Journalist and managing editor of the Today’s Media publications: Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Family Lawyer and Today’s Wills and Probate
HMLR is hosting a 90-minute online workshop on 8 July to help property professionals avoid common mistakes in new build applications. The interactive workshop, which will be held on Microsoft Teams, ‘is ideal for professionals
The founders of the National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) have been awarded OBEs in the King’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of their services to housing and leaseholders. Katie Kendrick, Cath Williams and Jo Darbyshire launched
Personal insolvency (PG34) Page summary: Find the effect of entries made in the register of title against a land owner who is subject to bankruptcy or insolvency (practice guide 34). Change made: Section 3.5 has
Rightmove’s latest House Price Index shows a 3% increase in buyer demand compared to this time last year, along with a decade-high level of homes for sale. Data from the largest monthly sample of housing
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed that £39 billion will be allocated to building social and affordable housing in England over the next decade. The announcement came as part of the government’s Spending Review 2025, which
HM Land Registry (HMLR) has launched a pilot scheme to investigate how improving access to key property datasets held by local authorities can benefit the home buying and selling process. Writing in its newsletter, HMLR
A High Court ruling related to the use of AI in legal proceedings has warned there will be ‘severe sanctions’ for lawyers who fail to comply with their professional obligations when using the technology. Managing
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK Residential Survey for May reveals a subdued housing market, with buyer demand and agreed sales still struggling for momentum but near-term expectations looking more stable. Although indicators
MPs have voted 306 to 174 to approve the Planning and Infrastructure Bill at its third reading in the House of Commons, with housing minister Mathew Pennycook saying it had been ‘a real privilege’ to
A consumer survey has found that an overwhelming majority of respondents (94%) back the provision of material information in the home moving process – but a survey of property professionals found almost all (96%) feel
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has backed the use of digital signatures during the conveyancing process, but is calling on HM Land Registry to amend its position on the TR1 process. In a position
An app that ‘lets sellers and buyers assess property through the eyes of a surveyor’ has the potential to speed up the home buying process and reduce fall-throughs, its founder believes. Qualified surveyor Brett Ray
The Mortgage Lenders and Administrators Statistics from the Bank of England reveal the total value of gross mortgage advances in Q1 increased by 12.8% from the previous quarter – up to £77.6 billion, the highest
A forecast from Savills suggests only 840,000 new homes will be completed in the next five years – well below the government’s target of 1.5 million. According to a recent report by the real estate
Homeowners believe stress is as big an obstacle to moving as house prices, according to research from the HomeOwners Allowance. In the poll of 2,000 UK adults, house prices outpacing wage growth and the stress
An AI tool that will ‘slash planning delays’ has been officially unveiled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer at London Tech Week, after a trial of the software was announced in April. Extract, which is expected
Richard Atkinson, the president of the Law Society of England and Wales, says the government’s Invest 2035 industrial strategy has the potential to be ‘a game-changer for the UK economy and the legal sector’. The
It’s been a busy spring for property lawyers, with a series of senior appointments across England and an expansion for a north-west firm. At regional law firm Steele Raymond, property dispute specialist Chris Marsden has
The Great Big Legal Offsite (GLBO) will return on 3rd July to bring together the UK’s SME legal leaders for a ‘transformative strategy day’, following a successful debut event last year. Hosted at Ribby Hall
Encouraging the use of digital technology in identity verification (PG81) Page summary: Information about HM Land Registry’s enhanced level of digital identity verification (practice guide 81). Change made: Section 5 has been added to explain
The Supreme Court has ruled a bank had a duty to investigate whether a woman was acting under the influence of her partner when the couple took out a remortgage, in a landmark case that
The resilience of the housing market in the face of affordability challenges and an uncertain economic backdrop is set to continue, according to Halifax’s head of mortgages. Commenting on the release of the Halifax House
The government has confirmed ‘the vast majority’ of new-build homes will be fitted with rooftop solar panels as default. Further proposals, which will be included in the Future Homes Standard to be published in the
Digital property exchange platform PEXA has completed the UK’s first fully digital purchase transaction, with Hinckley & Rugby Building Society and Muve facilitating the milestone. Hinckley & Rugby became the first UK lender to complete
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is seeking views on new proposals for dealing with client complaints, which include changing when relevant information about the process must be provided and displaying the details prominently online. Although
Industry optimism of recent weeks seems to have been proven justified by the latest insight from Rightmove, which reveals the busiest May for agreed sales since 2021 and the busiest of any month since March
An analysis of the Section 106 agreement process, used by local authorities and homebuilders to ensure new developments contribute to communities, has revealed an average 515 day wait for the agreements to be finalised. The
Only 8% of first-time buyers in the UK are opting for newbuild homes, in a steady decline since 2022 when the new properties were favoured by 10% of new homeowners. According to data from CompareMyMove,
Conveyancing support company ASAP has selected Crisis as the new beneficiary of donations to its Front Door Friday campaign, which invites conveyancers and clients to donate £1 or more from every transaction. Previous beneficiary The
‘Excruciatingly slow’ progress on leasehold reform is creating unnecessary costs and delays for leaseholders, an expert has warned. Linz Darlington, founder of leasehold extension specialists Homehold, says the lack of progress on the Leasehold and
An OPDA survey of 5,000 homebuyers and sellers has found strong support for digitising the homebuying process amongst older movers, with a large majority of buyers aged 65 and over agreeing it’s a good idea.
A modest year-on-year increase in mortgage applications is a sign of residual momentum in the housing market after the stamp duty deadline, but affordability remains ‘very stretched’, according to the latest Household Finance Review from