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A new digital platform launched by property technology company e4 Strategic aims to ‘modernise post-offer processes and improve efficiency in the conveyancing process’ to ‘address the genuine needs’ of conveyancers and lenders. The VERSA platform
A ‘fresh and sharp drop’ in construction activity that has seen residential building fall to its lowest level since since May 2020 is a serious a wake up call for the government, the Federation of
Reports released this week by TSB and Barclays have highlighted the difficulties faced by many people who want to get on the property ladder, with 80% of first-time buyers moving back in with their parents
HM Land Registry has announced it is accepting Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) and is encouraging conveyancers to start submitting applications signed using the digital tool straight away. ‘QES are the most secure form of electronic
Decisions shared by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in July reveal 13 firms have been fined a total of £275,170 for AML breaches dating back to 2011 – with one firm fined £114,006. Amphlett Lissimore Bagshaws
A solicitor has been struck off and ordered to pay costs of £29,775.84 for multiple breaches of Money Laundering Regulations that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said represented ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance with critical regulations’ amounting
As the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s AML enforcement team continues its crackdown on regulation breaches, the Law Society of England and Wales has said it is ‘disappointed’ with the government’s response to the 2024 consultation on
The time it takes to exchange on a property is creeping back up, according to the latest Housing Insight Report from Propertymark, with 39% of estate agents reporting transaction times of 17 weeks or more.
There were 30,405 new home registrations in Q2 of 2025, the National House Building Council (NHBC) has reported, up 4% on both Q1 and the same period last year. The total includes 20,924 private sector
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has published enhanced guidance on remedies that sets out five questions to assess whether a remedy is appropriate. The updated guidance is aimed at supporting service providers to identify and apply
Figures released by Santander reveal a 43% year-on-year jump in gross mortgage lending for the first half of this year, with a total of £10.6 billion in ‘new business’ loans. The average loan size for
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has published its Risk Agenda for 2025, which encourages conveyancers to focus on ethics and ethical conduct. The CLC has also warned against treating post-completion HM Land Registry applications ‘as
A former solicitor has lost an appeal against a decision of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which had ordered him to be struck of the Roll of Solicitors for the improper transfer of funds and dishonest
Nationwide’s July House Price Index showed a ‘modest’ annual house price increase of 2.4% in July, up from 2.1% in June. Prices were up 0.6% month on month, with a house price to earnings ratio
HMRC monthly residential property transactions increased in June, with the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate up 13% since May and 1% higher than the previous year. There were 95,530 residential transactions in June, which HMRC said
The current average two-year fixed mortgage rate is currently level with the average five-year rate, with both at 4.52%, according to the latest figures from Rightmove. And, according to the company’s mortgage expert Matt Smith,
Financial Conduct Authority data analysed by wealth management company Quilter has revealed a steep rise in the number of people taking out mortgages with a term of 35 years or more. There was a 251%
Brownfield railway land in Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Cambridge is set to be transformed into neighbourhoods, with 40,000 new homes, green spaces, shops and hotels. The surplus rail land has been earmarked for £1 billion
Conveyancing is the most stressful part of the home-moving process, according to half of the home movers surveyed by software provider Smoove. The research, which surveyed 1001 home buyers over 25 who had moved within
More than half of renters aged between 25 and 44 had expected to own their own home by this stage in their lives, with 33% resigning themselves to never getting on the property ladder. Research
Data from mortgage tech provider Twenty7tec has found a ‘dramatic summer slowdown’ for property searches between June and July, but searches for homes priced between £250,000 and £300,000 are bucking the trend. Between 21 June
Bank of England monthly statistics show that net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increase by £3.1 billion to £5.3 billion in June. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased by 900, to 64,200, and
Analysis of government data by estate agent eXp UK has found that the average house price in Britain has increased by 5.3 times the rate of earnings in the past year. The current average house
Quarterly data collected for Rightmove’s Commercial Insights Tracker has revealed a 35% increase in the demand to invest in retail commercial property compared to the same three-month period a year ago – with demand to
A surge in buyer demand is defying the typical summer housing market slowdown, accompanied by a rise in agreed sales and a record number of homes on the market. The latest House Price Index from
A new report from the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) reveals that Section 20 consultations, which establish a legal requirement for landlords to consult leaseholders before starting major works, are being ‘routinely ignored’. The report from
A licensed conveyancer has been banned from practising by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after forging client signatures on a mortgage deed, falsifying an email purportedly from the clients and lying about the circumstances surrounding the
A Cambridge firm of solicitors has been fined £172,934 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for failing to identify a client as a non-domestic politically exposed person (PEP). The failure by Taylors Vintner LLP led to
NatWest has signed a formal commitment with PEXA to proceed with an implementation programme for remortgage transactions by the end of the first half of 2026, with the intention of facilitating sale and purchase transactions.
The HomeOwners Alliance has said it has ‘serious concerns’ about the Competition and Markets Authority’s proposed £100 million settlement with seven major house builders, and has asked the authority to explain why it has not
Research carried out in the wake of Panorama’s exposé on conditional selling by estate agents has revealed overwhelming public support for stricter regulations in the industry, with a fifth of respondents saying viewings were conditional
Rightmove has repeated its calls for stamp duty reform, which it says is ‘a barrier to movement’ in the housing market. Chief executive Johan Svanstrom (pictured) has said he wants ‘to see ways that affordability