Sinkholes – a deep analysis
The storms and heavy rainfall of the winter 2013/2014 in England and Wales were described by the Met Office as one of, if not the most exceptional period of rainfall in the last 248 years. 1 This prolonged and heavy rainfall resulted in a spate of sinkholes or dolites opening up across Britain, leading to […]
Win more conveyancing work with Searches UK
Searches UK offers a number of products to assist companies in generating more business and protecting their clients. Searches UK is a leading search provider specialising in a full range of professional conveyancing services for both residential and commercial properties. With a team of industry professionals and efficient search agents, it provides a fast, reliable, […]
Interview with Scott Devine, AML Policy Adviser at The Law Society
Scott Devine is Policy Adviser for Anti-Money Laundering at The Law Society. He told Today’s Conveyancer why it’s such an important area for solicitors to be savvy in… What exactly does The Law Society do regarding money laundering? “The Money Laundering Task Force is The Law Society’s body of experts on money laundering and is […]
eConveyancer acquires Legal Eye
The AIM listed conveyancing panel manager has this morning announced the acquisition of the well known and respected legal compliance business Legal Eye. ULS Technology plc the AIM listed parent of eConveyancer this morning announced the acquisition of Legal Eye from Jaunita Gobby. Commenting on the acquistion, Jaunita Gobby, Managing Director, Legal Eye said: “Since […]
Conveyancing portal announces pricing that will ensure accessibility for all
Veyo, the comprehensive conveyancing portal, reveals that conveyancing professionals will be able to utilise the portal to conduct residential conveyancing work for only £20 per transaction – this fee to include free AML searches, and free conveyancing Forms. The joint venture between The Law Society and Mastek (UK) Ltd is to be launched soon, and […]
Shared growth ambition prompts merger talks
Two of the Midlands most respected law firms, Shakespeares and SGH Martineau, have confirmed they are in merger talks to create a new legal powerhouse. A combined SGH Martineau and Shakespeares offering would create a top 50 UK firm, with a fee income of over £75m and approximately 900 members of staff, including 150 partners. […]
Secured lending on the up as remortgaging market falters
£66m worth of secured loans in January across 1,294 transactions £779m of second charge mortgages in twelve months to January 2015 Remortgaging activity stagnates, but secured loan market blossoms The secured loan market continues to go from strength to strength according to the inaugural Enterprise Finance Secured Loan index. The £66m of secured lending witnessed […]
Fostering Sustainable Conveyancing Growth
The fourth guest blog in our series, investigating how firms could grow their conveyancing business in 2015 comes from Leadership Consultant, Victor Olowe, Managing Director of Winzest Consulting. Understanding there is no “quick fix” or “one size fits all” approach to business development is key for firms to enable them to seek out and spot […]
QRS – Super-charging your referral network
A recent poll reported that 25% of clients were influenced in their decision to instruct a conveyancer by a recommendation from an estate agent. With QRS, you can build a bigger, broader and better referral network for your conveyancing business in just three easy steps: 1) Offer the free use of QRS to local agents […]
Almost three quarters of homes sold for less than asking price
Nearly three quarters of houses sold in January were sold for less than asking price as buyers start to negotiate again However, the housing market is cooling down in the lead up to the General Election with supply and demand both down from levels seen throughout 2014 Buyers have the power to negotiate again, as […]
Property Forum Awards confirms expert judging panel
The judges for the inaugural Property Forum Awards, hosted by SearchFlow, have been confirmed. The panel includes experts from across the legal, property and financial sectors. An awards scheme specifically designed to demonstrate key achievements in the conveyancing industry, the Property Forum Awards, in association with Legal Futures, celebrate law firms which set definitive benchmarks […]
Moneypenny is a top 5 `Best Company To Work For’ in the UK
Telephone answering specialist Moneypenny has topped off a remarkable week by scooping 4th position in the Sunday Times’ list of the best `mid-sized’ companies to work for in the UK. Only days after announcing the company’s launch into the United States, Moneypenny is celebrating again with its highest ever placing in the prestigious `100 Best […]
Hoowla launches first phase of Land Registry Integration
Hoowla has announced that the first phase in their integration with Land Registry Business Gateway has gone live. Customers of Hoowla can link up their Land Registry account from within the Hoowla case management software. “Land Registry is pleased that Hoowla has integrated with the Business Gateway Enquiry by Property Description service” says James Rippin, […]
Abortive transaction protection – conveyancing considerations
The number of new companies offering abortive transaction protection for your conveyancing clients grew dramatically in 2014. Abortive transaction insurance is a service offering that was launched in 2013, and many of the providers are regulated under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The main providers of this type of cover are Searches UK, Box Legal, […]
A month to go to the INNSA Conference
The Invasive Non Native Specialists Association (INNSA) Conference which is being held at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester on 24th March will be a defining event for the invasive species industry. The Conference will mark the launch of the INNSA Code of Practice which will set the industry standard for the remediation […]
Stamp duty changes push first-time buyer deposits to 18 month high
January sees average first-time buyer deposit rise to £29,127, 15% higher than a year ago Average first-time buyer house-purchase price tops £160,000 for first time on record First-time buyer completions fall 19% on a monthly basis, due to a dip in applications over Christmas First-time buyer deposits have climbed 15% in a year to average […]
Conveyancer Slater – Tweet of the Week
This is certainly an interesting comment this week! Let us know what you think in the comments below. Conveyancing lawyers are definitely no 2 on my hate list after estate agents — Michael Berry (@whitepele888) February 25, 2015
January Market Trend Data from Land Registry
The January data shows an annual price increase of 6.7 per cent which takes the average property value in England and Wales to £179,492 compared with the peak of £181,101 in November 2007. House prices are up 1.3 per cent since December. The regional data indicates that: London experienced the greatest increase in its average […]
Bow Street Orange £180
Bow Street is the first Orange property on the London Monopoly board. Bow Street is a road situated in Covent Garden in Westminster, unlike the other streets in Covent Garden, Bow Street derived its name from its bow like shape rather than the Royal family. Bow Street was a diverse area, with houses in the […]
CLC Publishes Strategy and 2015 Business Plan
Governing Council of CLC settles strategy of specialisation in regulation of property law services Focus on continued support for innovation and competition in context of high standards of consumer protection Builds on the regulator’s strengths and sets clear course for its fourth decade The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has published its strategy for a clear […]