SRA publish list of firms without insurance
The SRA has issued the following press release this afternoon. Conveyancers take note of who you are exchanging with. SRA publishes names of firms that had no insurance The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published the list of 136 firms that did not have indemnity insurance in place by 1 October deadline and did not […]
Tiger Aspect Holdings Ltd & Anor v Sunlife Europe Properties Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 1656 (17 December 2013)
This case raised the issue of the assessment of the diminution in value of a reversion at the end of a lease and looked at the issue of supersession (a term used by surveyors when works of repair carried out by a landlord following the end of a lease go beyond the standard of repair […]
New appointment for Connells Group Home Conveyancing team
Connells Group Home Conveyancing is delighted to announce the appointment of Alison Taylor as Conveyancing Panel Manager, effective immediately. Alison brings over 22 years experience to Connells’ dedicated conveyancing team and will be responsible for managing the relationship between the Group’s estate agency branches and its panel of leading law firms. Alison has previous experience […]
Can conveyancers change buyers’ habits?
Research from Move with Us shows 84% of home owners instruct conveyancers too late in the moving process. One of the UK’s largest independent estate agent networks has released research data showing that there are a high number of home movers acting too late when it comes to instructing their conveyancer on their sale or […]
First time buyer rates up 28%
November saw the number of first-time buyers climb 28% year-on-year thanks in part to the lowering of mortgage rates by lenders. According to the latest First Time Buyer Tracker from LSL Property Services there were 27,800 first-time buyer sales in November, up 6,100 from November 2012. The average first-time buyer LTV rose to 81.3%, the […]
Conveyancer becomes partner after 18 months
A residential conveyancing solicitor who joined a regional law firm 18 months ago has become its youngest partner. Darlington & Stockton Times reported that” “Sally Hare, 31, has risen through the ranks at BHP Law having been made head of its conveyancing department and an associate late last year”. The conveyancing team at the firm […]
Home loans hit six year high
The latest Mortgage Monitor from LSL Property Services showed that 78,000 monthly home loans were advanced in December, the highest level since November 2007. High LTV lending was also up 60% higher year-on-year but there was a festive dip in high LTV lending with 5% fewer home loans than in November.
Five things for conveyancers to consider in 2014
The start of the year is always a good time to get your house in order and think about what is round the corner. Here we highlight five areas that you might wish to consider focusing on during 2014. Capacity and Price 2013 was a particularly buoyant year for conveyancers compared with 2012 with many […]
Taylor&Emmet join forces with Cockertons
Sheffield solicitors, Taylor&Emmet LLP has announced a merger with Bakewell firm, Cockertons. The deal will see Cockertons become a division of Taylor&Emmet, widening the range of legal services available in the North Derbyshire market town. Cockertons is to retain its own identity and client base and all 17 employees are to remain at its Bridge […]
Information Commissioner urges personal device policy
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has urged firms to introduce policy’s relating to the use of personal devices at work. They referred to a survey from before Christmas that showed that sixty per cent of the UK population now own a smart phone and 20% a tablet. Whilst employees using their own devices has in […]
Willis increases market share
The UK Legal Services Practice of Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), the global risk adviser, insurance and reinsurance broker, has announced that it has increased its market share of the Solicitors’ Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) market. The firm has seen an increase in business of around 30% following the acquisition of Prime Risk Solutions and […]
SRA warns firms to engage over insurance position
Conveyancers beware of who you take a conveyancing undertaking from. Firms that failed to secure a new professional indemnity insurance policy by 1 October automatically entered the extended policy period (EPP), which provided a 90-day extension. That period ended on 29 December and firms that still did not have cover should now have closed. The […]
A cautiously optimistic outlook
With the old year drawn to a close, the festive season is a time to reflect on what has been and hopes for good fortune in 2014. For the property market, the mood is certainly more buoyant than a year ago. I am sure we will all be viewing 2013 as the year when the […]
ETSOS Searches the UK
Conveyancing search supermarket ETSOS has announced that it has added Searches UK to its roster of regulated search providers. The move is part of ETSOS’s on-going commitment to give its clients as broad a choice of providers and products as possible, enabling firms to demonstrate an independence of choice and the ability to truly act […]
Help to Buy sees £1 billion of lending
During the last three months over 6000 people have put in offers on homes and applied for a mortgage thanks to the Help to Buy scheme. The latest statistics released by the government show that nearly 750 purchases have already been completed through the scheme. Once approved these mortgages would represent nearly £1 billion of […]
Will flooding leave conveyancers in hot water?
The Met Office has warned that the worst storms the UK has seen for 20 years are set to continue, with 70 flood warnings in place throughout England and Wales and a further 217 areas on flood alert. The continued rain will undoubtedly cause further disruption and the Environment Agency has warned heavy rain may […]
Daily Mail reports on Chancel Repair Liability
The Daily Mail has warned their readers of the dangers of Chancel Repair Liability in their story “Homeowners face huge bills for repair to churches under ancient laws – regardless of their religion”. The story published on the 30th December details the threat to homeowners saying that: “Letters have been sent to more than 12,000 […]
November sees over 70,000 mortgage loans approved
The latest Money and Credit Report from the Bank of England has revealed 70,758 mortgage loans were approved in November. This was considerably higher than the six month average of 62,999 with the increase equating to £0.9 billion compared to October. The number of approvals for remortgaging was 34,642 compared to the average of 34,405 […]
More than half think 2014 time to sell
According to the latest Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker 51% of the British public think that 2014 will be a good time to sell property. This is the first time since April 2011 that the survey has shown a majority positive sentiment with only 39% thinking 2014 will be a bad time to sell. Sentiment […]
STL launches new enhanced search
STL has launched an enhanced Regulated (Personal) Local Authority Search which includes: – A unique new interactive ‘Summary for Conveyancers’ — this identifies key points and matters revealed (which conveyancers may wish to highlight to clients or investigate further), recommendations for further actions and details of any hazards identified for the property address – an […]