Cost of moving jumps 27% in a year, with conveyancing costs up 8%
Home movers pay an average £17,831 in upfront costs when buying and selling a property – up 27% since 2024 – according to the latest Cost of Moving Report from comparison website reallymoving. London movers pay almost twice as much, with average costs of £32,786, while first-time buyers pay an average of £2,315 to move […]
Advisory Working Group launches conveyancing forum to explore industry issues
The new Advisory Working Group (AWG) formed by Bold Legal Group to respond to the government’s home buying and selling proposals has launched an online forum for conveyancers. AWG was created to respond to the government’s consultations, but Bold Legal Group says the forum offers a place for conveyancers to discuss ‘the real, day-to-day issues’ […]
‘Commonhold is coming’ – conveyancers urged to prepare ahead of consultation
Commonhold tenure is on the government’s agenda and a preferred method by which shared new build property is to be registered as plans to phase out leasehold intensify. Speaking at the annual Society of Licensed Conveyancers conference in Derby, Commonhold lead at Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government Matt Prior said progress was being […]
Home buying and selling reform that must work for our profession
The Government’s consultation on home buying and selling reform – available to view here – should clearly be of interest to all conveyancing stakeholders, not least because it purports to be focused on fixing long-standing issues in the process. Much of what is proposed aligns with what the Conveyancing Association has campaigned for over many […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – All packed up and nowhere to go
I feel for clients moving house; they hand over their lives to us to help them move. They don’t really have any appreciation of what is going to happen, they don’t know the other parties in the chain. They only have a vague appreciation as to who does what. A prime example of how […]
Webinar: Unlocking the legal landscape – residential trends in 2025
Join us on Tuesday 2nd December between 2-3pm for our latest webinar in partnership with IQ Legal Training. During this session Ian Quayle will share the key developments that shaped residential conveyancing this year. He will be joined by Kay Toon, Geodesys key account manager, who will also share a conveyancing update. We will take […]
Unlock the legal landscape: Join Geodesys for a new conveyancing CPD webinar day
Geodesys is thrilled to announce an exciting new CPD opportunity designed to help conveyancers navigate and unlock the legal landscape across both residential and commercial property markets. On Tuesday 2nd December, we’ll be hosting two exclusive webinars, offering a full day of expert insight and practical guidance. We’re delighted to welcome a panel of leading […]
Ambitious roadmap or covering old ground? Industry reacts to HMLR’s Strategy 2025+
Last week, HM Land Registry set out its ambitions for 2025 and beyond in a strategy it says will deliver better services and create a faster, less stressful property market, centred around the use of data and a push towards digital transformation. Strategy 2025+ commits to a series of key milestones, including the use of […]
Reeves backtracks on LLPs as chancellor sets the scene for tax increases
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has is reported to be watering down plans to raise tax through the imposition of of a national insurance equivalent levy on limited liability partnerships. First reported in The Times, it had been suggested efforts to raise revenue could include a new charge on LLPs which are not currently subject to national […]
LeO reveals ‘significant rise’ in demand for help, with conveyancing receiving most complaints
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has released its annual complaints data and insight for 2024/25, which reveals an increase in demand for help that has continued to rise significantly in the first half of 2025/26. Residential conveyancing topped the lists of complaints in all areas, including highest volume of complaints accepted, largest incidences of evidence of […]
Conveyancing ‘stretched to breaking point’, survey finds, as working group launched to discuss urgent reforms
A survey by conveyancing membership body Bold Legal Group (BLG) reveals widespread concern about the sustainability of the conveyancing profession, with 93% of respondents reporting the role has become more challenging or is in decline. The majority of those surveyed (82.5%) believe regulatory and compliance demands are the biggest issue affecting daily working life, with […]
Highways made simple: Landmark’s solution for smarter conveyancing
For conveyancing transactions, a Highways report is an essential resource, helping identify potential access issue and infrastructure considerations. However, as some conveyancers would agree, it can be a challenge to get this information. Local Authority highways departments often face resource constraints, leading to delayed turnaround times for extents plans, and in some cases, highways departments have stopped providing highways information all together. Introducing SiteSolutions Highways SiteSolutions Highways is Landmark’s unique highways report. It provides detailed insights about the […]
‘Political convenience’ over ‘economic imperative’ to blame, as Chancellor prepares the way for tax rises
In an unusual step, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has done little to quell speculation about upcoming tax increases in a speech in Downing Street. Both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have failed in recent days to provide any reassurances the Labour party will stick to its manifesto promise not raise National Insurance […]
Confidence in property market slumps amid budget uncertainty, CLC finds
Research from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) reveals confidence in the housing market has fallen to its lowest level this year, which it says is triggered by uncertainty over the impending autumn budget. Three quarters of respondents to the CLC’s quarterly survey, launched at the start of this year to monitor the mood of […]
Standalone litigation rights for CILEx lawyers after fast-tracked application approved
CILEx regulated lawyers will be able to apply for standalone litigation practice rights in the areas of criminal, civil and family litigation after the Legal Services Board (LSB) approved CILEx Regulation’s (CRL) application. Although work to introduce a standalone practice right for litigation began earlier this year, the issue has been brought to a head […]
Conveyancing task force urges local law societies to take action over homebuying reform
The Conveyancing Task Force (CTF), formed last month in response to the government’s proposals for homebuying reform, has written to local societies in England and Wales asking them to take urgent action over the plans. The CTF – a collaboration of 23 law firms including SMEs and a public limited company, as well as individuals […]
Why Queries with Lenders (PVQs) are stalling completions, and how to break the cycle
PVQs are part and parcel of property transactions, but the way they’re handled today is one of the quietest causes of delay in the offer-to-completion journey. This is particularly topical, given the recent Santander report which labelled the home-buying process as “antiquated” and that more than half a million failed transactions per year are costing […]
Housing committee critical of delays to long term housing strategy
Delays in publishing the government’s Long-Term Housing Strategy, first announced in July 2024, have left members of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee ‘deeply disappointed’, with MPs in the dark over how the government plans to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2029. The report from the committee is critical of what it describes […]
TA6: The calm after the storm
When the Law Society introduced the 5th edition of the TA6 Property Information Form, it was presented as a step towards greater transparency, efficiency and even business opportunities. It became one of the most contentious topics in recent conveyancing history. The timing and intention were understandable. Material Information had been debated by conveyancing industry bodies […]
Groundsure webinar: Historic mapping and military secrets
Whether you’re acting in residential or commercial transactions, this session is particularly useful as an introduction to contaminated land and its potential impact on transactions. We will explore how historic mapping is used in the identification of contaminated land, and look at how military and secret sites were often hidden within historic maps. We’ll also […]