Journalist and managing editor of the Today’s Media publications: Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Family Lawyer and Today’s Wills and Probate
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says the UK housing market is showing ‘further signs of strain’, as the organisation’s April Residential Market Survey reveals another drop in buyer enquiries and agreed sales. However, the
A 0.3% increase in house prices, as reported in the April Halifax House Price Index, is a sign of sustained confidence that offers good news for buyers, experts say. The average property price is now
Proprietary data from L&G’s Ignite platform shows a ‘significant increase’ in remortgaging activity from Q4 in 2024 to Q1 2025, with a 76% rise in searches by over 65s. Broker searches for remortgaging products have
National SME law firm networkLawNet has appointed Lee Woodger to the newly created role of head of community and communications, as part of a strategic realignment of senior roles. LawNet says Woodger’s appointment forms a
A pilot scheme for the National Property Transaction Network (NPTN), an open and secure digital platform developed by legal tech company LMS, achieved a 35% reduction in completion times and a 43% drop in cancellations.
Knights has announced the acquisition of Essex-based law firm Birkett Long, for an initial £10 million. The deal will bring around 90 lawyers and 10 financial advisers to Knights, who will join an existing team
The house buying process takes 36 days longer than buyers expect it to, according to new research from the Open Property Data Association (OPDA). Almost half of those questioned said conveyancers are the primary cause
The reforms outlined in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will boost the economy by up to £7.5 billion over the next decade, according to a government impact assessment. Among the largest direct monetary benefits identified
The legal sector is being encouraged to focus on mental health and wellbeing this month, with this week marking Wellbeing Week in Law, and Mental Health Awareness Week beginning on the 12th May. Awareness weeks
The Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry backed startup initiative Geovation has announced the 20th cohort for its accelerator programme, which is designed to support entrepreneurs bringing property technology solutions to market. Since it was
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has published its latest progress report, and warns an increasing number of properties will be at risk of flooding or overheating but the UK’s preparations are ‘inadequate’, ‘piecemeal’ and ‘disjointed’.
An analysis by Yopa suggests that first time buyer affordability is at the best level in 10 years, which the estate agency says has been driven by an increase in average annual earnings. This is
The rush to beat the SDLT deadline triggered a sharp incline in mortgage debt, with the latest Bank of England money and credit statistics revealing a £9.7 billion increase in March. Net mortgage approvals for
Owner-occupiers aged 60 and over now hold a record estimated £2.89 trillion of net housing wealth in homes – more than half of all owner-occupier wealth in the UK – according to the latest assessment
Zoopla’s April House Price Index finds cooling demand and expanded supply, but notes that the relaxation of mortgage affordability rules could boost buying power by up to 20%. Although buyer demand has cooled since the
The moving comparison website Compare My Move expects Friday 30th May to be the busiest day to move house this year, with conveyancers ‘likely to be busier than usual’. An estimated 13,549 households moved on
The impact of the SDLT deadline on 31st March was evident in the latest figures from HMRC which showed sizeable uplifts in transactions from February 2025 and March 2024. The provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of
A new report from the Building Societies Association (BSA) suggests that a significant number of potential first-time buyers have failed to get on the property ladder since the financial crisis. BSA analysis of historic first-time
Data from the HomeOwners Alliance reveals ‘deep uncertainty’ about the future of mortgage rates, with 37% of people polled expecting rates to go up within the next year. In the survey of 2000 adults, 25%
A new partnership between environmental search platform Martello and AI tech specialists Serac Group will give users access to planning data from all local authorities in the UK, including those typically difficult to access. The
Tory peer Lord Ashcroft has claimed Angela Rayner threatened to quit over Labour’s ‘impossible’ 1.5 million homes target and was persuaded to stay by Sir Tony Blair. The claims, made in the updated edition of
One in four home movers say they paid more than they were quoted for their conveyancing, while nearly four in ten (37%) said they had paid the same as quoted, according to a new survey
The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) has welcomed four new members to its ranks: Novus Strategy & Consulting, Armalytix, Survey Shack and Openproperty. The organisation, which recently launched a quality mark for property professionals, says
An analysis of HM Land Registry transaction data has revealed Powys as the area with the largest increase in property applications to the registry in 2024. The rural mid-Wales county saw a 25.2% increase in
Two legal consultants are staging a three-day May retreat for law firm leaders in Ibiza’s Cala Carbo, which they promise will be a ‘unique and immersive getaway’. The Lawyers Retreat is being staged by Kirsty
Oral evidence related to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will continue to heard by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee on Tuesday, with General Committee debates scheduled tomorrow and Thursday. Last week, the
Figures released by HMRC reveal a £3.4 billion rise in stamp taxes this year, with receipts totalling £18.3 billion between April 2024 and March 2025. The rush to complete before the SLDT deadline saw a
The government has begun testing an AI tool it says could convert planning documents into digital records in just 40 seconds, in what it says is ‘a vital step’ to helping councils meet the 1.5
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is once again running its Quarterly Confidence Tracker to gather the views of the profession on the current state of home buying and selling. The regulator hopes the survey
The March remortgage snapshot from LMS reveals ‘the lowest swap rates in recent years’, giving lenders ‘the confidence to price competitively’. The report from the national conveyancing company found that new instructions increased by 23%
The Bold Legal Group will stage its annual conveyancing conference at Regent’s University London on 11th June, with a barbecue lunch and evening drinks. The BLG Conference & Soirée: A Day of Professional Development, Networking,
The professional body for estate agents says its members are ‘concerned’ about the UK government and devolved administrations meeting housebuilding targets, with most believing planning restrictions will present the biggest obstacle. A lack of a