Conveyancing facing "mayhem" as stamp duty hike looms
Harpal Singh, the Managing Director of conveyancing distributor Broker Conveyancing, has warned that the increase in stamp duty for second homes and buy-to-let set to come in at the beginning of April could cause “mayhem” for conveyancers. Any sale not completed by 31st March will be subject to the new 3% charge which could lead […]
Mark McLaren appointed to The Property Ombudsman Council
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark McLaren to the TPO Council. He joins following nine years with Which?, the largest consumer body in the UK. The role of the TPO Council is to ensure the Ombudsman’s independence, set the Ombudsman’s Terms of Reference and approve the budget. Part of […]
Number of mortgage approvals rises for October
The number of mortgage approvals was 69,630 in October 2.2% higher than the average over the previous six months although lower than the number approved in August, according to statistics released by the Bank of England. The number of remortgages approved rose to 39,629 from a six month average of 38,430. Richard Sexton, Director of […]
Bond Dickinson Planning Partner becomes Chair of Compulsory Purchase Association
Richard Guyatt, Partner at leading law firm Bond Dickinson LLP, has been appointed the new Chair of the Compulsory Purchase Association (“CPA”) which he will hold for a 12 month term. The Association is a national organisation representing solicitors, barristers, surveyors, land referencers, planners and forensic accountants specialising in land assembly and compulsory purchase orders […]
CML members to vote on merger proposals
The Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML) is set to vote on the recommendations of a review put together by leading banking institutions. The review calls for a merger of five different trade associations to create a “world class trade association”. The Financial Services Trade Associations Review has recommended a merger of the Council of Mortgage […]
Dreaming of a white Christmas
On the run up to December it is almost guaranteed that we will watch a Christmas film at some point. A cheeky glass of something and a giant tin of chocolates in our lap. Whether romantic, sad or funny the films have one common theme. Snow. Our advent calendars, our Christmas cards all depict beautiful […]
Landlords don’t want to deal directly with tenants
The recent AXA Business Insurance research around landlords challenged the stereotype of terrible tenants and penny pinching proprietors. Some of the most common words that participants used to describe their landlords were fair, helpful, responsible and caring. With only 6% classing their relationship as bad or very bad. The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) who are […]
Solicitor jailed for swindling clients out of £1 million
A solicitor who stole or defrauded nearly £1 million from clients has been jailed for 40 months. Lancashire based Kimberley Bridge, 44, of SFN Solicitors took the funds from bereaved families to prop up her struggling business. Bridge’s sister, Nicola Roach, 35, who was a conveyancing assistant at the firm and due to be sentenced […]
Sales to first time buyers hit post-recession high
Sales to first time buyers now make up nearly one in three sales, according to figures released by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA). Sales to first time buyers made up 31% of sales in October, up from 29% in September and 20% in August. The rise puts them at their highest level in […]
Interview with Paul Albone, Managing Director of tmgroup
Today (Monday 30th November) tmgroup launches its rebrand. Managing Director, Paul Albone, told Jane Common at Today’s Conveyancer why he’s so excited about the launch… Why is tm rebranding? “The launch of our rebrand is an exciting moment in the growth and development of tmgroup. Refreshing the brand is more than just a new logo […]
Help to Buy: ISA launches
The Government’s Help to Buy ISAs launch today and aim to help first time buyers by giving a 25% bonus on savings towards buying a house up to a maximum of £3,000 in the hope it will help more first time buyers onto the property ladder. Prospective buyers will be able to save £1,200 in […]
tm group rebrand launch
tmgroup are excited to announce that they have refreshed their brand to better reflect the array of services they provide to property professionals tmgroup, one of the UK’s leading property data and service providers, today introduced the company’s new corporate brand and logo. The rebranding reflects both the evolution of the company as well as […]
The Conveyancing Foundation Matterhorn Challenge – nearly there, donate now!
Prior to the launch of The Conveyancing Foundation Charity at the Society for Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) and Bold Group Conference in Derby last week, attendees at the pre-Conference Dinner contributed a further £1000 towards the industry Challenge. The fundraising total is now just over £46,500, with fundraising having only started a little over 5 months […]
Autumn Statement: Full reaction
George Osborne’s Autumn Statement, in which he announced his intention to build 400,000 new homes, was given a qualified welcome, with many professions from builders to estate agents to surveyors expressing doubts that it could be accomplished. The more surprising move was the previously unannounced move to add 3% on top of existing stamp duty […]
Update to CML Handbook
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) have amended their handbook to liberate conveyancers from specific lending insurance requirements. The new guidance in regard to building insurance states conveyancers must “make reasonable enquiries to satisfy themselves that buildings insurance has been arranged for the property from no later than completion” which could mean simply asking the […]
Land Registry reports mixed growth in house prices
Land Registry reports total increase in prices of 5.6% on twelve months ago with the North East seeing strongest month-to-month growth. The price of an average property in Greater London has passed half a million pounds. The average price of a property in England and Wales is now £186,350 The average price for a property […]
Speak now, or forever hold your peace (Conveyancer Slater – Tweet of the Week)
Are there any conveyancing solicitors that are not useless arseholes out there at all? — jeff mace (@jeffmace1980) November 24, 2015
FTB numbers dip in face of smaller deposit costs and cheaper mortgages
October sees 28,100 first-time buyer (FTB) completions – a fall of 8.5% on a three-month basis Comes despite home-ownership costs levelling off, as the average deposit falls 2.1% over three months Over the same period, the average mortgage rate continues to fall while the average LTV climbs However, rising purchase prices may be discouraging FTBs, […]
Searches UK donate eight tickets for children to attend a Circus Starr Show
Searches UK are delighted to again support Circus Starr, an independently funded charity which supports disadvantaged and disabled children across the country. For a number of years Searches UK have supported this worthy charity and have again donated 8 tickets for children to attend their Winter Tour. Andrew Stenning, Managing Director, at Searches UK said: […]
Builders cast doubt on Chancellor's 400,000 home dream as skills shortage starts to bite
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) have said cuts to apprenticeships could make housing target “unviable” In a statement issued today, the Chief Executive of the FMB, the largest trade association in the building industry, called on the Government to make the building trade exempt from the new Apprenticeship Levy. Brian Berry also warned of a […]