Why extending the stamp duty holiday may not be the best idea
“The stamp duty holiday has provided a fantastic boost to the housing market by driving demand for properties after the first national lockdown”, Simon Nosworthy from Osbornes Law says. “With that in mind it would make total sense for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to give in to the clamour and extend the scheme which has seen […]
‘Call for Kindness’ Campaign
Conveyancers and stakeholders in the home moving process have been working tirelessly for months in a bid to keep the UK housing market open and moving during unprecedented times. Today’s Conveyancer has launched its ‘Call for Kindness’ campaign as we implore the sector to be kind and calm at a time when the pressure is […]
Spotlight: British Conveyancing Award categories
Entries have now opened for the British Conveyancing Awards, but with the registration deadline set for 19th March 2021, we wanted to share some of the categories with you. Category spotlight We’re spotlighting the following categories: Best IT Team Award In the last 12 months law firms have had to swiftly and efficiently move to […]
Estate Agency – The times they are a changing
Michael S Day MBA FRICS FNAEA FARLA, Managing Director Integra Property Services, Director teclet and Founder Member Agents Together, has shared with us his thoughts on the recent reports that estate agency branches are declining. A recent report published by property industry data analysts TwentyCi suggested that 339 estate agency branches had closed during 2020 […]
Updated practice guides: PG35, PG78 & PG19
Here are the latest practice guides updates issued by HM Land Registry. Corporate insolvency (PG35) How to deal with applications involving the insolvency of corporate bodies. Mainly for insolvency practitioners and conveyancers (practice guide 35). Page summary: Guidance for conveyancers on overseas companies and limited liability partnerships (practice guide 78). Change made: Sections 4.3.4 and […]
BREAKING NEWS: SDLT Holiday to be Extended
The Times newspaper has this evening reported that Chancellor Rishi Sunak plans to announce a 3 month extension to the Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday in the Budget on 3rd March Currently due to finish on the 31st March, the 3 month extension would bring the end of the SDLT holiday in line with the […]
The First…. to Create Shorter, Fully Comprehensive Reports
Clarity and transparency is essential in any transaction; and the information which underpins a property purchase is no different. This is especially true of environmental searches – a specialist area where some legal practitioners may feel less confident advising on, especially if an issue such as contaminated land or flooding is flagged up. Environmental search […]
Residential property professionals more concerned about Stamp Duty than Covid-19
Residential conveyancers and estate agents both anticipate the Stamp Duty holiday extension verdict to have a significantly greater impact on their role in 2021 than either the COVID-19 vaccination programme or Brexit – according to the findings of the ‘Thriving in a Pandemic’ report published by tmgroup and mio earlier this month. The survey of […]
Contaminated Land: How to protect your clients
At its worst, contaminated land may present a hazard to potential users of the land or environment. Although in most cases the risks associated with living on sites that have been previously used by industry are low. Users may become exposed to contaminants such as by inhalation of hazardous materials and also through food grown […]
Introducing The Conveyancing Task Force
A number of leading organisations in the conveyancing profession have agreed to work together as The Conveyancing Task Force to discuss, and where possible agree, on reform and enhancement of the conveyancing process for the benefit of consumers and lawyers alike. The formation of the Conveyancing Task Force which comprises The Law Society, The Society […]
Over 100,000 transactions could benefit from SDLT extension
There has still been no official statement from the government regarding the ‘leaked’ potential six-week extension to the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) holiday, which the Daily Telegraph reported on last weekend, yet Rightmove has estimated that if the extension takes place up-to 160,000 transactions could benefit from the tax saving. If 160,000 transactions were […]
OneSearch Direct reports 58% increase in Lawyer Checker searches as fraud risk escalates
OneSearch Direct, the largest local search data company in the UK, has seen a 58% year-on-year increase in orders of Lawyer Checker’s Account Entity Screen, as the industry sees a sharp spike in SRA Scam Alerts, up 75% since January 2020. The rise in remote working due to COVID restrictions has created an extra layer […]
Property transactions jump 27% in one month as Conveyancers rush to meet the Stamp Duty cut off
Conveyancing volumes rise 27% in one month, with 73,142 transactions occurring in December 2020, up from 57,632 in November 2020 Numbers of active conveyancing firms continues to recover from the troughs of first lockdown – now up to 3,800 December 2020 was the busiest month for transactions since the onset of pandemic Annual transactions in […]
Jan 2021 – Land Registry Transaction Data
The latest data for the HM Land Registry Transaction figures have been released. In January: HM Land Registry completed more than 1,635,591 applications to change or query the Land Register the South East topped the table of regional applications with 387,517 HM Land Registry completed 1,635,591 applications in January compared with 1,431,694 in December and […]
Proposed SDLT extension a blessing? Or a curse?
The stamp duty land tax (SDLT) holiday that was introduced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak helped to stimulate a mini-market boom following the three-month closure of the property sector as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The holiday itself is set to end on 31st March. But talks of an extension have been building […]
Spotlight: British Conveyancing Award categories
Entries have now opened for the British Conveyancing Awards, but with the registration deadline set for 19th March 2021, we wanted to share some of the categories with you. Category spotlight This week we’re spotlighting the following categories: Best Young Practitioner of the Year Award This award recognises an exceptional individual who has shown a […]
Updated practice guides: Request an Expedite
There has been update published in which you can ask HM Land Registry to process your application urgently (fast track). The update on their website reads The expedite process is available for applications where a delay would: cause problems not related to a land transaction put a property sale at risk, for example, a refinancing […]
Boost your brand exposure by sponsoring our awards!
The inaugural British Conveyancing Awards are hitting the virtual screen on 25th May 2021. We are now excited to announce that we have some sponsorship opportunities available which can help to boost your brand exposure throughout 2021 and into 2022. The broadcast journalist Samira Ahmed will be leading the celebrations as the sector come together […]
ProConveyancing launches technology-focused residential conveyancing service
ProConveyancing, a residential conveyancing firm based in Berkshire with a national footprint, is launching after receiving its license from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. The Firm is backed by the Past President of NAEA Propertymark, Mark Bentley, joining the Firm as Strategic Development Director and bringing with him 40+ years of experience in the property […]
What do you really know about flood risk?
Written by Catherine Shiers, Technical Communications Manager of Groundsure Weather warnings related to flood risk are constantly hitting the headlines. What was once a phenomenon that occurred occasionally and mainly during winter, is happening more and more often. There are four main types of flooding that are widely reported on; river, coastal, surface water and […]