News brought to you by the Today’s Conveyancer editorial team.
The average time it takes for planning for decisions is over a year in some of the worst performing planning authorities, no doubt denting efforts by the government to build the promised 1.5m new homes
Conveyancers up and down the country have pulled out all the stops to help homeowners beat the SDLT deadline. With just a few hours to go until the latest stamp duty cliff edge, tales of
February’s transaction numbers provide a glimpse of the scale of activity in the residential property with volumes up a quarter on the same time last year, and 10% up on January 2025. With the SDLT
Santander say they are the first lender to respond to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) call to increase the amount of money lenders can borrow; and increase the affordability of mortgage for those looking to
The supply of new properties coming to market is outstripping demand in many area of the country but with 5% more sales, and 11% more properties to buy, the prognosis for the property market after
Public and Commercial Services (PCS) members working in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action. The union balloted members after it raised concerns over planned office
The Building Safety Levy, the tax introduced to fund the removal of unsafe cladding from homes, has been delayed after warnings it could hamper house building plans. Initially planned to be introduced later this year,
New powers to introduce higher rates of council tax for additional homes to effect from 1st April, with nearly three quarters of councils set to take advantage. It is estimated 500,000 second home owners could
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to make a clear distinction between the Labour government’s attitude toward the property market and that of the previous Conservative administration. The Chancellor used
As much as £50m could be invested into community-led house building following a further funding announcement from the government. A £20m package for community groups, such as community land trusts and housing co-operatives has been
A new recruitment agency focusing on conveyancing and legal services has been launched with offices in located in South Shields and Gosforth in the North East, and Derby in the Midlands. Let’s Recruit says it
The government have described its commitment to a £2bn injection in house building as a “significant milestone” in efforts to build 1.5m homes during the Parliament. The money will be invested in 18,000 new social
55% of conveyancers say they are ‘confident’ in the current stability of the property market; one third were neutral, and 12% lack confidence according to the first results of a new Confidence Tracker launched by
Digital property packs are a good idea say four in five consumers but the gap between their understanding of property transactions, and the reality, is driving delays, a lack of transparency, and inefficiencies in the
The British Conveyancing Awards, sponsored by Groundsure, has raised £5,000 for its chosen charity on the night, the Mindstep Foundation. Hosted on 13th March at 8 Northumberland Avenue, the awards showcases the work of conveyancers
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will stand in Parliament on Wednesday 26th March to deliver her much-anticipated Spring Statement; with many in the property industry hoping for no repeat of SDLT deadline extensions experienced in previous budgets.
Affordability of housing in England and Wales has fallen over the past 12 months from 8.4x earnings to 7.7x earning in England, and 6.2x to 5.9x earnings in Wales; to levels not seen since 2016.
Parliament has been urged to back the Labour Government’s Plan for Change with the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill being read in Parliament yesterday (24th March). Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said there was ‘no
Seven banks, representing 75% of lending to the UK economy, are taking part in a ‘hypothetical stress scenario’ designed to test the resilience of the banking infrastructure to withstand economic disaster scenarios; one of the
The Law Society of England and Wales has announced a new two-form approach to the TA6 following an extensive consultation. Going forward there will two separate forms say The Law Society A new 6th edition
The government is unlikely to hit its target of resolving the cladding crisis by 2029 with progress ‘painfully slow’ and many barriers still to address, including identifying all buildings affected, which could be as many
‘Crazy’ increases in house prices over the last ten years must be taken in the context of inflation and wage growth with the reality being across the UK house prices have increased by 12.1% over
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO0 is bracing itself for a rise in complaints as a projected 74,000 home moves could miss out on the SDLT deadline. A series of blogs on the LeO website begins with
Barclays has joined Lloyds Banking Group in issuing advice to conveyancers to submit Certificates of Title by 25th March to ensure completion ahead of the SDLT changes at the end of March. Lee Chiswell, Head
Travis Scholes, Commercial Director at LMS, joins Today’s Conveyancer Podcast host David Opie to discuss the National Property Transaction Network (NPTN); an enablement platform where all those involved in the property transaction can interact in
Legal sector charity LawCare’s Life in the Law 2025 survey closes today with individuals and firms encouraged to share their experiences to inform future practice. Previously run in 2020/21, this year’s survey is split into
The median distance people move home is 11 miles, with 36% of moves taking place within five miles according to research conducted by home moving comparison website reallymoving.com. Home movers in the North of England
The Law Society confirmed the outcome of the long-awaited consultation into the future of the TA6 Property Information Form this week with a “two form” approach, removing much of the questioning relating to ‘material information’
The Bank of England has, as was widely anticipated, confirmed the Monetary Policy Committee has held base rates at 4.5%. Despite hope for further interest rate falls in 2025, many commentators felt a further cut
Detached property values have risen by more than £100,000 since 2020, as the demand for larger homes has driven property price growth. Over the lats five years, detached house prices have risen at a faster
Hampshire search provider HW Conveyancing Searches has teamed up with property logbook provider Chimni to launch what they are describing as an industry first integrated search and logbook offering. The service enables conveyancers to order
Estate agents report increases in the number of new properties coming to market, more prospective buyer registrations and viewings after the pre-Christmas lull, all of which point to positivity remaining in the property market beyond