£50 billion in 20 years – with only 27p missing
Having celebrated a landmark achievement of 20 years in the conveyancing business, Newport-based Convey Law reflects on transacting £50bn in home moves with head of finance and administration Abby Bater. Abby shares her thoughts on the trials and tribulations of keeping clients and teams safe in today’s fraught conveyancing world, and managing the finances of […]
Evolving NLIS: Key market research insights
Land Data is exploring ways in which NLIS can evolve to streamline and improve the Official Searches market, supporting stable property transactions for consumers. In Spring 2025 Land Data appointed TPX Impact and Alpha Property Insight to undertake an extensive market research programme to better understand the needs of the searches market. With support from the Ministry of Housing, Communities […]
CCC warns 25% of properties at risk of flooding, ahead of updated Law Society guidance
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has published its latest progress report, and warns an increasing number of properties will be at risk of flooding or overheating but the UK’s preparations are ‘inadequate’, ‘piecemeal’ and ‘disjointed’. The report comes ahead of the Law Society’s practice note on climate risk, which is set to be published on […]
Friday 30th May predicted to be busiest house moving day of the year
The moving comparison website Compare My Move expects Friday 30th May to be the busiest day to move house this year, with conveyancers ‘likely to be busier than usual’. An estimated 13,549 households moved on this date last year, amounting to 1.23% of all moves throughout the year. The data gathered by Compare My Move […]
March transaction numbers ‘foundation for growth’ but capacity could be an issue
The impact of the SDLT deadline on 31st March was evident in the latest figures from HMRC which showed sizeable uplifts in transactions from February 2025 and March 2024. The provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK residential transactions in March is 177,370, which is 104% higher than March 2024 and 62% higher than February 2025. […]
1 in 4 paid more than quoted for conveyancing
One in four home movers say they paid more than they were quoted for their conveyancing, while nearly four in ten (37%) said they had paid the same as quoted, according to a new survey published by home moving comparison site Compare My Move. A quarter (25%) of respondents said the cost of their conveyancing […]
Rural Wales sees largest increase in Land Registry applications
An analysis of HM Land Registry transaction data has revealed Powys as the area with the largest increase in property applications to the registry in 2024. The rural mid-Wales county saw a 25.2% increase in applications, followed by Bedford with 17.3%, Hounslow in West London at 11.2%, and Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire increasing by […]
Stamp duty and the impact on the property market
I’ve worked in the property industry for 14 years and have seen many changes in the world of residential conveyancing. Most recently we had the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the stamp duty holiday that followed, the changes in interest rates and now the changes to the stamp duty thresholds. The impact of the latter […]
Changes to AML guidance ratified by Treasury
Changes to anti-money laundering guidance submitted to HM Treasury have been formally ratified and published in the latest Legal Sector Affinity Group (LSAG) Anti-Money Laundering Guidance for the Legal Sector 2025. LSAG, which is made up of the AML regulators in the UK including the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and […]
Planning and Infrastructure Bill enters second week of oral evidence
Oral evidence related to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will continue to heard by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee on Tuesday, with General Committee debates scheduled tomorrow and Thursday. Last week, the bill went through its first and second sittings with the Public Bill Committee, following an announcement by deputy prime minister […]
Reminder: Purpose codes mandated from 1st May 2025
Conveyancer are reminded the inclusion of ‘purpose codes’ for property transactions, as mandated by Bank of England (BoE), will come into effect this week. The introduction of the new requirement, part of a move to a new global standard in payment messaging, had originally been set for introduction in November 2024, but was delayed to […]
CLC seeks practitioner input for its Quarterly Confidence Tracker
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is once again running its Quarterly Confidence Tracker to gather the views of the profession on the current state of home buying and selling. The regulator hopes the survey will become a regular health check for the industry, monitoring the sentiment and expectations of conveyancers every quarter. Contributors in […]
Bold Legal conference to connect conveyancers in London this June
The Bold Legal Group will stage its annual conveyancing conference at Regent’s University London on 11th June, with a barbecue lunch and evening drinks. The BLG Conference & Soirée: A Day of Professional Development, Networking, and Industry Insight aims to bring together around 300 professionals from the conveyancing sector ‘for a day of connection, collaboration, […]
Pressure makes diamonds but it can also crack glass – why proactive AML compliance is non-negotiable for conveyancers right now
You’ve probably heard the saying “pressure makes diamonds” and if you’re working in residential or commercial property, you’re likely under more pressure than most. Tight deadlines, complex chains, and relentless client expectations come with the territory. You’ve been through the Stamp Duty headache already this year, so we know you’re recovering from that pressure, but […]
3,300 new staff bring HMLR backlog within 12 months
The Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has reiterated HM Land Registry’s commitment to reducing waiting times, and claims a combination of 3300 new staff and the automation of routine tasks will continue to drive down delays. In a written answer to Labour MP Amanda Hack, who asked the minister what steps […]
HMLR chief: ‘We’re making headway but have a long way to go’
The chief executive of HM Land Registry has outlined the improvements made by the service and promised no complacency in the ongoing drive to reduce registration times. ‘I know that improving the speed of registration is our customers’ number one concern,’ Simon Hayes wrote in a blog published last week. ‘It is the same for […]
Scam warning as conveyancing firm targeted with fake reviews
Scammers have targeted a conveyancing firm and posted fake one-star reviews after the founder refused to provide sensitive and personal information. Rose Davis, founder and Director at Davis & Co Property Lawyers, has warned firms of the scam which sees scammers post fake one-star reviews, and leave scathing comments, after she refused to share her […]
SRA issues £59,000 in AML fines as deterrent for ‘high-risk’ conveyancers
Breaches of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations by conveyancers have incurred fines of over £59,000 since the start of April, with the Solicitors Regulation Authority insisting the penalties are in the public interest and must act as a deterrent. Notices published by the SRA within the last two weeks list a string of offences that have […]
Costly penalties await failure to apply correct rates of SDLT – Warning
Following the end of March many conveyancers would be forgiven for being happy to never hear or talk about SDLT again. But, says one firm, SDLT is something which should always be given due consideration. The warning comes from Relatus, a specialist in SDLT who say incorrectly calculating SDLT can result in costly penalties and […]
L&G data reveals promising signs, with interest from older first time buyers up by 80%
L&G says there has been a ‘significant increase’ in first-time buyer searches for mortgages, including a sharp rise in older buyers who want to get on the property ladder. Quarter one data from L&G’s Ignite mortgage platform showed an increase of 45% for first-time buyers compared to figures from Q4 of 2024, with searches by […]