News brought to you by the Today’s Conveyancer editorial team.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has formally confirmed it is investigating “potential fraud, including the misappropriation of client money” at the Sheffield-based law firm PM Law after it unexpectedly closed on Monday 2nd February. In a
Estate and letting agents submitted just 890 suspicious activity reports (SARs) in 2024-25, down from 1,044 the previous year, while the legal sector increased its reporting from 2,419 to 3,392 over the same period. Figures
Property data platform Property Deals Insight has become the latest member of the Open Property Data Association (OPDA). Founded in 2019, Property Deals Insight was created to tackle “fragmented, inconsistent and hard-to-access data”, which they
Charitable incorporated organisations (PG14a) Page summary: Transactions involving charitable incorporated organisations, including their dissolution (practice guide 14A). Change made: Sections 8.1 and 8.2 have been amended to reflect the fact that the charitable incorporated organisation
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has published a further statement on action it has taken in the wake of PM Law’s closure last week. The Sheffield-based firm and subsidiaries suddenly closed on Monday 2nd February, with
A property sector professional body is warning that focusing solely on reforming the planning system will not deliver the number of new homes the UK urgently needs. Propertymark said that whilst planning reform has been
A legal technology platform has been launched to help law firms ensure clients understand legal costs and retainer terms. The Legal Lexi has been created by a regulated and experienced fellow costs lawyer in response
Law firm Furley Page has celebrated its 300th anniversary with a £30,000 donation to Pilgrims Hospices, after the firm’s staff spent the milestone year staging a range of fundraising activities. The firm was founded in
The UK residential property market is showing tentative signs that it may be turning a corner, according to the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey for January 2026. Whilst overall activity remains subdued, several key
Two UK-founded legal and fintech companies are celebrating major funding gains. Prop and fintech platform OneDome has raised $25 million, taking total funding raised to date to $40 million. Lawhive, which describes itself as the
Land Data is urging local authority customers requesting LLC1 and CON29 search enquiries to nominate the local land charges teams in England and Wales that deliver outstanding customer service. The Customer Satisfaction Award is one
The Ministry of Justice’s proposed scheme for Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts (ILCA) is fundamentally flawed, lacks adequate evidence and is a crude sector-specific tax on clients of legal services, the Law Society of England
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers has shared a job search service on its website to help conveyancing and probate practitioners affected by the closure of the PM Law group. Specialist conveyancing and probate roles across
Simplify is recruiting 30 experienced conveyancers in a country-wide drive from Newcastle to Maidstone. The new roles offer flexible working, with options to work remotely, choose hybrid or select a base from one of Simplify’s
Connor O’Dell is a licensed conveyancer and was named One to Watch – Conveyancer of the Year at the British Conveyancer Awards 2025. He has almost 10 years’ experience is the sector, and is known
Leases: when to register (PG25) Page summary: Advice for conveyancers which deals with the compulsory and voluntary registration aspects of leasehold estates in land (practice guide 25). Change made: Sections 6.1 and 6.2 have been
New figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC) reveal that 115,350 new homes were registered to be built in 2025, up 11% from 2024. The UK’s largest provider of new home warranties and insurance
While higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages dominate first time buyer demand, a significant minority are seeking higher deposit deals, new data from Moneyfacts reveals. Of the first time buyers looking for fixed-term deals on the Moneyfacts
An analysis of a decade of market data reveals homes listed in February are marginally more likely to find a buyer than those listed in other months. The analysis by Rightmove found that seven in
LawtechUK is a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) backed initiative dedicated to driving digital transformation in the legal sector. Here, the organisation explains how legal tech platform Conveyo was able to connect with industry experts thanks
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed it has formally intervened in the closure of PM Law and its subsidiary firms in a statement published yesterday on its website. After calls for clarity from the
Conveyancers lowered fees in the battle for work during the subdued autumn and winter of last year, when home movers paused or delayed plans to move amid Bank of England interest rate decisions, rising inflation
Home buyers failed to take up £32.4 billion worth of mortgages last year, partly due to worsening fall-throughs of property sales, according to figures from property industry consultancy Novus Strategy. An analysis of Bank of
Scrutiny of the proposed Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill has begun with the Housing, Communities and Local Government Commons Select Committee launching an inquiry examining the draft legislation. Written and oral evidence will inform a
The underlying premise to the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) consultation on using client account interest to fund access to justice is “fundamentally flawed”, says the Conveyancing Association; a membership body representing the top 200 solicitors
A widely reported New Year bounce is yet to materialise for conveyancers, according to the latest quarterly confidence tracker from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). There had been hopes of a positive response to
Miller’s annual CLC Risk & Compliance Conference, in partnership with Today’s Conveyancer, brought together leading voices from across the compliance and conveyancing sectors last month. Speakers at the full day event, which was held at
Requisition and cancellation procedures (PG50) Page summary: Advice on how to avoid requisitions on applications and our procedures where they do need to be raised (practice guide 50). Change made: Section 2 has been amended
Today’s Conveyancer has launched a temporary recruitment page to list conveyancing roles for those affected by the closure of PM Law and its subsidiaries. The Sheffield-based firm closed on Monday leaving its 650 staff seeking
The deadline to have your say on the Ministry of Justice’s plans to use lawyer’s client account interest to fund access to justice has been extended by four weeks to 9th March, from 9th February.
A new tool launched today by InfoTrack UK will enable conveyancers acting for both parties in a transaction to collaborate on pre-contract enquiries in a single, shared workspace. The purpose-built feature in the Linked Enquiries
The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) is calling on conveyancers to get involved with shaping the transition to a smart property data market. The call comes as work gets underway on the Smart Property Data