Buyers In Uproar Following SDLT Announcement
In the Chancellors speech last week, Rishi Sunak announced the changes to stamp duty land tax (SDLT) which saw the threshold raised from £125,000 to £500,000 with immediate effect. The reaction from professionals in the sector was mixed to say the least, with some saying that amendments to mortgage products would have a more beneficial […]
ESTAS Brings Together The Best Conveyancers And Agents In 2021
ESTAS, the customer review and awards platform for the property industry, has announced it will hold the first property industry event for conveyancers, agents and mortgage brokers in May 2021. The event will incorporate the delayed ESTAS Conveyancer Awards that were due to happen on 23rd October this year. Founder of The ESTAS Group Simon […]
New Conveyancing Firm Launched
Today, Monday 13 July 2020, sees the launch of Movus Law – a brand new entrant to the market, set up by a team of experts in conveyancing and property development. Spearheaded by Kevin Steele and Gordon Bishop, two experienced and well-respected lawyers in the residential property market, this new firm whose proposition is ‘move […]
HM Land Registry Announces Introduction Of Electronic Signatures
Mike Harlow, the Deputy Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Land Registrar, in his blog has announced that following the many questions received from customers regarding electronic signatures, as “printing, posting and scanning can be a pain”, Land Registry will soon be introducing witnessed electronic signatures. There are two forms of signatures that HMLR will be […]
Letter To Housing Minister Calling For Backdating Of SDLT Changes
Leading law firm Simpson Millar have called on Robert Jenrick to backdate the recent SDLT changes in a letter to the Housing Minster sent today. In the letter, Simpson Millar Head of Private Client Sarah Ryan recognises the positive intention of the changes, which have raised the threshold at which SDLT is applicable from £125,000 […]
Welsh Government Urged By Conveyancing Association To Match Stamp Duty Changes
The Welsh Government has been urged to open up the housing market by matching the recent changes to stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland, by the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry. The Conveyancing Association (CA) has pointed to the lack of evidence to suggest the there has been an increase in Covid-19 […]
Government Urged To Backdate Stamp Duty Cut Scheme
Yesterday, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a cut to stamp duty land tax (SDLT) in a hope to encourage more confidence in the housing market. Plans to immediately cut Stamp Duty costs on the first £500k of a property in a move that will save the average house buyer £4,500 have been ‘cautiously welcomed’ by […]
£2bn Grant Scheme To Fund Energy Saving Home Improvements
As part of a £3bn plan to cut emissions, Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out a £2bn grant scheme in England to fund energy-saving home improvements. The scheme will see hundreds of thousands of home owners receive vouchers of up to £5,000 to make improvements to their property in an aim to cut emissions as well […]
SearchFlow Responds To Chancellor’s Economic Statement
Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Economic Statement today, Dr Thomas Quirke, managing director of SearchFlow – the UK’s leading provider of conveyancing search solutions – provides his view on the announcement made relating to the property market and changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT): “The Chancellor has today taken decisive action to help further […]
Stamp Duty Uncertainty Unnerves Market
It’s only been a matter of days since the Chancellor Rishi Sunak conducted an interview with newspapers discussing potential alterations to stamp duty land tax (SDLT) in a bid to continue to help the housing market recover from the coronavirus. However, the uncertainty has begun a ripple effect across the market, resulting in professionals in […]
The LSB Has Resolved To Reshape Legal Services Due To Covid-19
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has charted the latest phase in the delivery of it’s priorities from its three year strategy in its annual report. The strategy outlines the progress the LSB has had with activities that promote and protect the interests of the people needing legal services. Thanks to the projects that were undertaken […]
Reminder: Flexible Furlough Is Now In Place
This is just a quick reminder that firms now have the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work on a part-time basis. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “Our number one priority has always been to protect jobs and businesses through this outbreak. “The furlough scheme, which will have been open for eight […]
Technology’s Role In Taming The Black Swan
By Carole Marsden, Chief Commercial Officer, poweredbypie What is a Black Swan? Finance professor, writer and former Wall Street trader Nassim Nicholas Taleb, wrote about black swan events before the financial crash of 2008. He suggested such incidents have catastrophic consequences as they are so rare. Later, he went on to argue that failures can serve […]
Conveyancing Association Provides Guidance On ‘Local Lockdown’ House Moves
Although the UK is attempting to regain a semblance of ‘normality’ as it continues its recovery from the coronavirus, the ability for local authorities to enact a local lockdown like we’ve seen in Leicester can have a serious effect on the local industry and infrastructure. As a result of this, the Conveyancing Associate has provided […]
Fraudulant HMRC Payments Jail Man
A man who set up fraudulent payments worth £2.9m to HMRC instead and then transferred the money to himself has been jailed for more than 4 years. Simon Olver spent the stolen money on deposits for sports cars, watches, jewellery and flights as well as making an offer on a house for £2.6m. Following a […]
Rumoured Changes To SDLT – Will They Be Welcomed?
Following some interviews with the press at the weekend, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has sent the rumour mill into over drive, as he suggested that he may announce reforms to stamp duty later this year. Tomorrow, Wednesday 8th July, the Chancellor is due to unveil his latest measures as part of the UK’s coronavirus recovery. Speculation […]
Today’s Conveyancer Interview Dan Montagnani
The search industry provides us with a good barometer of market sentiment, with the major providers working across the country and operating in both residential and commercial sectors. So who better to ask about the current challenges than Dan Montagnani, Executive Vice President of data provider Groundsure, on what they have seen as the impact […]
Simultaneous Exchanges And Completions – The Debate Continues
A couple of week’s ago we posted an article about simultaneous exchange and completions and completions and asked the question whether you thought this was a good thing? Paul Sams, Partner and Head of Residential Property at Dutton Gregory, shared his views with the sector. He said: “One thing that has particular irritated me during […]
Propertymark Chief Executive Set to Retire
Having held his post as chief executive for the National Association of Estate Agents for the past 7 years, Mark Hayward has announced that he is to retire at the end of the year. Prior to becoming chief executive, Hayward has previously been a board member and chair of the board for four years. Mr […]
Be Prepared – Surviving The Next Insurance Renewal
This article is reproduced with the kind permission of Enderley Consulting Limited A conversation between Dr Anne Austin, CEO of Enderley Consulting and Jim Brindley of tlorisk, Professional Risk Insurance Specialist Anne caught up with our friend, Jim, professional indemnity insurance broker, to get his views on what law firms should do before their October […]