Commons Select Committee to scrutinise leasehold and commonhold proposals before its introduction to Parliament
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 subsequent report making recommendations on amends to the draft bill before its introduction to parliament. The government published the long-awaited […]
MoJ client account interest consultation premise ‘fundamentally flawed’, says conveyancing membership body
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 and licensed conveyancers by volume in England and Wales. Proposals to introduce an Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts (ILCA) scheme […]
New year bounce yet to materialise for conveyancers – CLC
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 the stable but subdued market in the autumn, when activity fell to its lowest level in two years amid uncertainty […]
Miller’s CLC Risk & Compliance Conference sees industry leaders gather in City of London
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 Miller’s City of London office, included both in-house experts from Miller and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), along with […]
New InfoTrack tool enables conveyancers to collaborate on pre-contract enquiries
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 software will allow both sides to join the workspace, eliminating the need for manual copying and pasting and reducing duplication. […]
Conveyancers encouraged by OPDA to help shape smart property data market
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 Trust Framework sandbox, a government-backed project designed to test the technical, governance and security foundations needed for a “modern, data-centric […]
Research reveals property transactions now averaging 123 days
A new report reveals that property transactions took longer in 2025 than the previous year, with instruction-to-completion times averaging over 17 weeks (123 days). The report, An industry aligned: Moving towards certainty, underlines that this equates to an 18% increase since 2019 and a 64% increase since 2007. Consumers say that their ideal time from […]
Why we need a culture shift when it comes to post-completion
From next week, Priscilla Sinder, founder of the Property Conveyancing Consultancy and PCC Education Hub, and Maria Hardy, company trainer and technical specialist at the hub, will be sharing weekly insight and advice related to post-completion. Today’s Conveyancer spoke to the experienced conveyancers to find out why they want to bring about a culture shift […]
The UK’s unsustainable conveyancing system demands coordinated reform
Joe Pepper, UK CEO of conveyancing platform PEXA, explains why the ever-increasing burden on conveyancers is unsustainable without meaningful reform. Early projections suggest the UK housing market is poised for a resurgence this year, challenging the prevailing narrative of stagnation. For consumers hoping to enter or progress within the property market, this offers a […]
Raising deposit still major obstacle for FTBs, SDLT objections increase – BSA
The Building Societies Association’s (BSA) latest Property Tracker survey shows that the barriers preventing people from buying a home remain financial rather than attitudinal. A survey of 2,000 adults carried out in January 2026 identified the three main obstacles as raising a deposit (64%), affording monthly mortgage repayments (50%) and access to a large enough […]
SDLT, registration and the case for role separation
SDLT specialist Compass explains why HMRC’s upcoming requirements for conveyancers to register as tax advisers fundamentally shifts the landscape of the service. For years, SDLT has sat in an uncomfortable space for law firms. It is routinely handled as part of conveyancing, often described as administrative, and frequently excluded from engagement letters as tax […]
UK Finance responds to criticism of lender handbook changes
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 request from Today’s Conveyancer, a UK Finance spokesperson said: “The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook supports the conveyancing profession throughout […]
CTF calls on lenders to take ‘a more active and accountable role’ in property market reforms
The Conveyancing Task Force (CTF) has urged UK Finance and its members to take a more active, and accountable role in delivering the government’s home buying and selling reforms. The groups warns that digitalisation alone will not resolve the “systemic” delays that continue to frustrate consumers and professionals alike. While lenders have been vocal in […]
UK Finance to launch new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook: conveyancers must register and pay £50 fee
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 user account, with all current generic email logons to be discontinued by 31 May. UK Finance advises all conveyancers and […]
Profile: Vicki Redman, head of knowledge and training for Swiitch
Vicki Redman is head of knowledge and training for Swiitch, the conveyancing brand of Shoosmiths LLP. She is also the founder and author of GRACE (Guidance for Raising Appropriate Conveyancing Enquiries). Vicki has over 25 years of conveyancing experience and won Conveyancing Support Team Member of the Year at the British Conveyancing Awards 2024. […]
New SDLT tax service aims to ease regulatory burden on conveyancers
As conveyancers await updated HMRC guidance on the proposed tax adviser registration changes, a specialist SDLT advisory firm has launched a product designed to ease the burden of managing complex stamp duty transactions. Post Complete from SCA Tax is an SDLT calculation and review service created for conveyancing teams. Led by Matthew Gannon, an AAT-qualified […]
The impact of government changes on the property market
Sarah Barnes, head of residential conveyancing at law firm Napthens, looks at the housing market in 2026 and examines the impact of changes to sellers’ obligations and the upcoming mansion tax. As we start move through January and into 2026, the theme of cautious confidence appears to be taking over. However, it’s still early days […]
Finalists for the British Conveyancing Awards 2026 announced
The finalists for the British Conveyancing Awards 2026, sponsored by Groundsure, have been published this morning, with 61 different organisations recognised for their commitment to excellence and client service. The winners will be announced live at a gala dinner hosted at the iconic Manchester Cathedral on 12 March. The awards were first hosted as a […]
CLC urges Treasury to re-think tax adviser status of conveyancers
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has written to the Treasury urging it to reconsider its stance on requiring conveyancers to register as tax advisers. In a letter to James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, CLC chair Dame Janet Paraskeva said the organisation is “disappointed that it still seems to be the intention to require […]
Conveyancing Association releases full conference agenda
The Conveyancing Association (CA) has released the full agenda for its annual conference, which will be held at the Belfry Hotel & Resort in Sutton Coldfield (pictured) on 12 February. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the conference, which has the theme Conveyancing Under the Spotlight. Guests and participants will reflect on how conveyancing […]