Nearly one third (31%) of borrowers remortgaging in May have increased the size of their mortgage to release cash for spending or reduction of other debts
24% of remortgage borrowers increased their loan size by more than £10,000 – over 8% more than their original mortgage Percentage of borrowers seeking to significantly increase size of their remortgage loans (by over £10,000) has risen by 4% since April The latest research by LMS shows a rise of 4% in borrowers who remortgaged […]
Matt Lancaster appointed Chair of Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA)
Matt Lancaster, Sales and Marketing Director of Osprey Legal Cloud has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA), the UK industry body for legal systems developers and vendors. Lancaster takes over from Glyn Morris. “The LSSA’s collective clients form the majority of law firms in the UK. My vision […]
The perils of unrated insurance: our story
The following example highlights the importance of giving very careful consideration to whether or not your business should be insured by an unrated insurer. A solicitors practice found itself in the unfortunate position of struggling to obtain PII after a series of claims made against them. These were a consequence of the errors made by […]
House buyers at highest levels in eight months
383 house buyers per office in May, highest since September 2014 Highest year on year level of house buyers for May since May 2005 Supply levels see marginal increase from last month, but sees large decrease year on year from May 2005 NAEA releases May Housing Market Report Demand for property in May was at […]
May Market Trend Data from Land Registry
The May data shows an annual price increase of 4.6 per cent which takes the average property value in England and Wales to £179,696 compared with the peak of £180,990 in November 2007. Monthly house prices show no change (0.0 per cent) since April. The regional data indicates that: London and the South East experienced […]
Council for Mortgage Lenders welcomes positive relationships with conveyancers
CA lender engagement programme – ensuring lenders and conveyancers work more closely together Director General of the Council for Mortgage Lenders, Paul Smee, has welcomed positive working relationships in a recent speech to Conveyancing Association members. Speaking at the Association’s latest All-Members Meeting, on Thursday 18th June in London, Mr Smee echoed the CA’s desire […]
O’Neill Patient achieves ISO27001 accreditation
Stockport-based O’Neill Patient has become one of the few UK law firms to secure the ISO27001 Information Security standard – demonstrating its robust approach to handling its client data securely. In an industry where secure data handling is a major concern, the firm has invested significantly to achieve the standard, improving our people training and […]
Broken system (Conveyancer Slater – Tweet of the Week)
@andykeetch All this effort disrupting things that aren’t broken like taxis and we still have this mortgage/conveyancing horror. — Aegir Hallmundur (@aegirthor) June 25, 2015
House prices soar by up to 73% along Crossrail route
Homeowners living in top five performing areas since 2013 set to pocket more than £100,000 on the value of their property The Crossrail project continues to boost local house prices, with the value of properties in walking distance* of new stations growing by as much as 73% since 2013, new Groundsure research released today reveals. […]
Matterhorn Walkers raise over £7,500 for Children’s Hospice
Last weekend, members of staff from Convey Law and Monmouth RFC undertook the Welsh Three Peak Challenge in support of the Matterhorn Challenge and the Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice. They scaled the highest peaks in North, Mid and South Wales, all within 17 hours! Walking a total distance of 20.35 miles, whilst making a total […]
Blacks Connect announce significant system upgrade
Broker-focused conveyancer, Blacks Connect, has today announced a significant upgrade of its broker quotation and instruction system with a number of new services and developments introduced. The upgrade has been designed to provide a more streamlined service for users, a more detailed information flow, as well as presenting them with more income-generating opportunities. One of […]
SRA asks for views on its services
The public will be asked their views on the Solicitors Regulation Authority as part of a major perceptions survey starting this week. IFF Research, an independent market research agency, has been commissioned to undertake the survey, which the SRA will use to improve the way it provides services in the future. The first stage involves […]
Gross remortgage lending falls 13% month-on-month
Number of remortgages down by 6% compared to April 2015 Total amount of equity withdrawn through remortgaging reaches £634m – largest amount since record equity withdrawals during December 2014 Average amount of equity withdrawn per customer up 19% year on year; 9% month-on-month increase The latest figures from LMS reveal that the value of monthly […]
Landfill sites
Landfill sites can have severely detrimental effects on surrounding land, and as a result are often under intense scrutiny. Interest in the remediation of contaminated land has never been higher with Brownfield developments for new housing on the up and up 1, resulting from the rise in demand for the development of new housing. Contamination […]
Property market confidence up
Conveyancers see increase in work volumes, with optimism up for 2015 Conveyancers’ confidence in the market is rising, according to SearchFlow’s latest Conveyancer Sentiment Survey. 66% of solicitors have seen their volume of conveyancing work increase so far this year, compared with 52% at the end of last year. The survey pooled the views of […]
"Prevention is Protection" as OneSearch Direct integrates Lawyer Checker results
OneSearch Direct, one of the UK’s leading property search firms, has announced it can now provide an automated facility to access Lawyer Checker results. Conveyancing fraud is a very real and omnipresent threat that only continues to hang over the industry like a dark cloud. Year on year since 2012, the industry has seen an […]
Energy and Infrastructure – Check before you buy
Energy consumption, like electricity and gas, is something we all take for granted, and with the supply of fossil fuels running low and the effect they have on the environment, fracking and renewable energy sources are becoming ever more present in this country. Wind and solar farms are the future of green energy, but often […]
Stephensons chooses E-Plus for their quotation and referral system
North-West law firm, Stephensons, is rolling out the quotation and referral system E-Plus this month, to attract more direct conveyancing business. Employing over 60 staff in conveyancing, Stephensons work with clients across the country. The firm provides a full range of legal services to both private and commercial clients, with a particular strength in conveyancing. […]
New Client Case Study June 2015 – Wright Solicitors
Introduction Wright Solicitors is a modern, forward-thinking law firm that has not forgotten its traditional roots. It has been serving the people of Dudley and its surrounding areas for nearly 100 years, with first-class legal advice, good personal service and good value being at its heart. It offers a wide range of personal legal services […]
Home Group recognised as a great employer
A major affordable housing provider has been recognised for the work it has done to become a better employer. Home Group has been recognised by the Chartered Institute of Professional Development for the improvements it has made in how it rewards employees. The not-for-profit housing provider won the Rewards and Benefits Award at the CIPD […]