News brought to you by the Today’s Conveyancer editorial team.
Poor communication, unclear or unrealistic expectations and unjustified delays without proper explanation are the key causes of complaints in property transactions, according to the Legal Ombudsman in the latest Spotlight published on its website. The
Private equity backed consolidator Lawfront has announced the acquisition of Reading based Field Seymour Parkes, taking the total number of firms under its ‘regional leaders’ banner to seven. Field Seymour Parkes joins regional firms
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed the appointment of Richard Blakeway to the post of chair of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) after an open competition. The appointment follows Blakeway’s appearance before the
With a 50 year career in property (he claims to have started when he was 3!) there is little Mike Day hasn’t seen or heard. In this latest episode of the Today’s Conveyancer Podcast, Day
HM Land Registry faces a “pivotal” year, according to chair of the organisation’s board, Neil Sachdev (pictured). The comments came in a response to a letter from parliamentary under-secretary of state Baroness Taylor of Stevenage
LawtechUK, a Ministry of Justice-backed initiative supporting technology startups in the legal sector, has secured further funding to enable it to continue operating for the next three years. The programme, currently delivered in a partnership
The Legal Suppliers Software Association (LSSA) has thrown its weight behind efforts to reform the home buying and selling process in a meeting with the Ministry of Housing. The LSSA said it had met with
A National Housing Bank, first signposted last year, is officially open for business, providing public finance “to accelerate the delivery of new homes and communities, whilst also enabling the regeneration of towns and cities across
Joy Hagelthorn is a senior product manager with more than 17 years’ experience in digital innovation. For the past three years, she has focused exclusively on UK conveyancing and lender technology, working closely across product
A South African technology business says it has launched a new panel management platform that will “simplify the onboarding process for conveyancers and improve panel management and oversight for lenders”. In the company’s native South
Independent search company and new homes search specialist Move Reports has joined the Conveyancing Association (CA) as an affiliate member. As an affiliate member, the company – which supplies conveyancing searches and property information for
The TA6 Property Information Form sixth edition formally becomes compulsory from today (Monday 30th March) for Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accredited firms, bringing an end to a two-year saga after efforts to introduce an updated
There is ‘no indication’ HM Revenue and Customs will defer the requirement for conveyancers to register as tax advisers, following a meeting with the tax authority last week. In a blog reporting on HMRC’s views
The time it takes to exchange contracts has risen to 135 days, according to analysis by Novus Strategy – 45% longer than in 2019 and 3% higher than last year. The increase comes despite a
The chancellor Rachel Reeves has brought together the six largest banks and building societies to secure a commitment they will support customers coming to the end of fixed term mortgage deals, as rates rise following
National Conveyancing Month concludes this week with The Great Conveyancing Quiz Off and the chance to win four general admission tickets to Ascot 2026, courtesy of Howden. As in previous years, National Conveyancing Month (formerly
There are excellent conveyancers across England and Wales, but they lack time, tools, and structural support to deliver the service they want. That is the view of founder and CEO of Eden Conveyancing Bruce Griffin
The Legal Services Board has outlined how it intends to strengthen lawyers’ ethical standards in a statement of policy which sets out new expectations designed to reinforce lawyers’ role in upholding the rule of law.
An initiative which launched last year and set out eight industry commitments to facilitate “faster, more certain property transactions” is opening its doors to membership and inviting property organisations of all sizes to play a
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has launched a call for input on its draft Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP), a new framework aimed at improving the consistency and quality of how complaints are handled by legal
UK house prices rose by 1.3% in the year to January 2026, down from the revised estimate of 1.9% in the 12 months to December 2025. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.0% in the 12 months to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January. On a monthly basis, CPI rose by 0.4% in February 2026, the same
The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) is urging the government to adopt a more coordinated, long-term housing strategy, and warns the UK property market remains dangerously exposed to global shocks without deeper structural reform. The
Parents are the most trusted source of information for prospective homeowners, according to new research from Lloyds Banking Group, with TikTok the source of choice for a third of young buyers. The study of 2,000
New findings from the Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) SME Sentiment Survey reveal the vast majority (70%) of small and medium sized home builders say that market conditions are limiting their appetite to invest in new
The Law Society of England and Wales has launched a new practical guide to help solicitors make safer, more informed technology decisions and warns that unsafe AI adoption may expose firms to risks. The majority
Rachel Byles is an associate with over 20 years of extensive experience across all aspects of residential property. Her expertise includes freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, new build transactions, remortgages, probate sales, traditional and
HM Land Registry has been told it should reposition its service offering from that of a “data repository” to an organisation that “uses its data and expertise to unlock value for customers, the public sector
The government is seeking views on its draft new towns programme and has announced seven potential locations for the towns, as it ramps up efforts to build 1.5 million homes during this parliament. The proposed
The Legal Services Board (LSB) should be “a more vocal and visible advocate” for frontline regulators, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has said in response to a public consultation on the oversight regulator’s draft
Don’t panic, but stay alert is the message from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) when it comes to tax adviser registration, said Stephen Ward, director of communications at the regulator, in a wide ranging
An information sheet detailing the responsibilities of private landlords and letting agents in England in complying with the Renters Rights Act has been published by the government. The official document must be provided to tenants