Local authority liable for incorrect search result
The High Court has held that a local authority (LA) was liable after providing a buyer incorrect information in a local authority search, which was subsequently relied upon in the purchasing of the property. In Chesterton Commercial (Oxon) Ltd v Oxfordshire County Council [2015] the LA failed to disclose an investigation into whether part of […]
Don’t take a risk with contaminated land
A recent article from Groundsure has uncovered that contaminated land is more prevalent than originally thought. The article has stated that former industrial land across England and Wales could be twice as contaminated than original figures suggested, meaning that these sites now occupy around 4% of land across the UK. With these new statistics being […]
Interview with Jill Boulton, Director at JBA Risk Management
Jill Boulton is a Director at JBA Risk Management, which provides the Comprehensive Flood Map to insurers and conveyancers and is used by around 80% of the UK household market. She told Jane Common at Today’s Conveyancer why flood mapping is so fascinating – and what the government’s new Flood Re scheme will mean for […]
Searchpoint announce free, Land Registry Boundary Mapping
We are pleased to be able to offer free, automatic boundary mapping using official Land Registry boundary data. This is great news for conveyancers as it means there is no longer the need to upload or draw boundary plans when ordering searches. Provided the property is freehold and registered with Land Registry the freehold boundary […]
How can property sales guidance be utilised by conveyancers?
The National Trading Standards has released draft revised guidelines on compliance for property sales. The revised guidelines will replace the old guidance issued by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), who are now non-operational. The draft has subsequently been distributed by the Independent Network of Estate Agents (INEA), who are a frequent contributor to the […]
Speedy billing (Conveyancer Slater – Tweet of the Week)
@antonyslumbers conveyancing can’t be automated- so many variables- advertising and getting a sale- fees are too high… Period — Darren Jones (@UKenergybroker) August 4, 2015 @UKenergybroker What variables in conveyancing? Factual. Title, local search, deeds etc. All pure process. — Antony Slumbers (@antonyslumbers) August 4, 2015 @UKenergybroker And you shouldn’t be having boundary issues if […]
Cyber risks: the facts for lawyers
Businesses are constantly exposed to the dangers of a cyber attack with hackers becomingly alarmingly sophisticated. Here, we list the key areas of concern for solicitors. 1. Loss of client money For conveyancing solicitors, Friday afternoon is often the busiest part of the week due to this frequently being the scheduled day for completions. Increasingly, […]
High Court dismiss misrepresentation claim regarding SPIF
In the recent case of Thorp and another v Abbotts and another [2015] the High Court has dismissed a claim of misrepresentation where it was alleged that the sellers of the property had given fraudulent replies in the Seller’s Property Information Form (SPIF). An inaccurate pre-contract statement, whether made in a reply to pre-contract enquiries […]
Investors strengthen their hold on Prime Central market
Two-fifths (42%) of property purchases in Prime Central London made by investors in Q2 – up 8% year-on-year Property in Prime Central areas costs 27% more per square foot than across city as a whole Pimlico sees strongest price growth in past year, with values up 5% (or £66,000) on Q2 2014 Overall Prime London […]
Solar developments in the green belt
Within the green belt, a number of residents are voicing their concerns over solar farms. A recent application to construct a 24 acre solar installation in Burstow, Surrey, has been reported to have caused controversy with local people, over fears regarding visual intrusion (1). The solar farm could generate enough power for approximately 1,575 homes. […]
It’s a buoyant market confirms leading conveyancing solutions provider, SearchFlow
Latest figures show both house prices and property transactions are up. While this is positive news for the industry, such high demand creates issues for homebuyers, according to leading conveyancing solutions provider SearchFlow. The HMRC’s latest numbers have shown that residential property transactions increased by 4.7% between May and June. Meanwhile Nationwide’s House Price Index […]
New planning reforms set to dismantle housebuilding process
George Osbourne’s announcement of the new housing reforms on the 10th July 2015 unveiled a host of new measures in order to bolster the housebuilding process, by reforming the planning system. The new proposals set in place allow automatic planning permission to be granted on many brownfield sites in England. Major projects in the housing […]
Conveyancing Association hosts Lender Roundtable to tackle delays to home-buying process
Last month the Conveyancing Association (CA) met with leading lenders to discuss their common goals when it comes to streamlining the home-buying process. A small working group of CA Management Committee Members hosted the roundtable event, which took place in London on Thursday 23rd July. They were joined by representatives of Nationwide, Santander, TSB and […]
Creating vibrant new town centres: Change of Use Planning Legislation
Permitted development rights for change of use from office to residential purposes came into force back in 2013, with further recent amendments to the legislation. Shelley Spyrides, Commercial Property partner at Bryan and Mercer takes a look at the scheme and what this means for the future of commercial and residential property on our high […]
History of a British home
In the dictionary a home is ‘the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household’ and of course there are the famous quotes ‘there is no place like home and ‘home is where the heart is’. Houses are a basic necessity for survival; they are a place for storage […]
Conveyancers can rest easy with SearchFlow’s SOS Team
Legal firms needing to bolster their conveyancing operations can now turn to SearchFlow for help. The Searches Outsource Service Team, known as the SOS Team, is on hand to provide additional resource for the entire search order process. “The SOS Team can support solicitors in a number of ways,” explains SearchFlow Managing Director, Greg Bryce. […]
Solicitor negligent for failing to warn client of planned development
In the recent case of Orientfield Holdings Ltd v Bird & Bird LLP [2015] the High Court has held that a solicitor has acted negligently for failing to warn his client about plans to build two schools in the same street as the client’s new property. The client was purchasing a £25 million property in […]
Barker Gotelee continues growth within property team
Ipswich-based law firm Barker Gotelee has welcomed four new employees across its expanding business. The appointments include Linda Crawford joining the firm’s property team. Linda has over 20 years’ experience in the legal profession and specialises in all aspects of residential conveyancing. This includes buying and selling properties, site acquisitions, auction legal packs, remortgaging and […]
Mergers & acquisitions: successor before success
The solicitors’ profession moved to the open market a very long time ago now and issues such as how the successor practice rules will apply in various circumstances ought to be fairly well established and understood. If only it were so states Niall Innes of Mills & Reeve, author of this article on how to […]
TM Group welcome Julia Scott to sales team
TM Group have today announced the appointment of experienced industry professional Julia Scott, who will serve as Key Account Manager for the North of England. With more than 15 years’ experience in the conveyancing market, Julia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the business and is looking forward to working closely with our […]