Consultation Released By Law Commission On Right To Manage Legislation
The government requested that the Law Commission review the Right to Manage (RTM) legislation in July last year. The consultation paper has now been released with a number of amendments suggested to the current legislation. James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Communities asked the government’s independent legal advisers to conduct a broad review of […]
Association Of Accounting Technicians Propose SDLT Reform
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have released statistics highlighting that more that 241,000 first time buyers have benefited from the exemption from paying Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). The relief, known as First Time Buyers Relief, saved FTBs £144 million in the final quarter, between October and December 2018. The relief was claimed by 60,700 […]
Price Transparency, Consumerist Behaviour And Declining Quality
The price transparency rules, that came into effect in December last year, have been contentious since they were first suggested by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in 2016. A new Bellwether Report 2019 discussion paper, The Changing Face of Law, by LexisNexis, has highlighted the growing chasm of differing opinions concerning the impact price […]
Solicitor Vacancies Amongst Most Difficult To Fill
A recent UK wide recruitment juggernaut has indicated that they are struggling to fill the job vacancies for many important professions. In particular, recruitment specialists, Indeed, have highlighted that solicitors are now amongst the most difficult jobs to fill in the UK. Amongst the other top three hardest professions to match suitable candidates to vacant […]
Law Society Urge Law Firms To Improve Trainee Salaries
The Law Society has urged all legal firms to adapt their trainee solicitor pay scales so that they fall in line with minimum rates of pay suggested by The Law Society. Following the Solicitors Regulatory Authority’s (SRA) summer release on trainee salaries, The Law Society have suggested that minimum salaries should increase by 2.6% for […]
Conveyancing Association Launch Updated Version Of Cyberfraud & Fraud Protocol
The Conveyancing Association (CA), the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry, has today (4th February 2019) revealed a revised fourth version of its Cyberfraud and Fraud Protocol which seeks to provide CA member firms with practical information on how criminals operate and the measures they, and their staff, can take to avoid being victims […]
Pali Celebrates Twenty Years In Business
Doesn’t time fly? Twenty years ago this year I was buying my current house and the transaction was taking forever. I asked my conveyancer what the holdup was and he told me it was the local searches. I had no idea what was involved but after he explained it to me I asked if I […]
HMRC Rubber Stamp New Changes On Stamp Duty Land Tax
In less than a month, 1st March 2019, all Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) returns in England and Northern Ireland will need to be filed and paid within 14 days, as opposed to the current 30-day deadline. Time scales will not change in Scotland and Wales at this time. During the Autumn Statement of 2015, […]
Lords Critical Of Current Social Housing Policies
House of Lords representatives believe increased construction, regeneration and re-skilling local authority staff will help solve the increasing housing crisis. At the end of last week (31st January), the House of Lords debated issues around social housing; citing the recent Shelter report that claimed the UK is in desperate need of 300,000 new homes to […]
Housing Prices Fall To Lowest Levels Since March 2018
A recent housing index indicates that property prices have fallen to their lowest level since March last year. According to the Nationwide House Price Index the average UK home is now worth £211,966 compared to £212,281 in December. March 2018 was the last time a lower average housing price could be found when a property […]
CLC Urges Regulated Firms To Protect Themselves From Cyber Attacks
The CLC has urged all the firms it regulates to use the guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre following an incident where a firm’s mail server was hacked and compromised. During the breach, cyber criminals were intercepting all incoming email communications. The hackers then used this sensitive data to send spoof emails, claiming to […]
Willenhall: The Longest Limbo For Residents
Residents living on a housing estate built on contaminated land have endured a 10 year ‘nightmare’ waiting to find out who was responsible for the clean-up. The land in question formed part of the former site of the Willenhall Gas Works, which closed in 1957. The West Midlands Gas Company sold the land to McClean […]
Additional £497 Million Promised To Affordable Housing Projects
£497 million worth of additional housing funding will be made available to local housing associations this year to create more affordable housing. The money will be used to fund the construction of 11,000 homes within the next three years. Following recent speculation at the Council for Licensed Conveyancers’ annual conference that more consideration and use […]
‘PropertyFocus’ Joint Case Management Venture Launched By CS Partnership And Orchard Rock
We are really pleased to announce a new joint venture between Orchard Rock Development and The CS Partnership. Orchard Rock Development and The CS Partnership have joined forces to develop ‘PropertyFocus’ – property case management workflows for Tikit P4W, which we are all proud to say are the next generation of workflows for lawyers. With […]
Choosing A Suitable Cyber Certification Pathway
I’m sure you will all be familiar with Lexcel. The popular Law Society accreditation that is widely adopted by law firms. Lexcel is an accreditation that is widely respected as it helps create strong frameworks within practicing law firms. The new version of the Lexcel standard (‘v6.1’) became mandatory for all assessments taking place from […]
Construction Industry Deeply Concerned About Weakening Property Market
According to a recent report by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the construction industry will struggle in 2019; blighted by a stuttering housing market. The State of Trade Survey for Quarter 4 in 2018 has found that 42% of builders have noticed significant signs that the property market is weakening. Additionally, builders are anxious […]
Rental Prices Increase Slightly In December
As political uncertainty and Brexit headaches force the property market to stumble forwards, the lettings market and rents have continued to rise. In 2018, average rents across the UK increased by 1.5%, according to the Homelet Rental Index, for December. The average rent is now £921 per calendar month. However, when London is excluded from […]
Half Of Junior Lawyers Unaware Of Legal Technology
A recent survey by the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) has found that almost half of junior lawyers are oblivious of the benefits of lawtech or completely unaware of its existence. Additionally, 66% of the 224 respondents did not feel that the advancement and increased use of technology will impact on their job responsibilities. […]
Home Owners Value Supermarkets Over School Catchment Areas
It has been a long-held view that property values and desirability are inextricably linked to the proximity of high-performing schools. Parents, eager for their children to receive the best education, strive to live within the allotted catchment areas; this in turn often drives prices up. However, a recent report has claimed that the public are […]
Email Fraud And Social Media Impersonation Increase By 35%
According to a recent report by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), cyber criminals are adapting to the modern world. Once upon a time, the cyber criminal preferred virus-based attacks through malware or ransomware; now, the ONS have said that these criminals are looking to exploit social media and emails to successfully defraud the public […]