News brought to you by the Today’s Conveyancer editorial team.
Mitigating risk in your conveyancing business was on the agenda at the latest Today’s Conveyancer industry roundtable. Welcoming Marc Rowson of Lockton Companies LLP and Hannah Mackinlay of SDLT Compass, the discussion centred on the
New government legislation has been introduced to protect people’s smart devices from being hacked. The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill will give ministers new powers to bring in tougher security standards for device makers,
Lincoln and other areas in the Midlands and North have been dubbed hotspots for buyers looking to move out of bigger cities such as London, due to the introduction of flexible working by many employers
A new report published by the think-tank Localis reveals that almost 200 planning permissions have been granted on floodplain land in 2021 so far, for more than 5000 new homes in high-risk local authorities across
New legislation announced by Boris Johnson will require new homes and buildings, such as supermarkets and workplaces, to install electric vehicle charge points from next year. Under the new regulations up to 145,000 extra charge
Access Legal, the Law technology specialist, has announced the acquisition of the Legal Bricks group of companies, a provider of conveyancing searches and property related services to the legal sector. Part of The Access Group,
The latest figures released by HMRC appears to show a cooling of the housing market in England and Wales. Transaction figures for October 2021 show provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of 85,090 home moves, 30% lower
HMRC figures highlight the impact of the SDLT holiday with a £4.1bn increase in Stamp Duty receipts in the six months from April to October 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. And to
Conveyancing trade and industry bodies The Conveyancing Association, The Law Society, CILEX, and the Society of Licenced Conveyancers have thrown their weight behind new versions of LPE1, LPE2 and FME1 forms which are to be
UPDATED 22/11/2021 The Council for Licensed Conveyancers have provided a brief update on progress at Simplify since it confirmed on 17th November it had moved to exchange contracts on files that are ready to exchange
A consultation from the Payment Systems Regulator could see legislation introduced forcing banks to refund those affected by authorised push payment (APP) fraud. APP fraud is typically perpetrated by criminals impersonating trusted individuals and organisations
This year, Today’s Conveyancer launched The British Conveyancing Awards to recognise the herculean efforts of the conveyancing industry in keeping the housing market moving through 2020 and into 2021. Launched to coincide with the end
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has launched a consultation on its approach to financial penalties for law firms and solicitors with the aim of resolving cases more quickly and reducing the need to refer to
Money laundering costs the British economy around £37 billion each year. And with the legal sector under increasing scrutiny (and SRA site visits happening right now) it’s something firms should be placing front and centre
Flexibility has overtaken pay as the top priority for practitioners entering the jobs market, according to new research by legal recruitment consultancy, Realm Recruit. As part of its annual market research conducted in June 2021,
Third party IT service providers could be required to follow new cyber security rules such as the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Assessment Framework as part of new proposals to help businesses manage the growing
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers came together at their first in person conference in 2 years. With a packed schedule, the event brought over 200 conveyancers together at The Riverside Centre in Derby. The day
The Council of Licensed Conveyancers has provided an update on the progress at Simplify as it continues its staged recovery from the cyber attack it suffered last week. A statement on the CLC website has
Further changes to minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for commercial properties are expected across the UK. Changes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings are the first in a number of new initiatives by the Government
Property group Savills predicts that average house prices across Britain are set to exceed £370,000, with some properties rising by more than £40,000, in the next five years. In addition to sharp increases, research suggests
Research and analysis conducted by Canada Life, the assurance and financial services organisation, shows that UK homeowners now have over £740 billion of available equity release. Canada Life’s analysis of figures for Q3 2021, taken
In response to last week’s article on the auto-enrolment of home movers on to the Land Registry’s Property Alert Service, conveyancers have had their say on Today’s Conveyancer. The article suggested that one way to
The Simplify Group has released details of how conveyancers who are currently acting on the other side of transactions can contact them while they continue to get systems back up and running. An online form
In a bid to help UK households achieve the transition to net zero, banks are now preparing to work with the Government to provide a low interest loan scheme which will help fund installations of
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has responded to a petition to “Hold a full and independent inquiry into the cladding and fire safety scandal.” The petition is the most recent to reach
Current record house prices will remain, driven by a lack of supply says that latest UK Residential Market Survey from RICS. For the 7th month in succession RICS reports a reduction in the number of
The conveyancing industry has rallied round the embattled Simplify Group as it deals with the aftermath of the systems outage it suffered last week. In a statement released on Wednesday the group confirmed it was
A reduction in ID fraud risks and significant savings on Professional Indemnity Insurance are inevitable if customers use a digital identity scheme during the home buying process, say experts. Stuart Young, chair of the digital
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has advised that there are still places available for this year’s annual conference, which will go ahead as a physical event at the Riverside Centre in Derby on Wednesday
A new report by Hometrack predicts that that more than 1.5 million homes could be at risk of flooding due to the effects of climate change by 2050. Hometrack analysis reveals that 5% of homes
Fewer than one in ten leasehold practitioners have seen an increase in enquiries about commonhold since the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced their intention to establish a Commonhold Council in January.
The Financial Conduct Authority have released figures which show that access to bank branches is decreasing, with 267 branch closures between April and June 2021. The impact on consumers means that 60.1% of the population