Dear Sirs – are we missing the point?
A campaign to eradicate the use of “Dear Sirs” in correspondence is gaining momentum with an online petition launched on 1st October gathering over 1500 signatures. The petition has been launched by Ellie Rees, founding director of estate agency Brickworks, who tells Today’s Conveyancer the origins of her frustrations start 10 years ago when, having […]
Housing pipeline tops £113bn with market set for 1.1m transactions in 2024 – Zoopla
306,000 homes are currently working their way through the buying process to completion; and increase of 62,250 (26%) on the same time last year leading to predictions of a “bumper” final quarter for 2024 and into 2025. The latest House Price Index from Zoopla paints a hugely positive picture of the market with the largest […]
“Contrived” MDR claim leaves £80,000 SDLT bill
A ‘contrived’ attempt to claim Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR) on a property has left the owner’s with an £80,000 tax bill after a first tier tribunal (FTT) ruled MDR did not apply. The property in question, a six-bedroom home in Upper Basildon, Berkshire, was transacted in August 2020. The tribunal was told the solicitors for […]
New “Ethical Principles” part of updated CLC Code of Conduct
Proposed changes by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) to its Code of Conduct have been approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB) and will take effect from January 1, 2025. A revised code of conduct was put to CLC in a consultation at the end of 2023, placing increased importance on knowing your client, […]
Latest Geovation cohort welcomed on to funding programme
The innovation arm of Ordnance Survey has welcomed the latest cohort of GeoTech and PropTech startups to its accelerator programme Geovation; the 19th group to go through the incubator. Geovation’s Accelerator Programme was launched in 2009 as a collaboration between Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry to provide start-ups with expertise and support to help […]
Help Your Clients Better Navigate Brownfield Land: Brownfield Passports and More
Redeveloping brownfield sites in England and Wales can be hugely beneficial for both community and industry. The question is, how do you help your firm’s clients take well-informed advantage of these opportunities in their area? This article, produced by On Point Data partners, Groundsure, will unpack the government’s proposed ‘Brownfield Passports’ scheme and provide solutions […]
Property fall throughs on the rise – analysis
Analysis of property market withdrawals and fall through suggests both are on the up in the first half of 2024. A fall-through is generally considered to be a property transaction that collapses after an offer has already been made and accepted. Meanwhile, a withdrawal refers to instances where a seller decides to remove their property […]
ONP Solicitors expands its Leeds operation
ONP Solicitors is expanding its Leeds operation in response to ‘increasing demand for its conveyancing and remortgage services.’ Since opening its Leeds office in May 2022, ONP has seen organic growth to a team of 50+. The firm says it now aims to accelerate this expansion further, with a vision to grow its team by […]
First mortgage intermediary joins Open Property Data Association
Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) has joined the Open Property Data Association (OPDA) becoming the first major mortgage intermediary to do so in the group’s efforts to speed up homebuying by standardising digital property information across the home transaction. MAB is one of the largest consumer intermediary brands and specialist appointed representative networks for mortgage intermediaries […]
Legal service comparisons between England and Wales
Comparisons between consumer sentiment in England and Wales have been published identifying broadly positive views of the accessibility, trust and quality of legal services in the two countries. Legal Services Consumer Panel’s Tracker Survey is a report into the key similarities and differences between the procurement and experience of legal services in England and Wales. […]
March deadline looms as FTB relief unlikely to be extended
Reports indicate Chancellor Rachel Reeves will not extend the current SDLT relief for first time buyers (FTBs), creating another ‘cliff-edge’ for conveyancers and property lawyers in March 2025 as transactions are pushed through ahead of the deadline. The Labour government has suggested the upcoming budget, on 30th October, will need find the right balance of […]
“Property lawyers are not environmental experts” – but we must explain potential liabilities
Solicitors and property practitioners are not expected to be experts in environmental law but they must advise clients on the potential impact of climate change on property transactions and signpost them to further resources should the issue arise. In a panel discussion at the Law Society’s Property Conference, the message was clear and practitioners are […]
Open letter calls on government to adopt UPRN to “transform the property market”
Decisive action and the implementation of Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRN) across the residential property market is essential in ‘transforming the property market, enhancing transparency, improving market efficiency, and driving significant benefits for both the public and private sectors, as well as consumers.’ An open letter sent by a collection of organisations from across the […]
“Spurious” SDLT claims under the microscope
The Law Society of England and Wales says it is being contacted by conveyancers concerned by ‘spurious’ claims and agents ‘pushing boundaries’ when it comes to stamp duty land tax (SDLT) claims and repayment. It says purchasers and conveyancers are being contacted by organisations with ‘little or no expertise in the tax and pay little […]
Review powered awards showcases customer service excellence
Customer service awards The ESTAS crowned their winners at the 21st edition of the ceremony at The Grosvenor Hotel, London on Friday in a ceremony attended by 1,000 property professionals from across the UK. The ESTAS, sponsored for the first time by joint headline partners Reapit & PayProp, sees agents, conveyancers, mortgage brokers and suppliers […]
The Secret Diary of A High Street Conveyancer: Dear Sirs
I have been following some discourse about how we write emails. It is an interesting discussion. I was taught that all letters to other firms should always start with ‘Dear Sirs’ and end ‘Yours faithfully’. Letters to clients and others who were known to me would be written ‘ Dear Jane/John (insert favourite client’s name)’ […]
Enhancing identity verification: How conveyancers can navigate the future UK housing boom
It’s been a sluggish few years for the UK housing market. Data from Nationwide shows market activity has remained broadly flat over the past 12 months, and is 15% lower than pre-Covid levels in 2019. This has naturally led to less work for conveyancers, with data from Search Acumen’s Conveyancing Market Tracker showing that the […]
Law Society TA6 webinars now available to watch on-demand
Webinars produced by the Law Society as part of their consultation into proposed amends to the TA6 Property Protocol form have been made available to review on demand. ‘Understanding the TA6 form and digital developments in residential conveyancing’ have been published as part of Property Week (14 to 18 October) and sought to cover topics […]
£68m commitment to unlock brownfield sites for housing
54 councils across the UK will receive a share of £68m to unlock and develop brownfield sites. The funding will be used to deliver on the government’s pledge to build 1.5m homes over the course of this Parliament and deliver on its election promises to help families on to the housing ladder. The funding is […]
CoPSO seeks new chair
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) is seeking a new chair after James Sherwood-Rogers announced he would be stepping down at the end of September 2024. Sherwood-Rogers confirmed in August he would be stepping down after over 10 years as chair saying “I am proud of what CoPSO has achieved, but it is time […]