Journalist and managing editor of the Today’s Media publications: Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Family Lawyer and Today’s Wills and Probate
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is seeking views on its proposals for planning decisions and applications. In two consultations launched this week, MHCLG sets out its plans for the requirements for local
New government transparency rules will expose secret land deals, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has said, as it publishes guidance on contractual control agreements. The guidance, which is intended for conveyancers
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has shared its critical response to the Ministry of Justice’s review of the Legal Services Board, claiming its “fragmented and outdated regulatory design” make it impossible to meet its statutory
The housing market has built on a steady start to the year in February and conditions are gradually improving, according to the latest house price index from Halifax. Although affordability remains a challenge for many,
The February house price index from Nationwide reinforces the view of a modest recovery following a dip at the end of last year, the building society has reported. The number of mortgages approved for house
Property industry reaction to the Treasury’s spring forecast has been muted, with a mix of relief at no major changes and claims of a missed opportunity for stamp duty reform. Chancellor Rachel Reeves opened her
New mortgage figures released by UK Finance and the Bank of England reveal strong growth for lending in 2025, followed by a reduction in January of this year. The Household Finance Review for Q4 2025
Zoopla has recorded its highest number of new homes listings in a decade in February, and says up to half of the homes available now cost less to buy than rent. The monthly house price
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has opened submissions at the Court of Appeal in its appeal against the ruling in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives
HMRC has published its updated guidance on the requirement to register as a tax adviser and the conditions individuals and firms must meet. Every business which interacts with HMRC about someone else’s tax affairs and
LMS and PEXA have been selected to take part in the Bank of England’s Synchronisation Lab, which has been set up to test business models for synchronising payments across the financial services sector. The tech
The Legal Services Board (LSB) should continue to strengthen its oversight of regulators’ performance to avoid consumer harm and prevent collapses such as Axiom Ince and SSB Group from happening again, the Law Society of
Rightmove’s February house price index reveals favourable buying conditions, with the high number of homes for sale giving buyers choice and negotiating power. Although market activity is difficult to compare with this time last year
In 2025, the legal sector mental health charity LawCare supported 753 people – more than any previous year, including during the pandemic. The charity’s online chat function – which is offered alongside a telephone helpline
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has published its complaint data for Q3 of 2025/26 which reveals “a sustained and accelerating demand” for help and the highest complaint volumes for any previous quarter on record. The number
Nationwide has become the first lender to allow a mortgage deed to be signed electronically using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). Any Nationwide customer purchasing a property or remortgaging will now be able to sign
Conveyancers have been explicitly named as falling within the scope of HMRC’s mandatory tax adviser registration regime during proceedings of the Finance Bill Committee. During committee scrutiny of the bill, Dan Tomlinson, the exchequer secretary
UK Finance has deferred the launch of its new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook, which was due to be live from 2 March. Last week, the trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector dropped
The government has launched a review of the Legal Services Board (LSB) to ensure current regulatory arrangements are effective and do not duplicate initiatives of frontline regulators. The review was announced by Sarah Sackman, minister
A 0.7% increase in house prices reflects a steady housing market according to the latest index from Halifax, following the 0.5% dip seen in December. While overall activity levels “show resilience”, the lender says regional
Ken Weetch, the former Labour MP for Ipswich who campaigned for the establishment of a conveyancing service to be performed by non-solicitors, has died aged 92. A decade before the Administration of Justice Act 1985
The Bank of England has held base rate at 3.75%, with the Monetary Policy Committee voting five to four in favour of the hold. The bank has opted to maintain stability while assessing whether inflationary
The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) has launched a free online tool that allows leaseholders to check how long is left on their lease by entering their postcode. The Lease Length Checker tool pulls together data
The latest house price index from Nationwide indicates the positive start to the year continues into February, with improved affordability underpinning demand across the UK. House price growth edged higher in the first month of
Female-led law firm Smith & Co has strengthened its presence across Suffolk with the incorporation of Adept Legal, bringing the two teams together to enhance legal services across the region. Adept Legal will now fall
UK Finance will no longer proceed with plans to charge conveyancers £50 to access the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook, following a widespread backlash from the industry and what conveyancing bodies said were “frantic” behind-the-scenes discussions. “Following
HMRC’s residential property transactions for December were 5% higher than the previous year on a seasonally adjusted basis, at 100,440. The non-seasonally adjusted estimate was up by 7% to 105,730 year-on-year, and 1% higher than
The government released its draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill last week, and the property industry has shared some very mixed reactions. The government said the bill is a “game-changing shake up” of the leasehold
The use of AI in legal work is increasing the speed at which junior lawyers work, but has “significant implications” on how they learn and develop legal judgement, new research suggests. The findings from LexisNexis
UK Finance has responded to widespread criticism of its decision to introduce a fee for conveyancers to access its new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook platform, along with changes to its registration system. In response to a
The government has published its long-awaited draft bill on commonhold and leasehold in what it says is a “game-changing shake up” of the leasehold system. The announcement was made in a TikTok video by the
UK Finance, the trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector, will launch its new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook platform on 2 March. Access to the handbook will only be possible with an individual