latest house price index reveals the largest annual price fall since December 2023, but the headline figures mask a more positive measure of market sentiment: buyer demand has increased by 5% since July. Since
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has shared details of penalties totalling £137,000 for breaches of anti-money laundering regulations, in decisions published since our last round-up in June. Two firms received the highest fines of £25,000, with
Reports from Savills and the Home Builders Federation reveal home completions remain flat, as the number of new home sites granted planning permission fall. According to the latest English Housing Supply update from Savills, 202,7000
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued penalties to two firms and one individual for breaching client account regulations. Solicitor Jay Allan Tooker was fined £24,862, Charsley Harrison LLP was fined £18,552 and Hawkins Ryan LLP
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has criticised the inaccuracies it says remain in a highly critical report published by the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) in July, and which it says “created a completely false
UK Finance mortgage arrears and possessions data for Q2 reveals an 8% drop in possession numbers since Q1, down to 1150, and 14% lower than a year ago. The decrease takes the total “significantly below”
A new platform promises to offer a shared live view of a property transaction to every party involved, including conveyancers, home movers and estate agents. Co-founded by practising solicitor Gordon Sewell, with Jen Sewell and
An “experienced” conveyancer who had practised for almost five decades has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) and ordered to pay costs of over £45,000 after admitting a series of failings relating
A report by the think tank Radix Big Tent Housing Commission suggests ‘rightsizing’ could add 870,000 homes to the housing market. The findings in the commission’s Resizing Rightsizing report reveal households headed by someone aged
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has reprimanded a solicitor for failing to provide a client with adequate information relating to a property transaction, following an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Mark Feely, a partner of
A new partnership between PEXA and Mastercard will test account-to-account (A2A) payments for property purchases. A2A is a programmable payment that can be used to securely reserve buyer funds and release them automatically when agreed
HM Land Registry has two new free online workshops for conveyancers. New Builds in Depth, on 29th September, is a 90-minute workshop that takes a closer look at four areas HMLR customers find challenging: multi-title
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced two new appointments to its executive leadership team. Alan Evans joins the regulator as its new executive director, general counsel, risk and compliance and will take up his
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is seeking views on its proposals for an annual fee increase. A 4% increase in practice fees is proposed for the forthcoming licensing year, which begins on 1 November,
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has published its final Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP), a new framework and supporting guidance designed to help legal service providers resolve complaints. The guidance aims to help firms deal with
The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted by a majority of 6–3 to maintain bank rate at 3.75%. Three members voted for a 0.25 percentage points increase, to 4%. Bank of England