SRA issues warning on SDLT schemes
The SRA held an event on the 5th June warning law firms not to wander from the path of compliance whilst economic times are tough. The warning from the Chief Executive of the SRA, Anthony Townsend, specifically cautioned solicitors about getting involved in stamp duty land tax (SDLT) schemes as a way to make quick […]
BBC reveals less than 200 homes signed up to Green Deal
According to BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme the governments flagship Green Deal policy has seen less than 200 takers so far. The policy was launched in January to offer long-term loans for energy-saving home improvement work. Although 19,000 homes have been assessed very few householders have gone on to take out the loans. […]
Equity release continues to grow
According to new research from Stonehaven, 45.1% of their customers in London and the South East are now using equity release to pay mortgage debt. The equity release provider found that nearly half their customers cited paying off their mortgages as the primary reason for taking out an equity release loan compared to only 27.6% […]
Accord Buy to Let widen panel
Accord BTL are now offering their buy to let customers a significantly increased panel. Accord Buy to Let will now accept solicitor firms who are on Accord Mortgages’ residential Conveyancing Panel and accredited under the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) maintained by the Law Society of England & Wales. The solicitors chosen will act on a […]
Five convicted of £20m mortgage fraud
The BBC has reported that five people have been convicted of mortgage fraud worth £20m. The convictions follow a five-month trial in which the jury had to consider 50,000 items of evidence. The case related to 189 mortgage applications were made between May 2003 and June 2008. According to the prosecution the deceit was achieved […]
Santander UK plc v R A Legal Solicitors
On 23 May 2013, the High Court handed down its decision in the latest case in which a lender has sued solicitors for breach of trust. The decision in Santander v R. A. Legal Solicitors, confirmed and clarified the Court of Appeal’s decision in Nationwide v Davisons as to when solicitors should be relieved from […]
Stalled housing sites to receive government help
Housing Minister Mark Prisk has announced that major schemes at 14 sites could receive government investment, allowing 38,000 new homes to be built. If they pass due diligence the sites will each receive a share of the Local Infrastructure Fund, which has a total budget of £474 million. Schemes which are struggling to get off […]
New partner for Hoffman Male
Swindon based firm Hoffman Male have announced a new partner will head up their new Bristol Office. Yvette Morcombe, a conveyancing solicitor with over 20 years’ experience, will run their recently opened Almondsbury office. Ms Morcombe qualified as a solicitor in 1993, and has worked in residential and commercial property ever since. For more details […]
Devon based firm Kitsons announces acquisition
Kitsons has acquired Exeter-based Armitage & Co and appointed the principal Simon Armitage as a Partner with effect of 1st June 2013. Kitsons is headquartered in Torquay, Devon with offices in Exeter and Plymouth. Armitage & Co have operated as a sole practitioner in Exeter for over 30 years, specialising in probate and residential conveyancing […]
Law Society seeks views on e-conveyancing portal
The Law Society has announced that they are currently developing a concept for an e-conveyancing portal. They are currently in the process of selecting an IT partner to build and host the platform. Views are sought on a number of key issues so that the portal branding, functionality and pricing model can be finalised. They […]
Help to Buy sees 4000 reservations
According to the Home Builders Federation (HBF) around 4000 people have reserved a new home using the Equity Loan part of the Government’s Help to Buy scheme. More than 400 builders have registered for the Equity Loan scheme which launched on April 1. Under the scheme the Government will help purchasers of new build homes […]
Scottish Law Society to review conveyancing
Scotland’s residential conveyancing practice is to be developed and enhanced by a working group set up by The Law Society of Scotland. The development was agreed on Friday 31st May with the intention of meeting the needs of 21st century home buyers. The review will look at the sale and purchase of homes in Scotland […]
SRA warns of the link between non-compliance and tough financial times
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned delegates at a conference about how good times for legal services are related to higher standards of compliance. The “Compliance and the role of COLP and COFA- six months on” conference in London warned that the tough economic climate facing law firms has in some cases created temptation to […]
15% increase in first-time buyers this April
April saw a 15% increase in the number of first-time buyer transactions since March according to reports from LSL Property Services. In April 22,000 first-time buyer transactions were recorded, up by 2,900 when compared to March. This increase is considered to be a result of the Funding for Lending Scheme which allows lenders to offer […]
SRA hold event explaining key authorisation application criteria for firms
On Tuesday 4th June, the SRA held an event in Birmingham that was aimed specifically at prospective firms seeking to gain authorisation from the SRA. The event ‘Getting authorised by the SRA: a step-by-step guide’ outlined the required criteria that the SRA would expect to see from applicants. Having recently reviewed the process and about […]
Conveyancer Elected Mayor
Sara Wakefield a conveyancer and trainee solicitor from the Cheshire based law firm Rowlinsons has been elected as the new Mayor of Frodsham. After joining Rowlinsons in 2009 as a paralegal, Sara was promoted to Conveyancing Executive in the law firm’s award winning Conveyancing Team. Last month the team were awarded the Property Award at […]
PSG Conquer The Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge
At 6.30pm on Saturday 1st June, the last member of the PSG Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge Team crossed the finish line with a time of 11 hours and 30 minutes. It was a brilliant day and the clear weather conditions made for plenty of photo opportunities, to view the photos please visit the flickr link […]
Building Societies Association announce new Chief Executive
The Building Societies Association have announced the appointment of Robin Fieth as their new Chief Executive. Mr Fieth is currently the Executive Director, Members and Operations at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He will take up the role on 1 December 2013. Commenting on his appointment, Mr Fieth said: "Building societies […]
Indeed Online sells Runnett & Co
One of the largest new entrants to the conveyancing market in recent years has scaled back its operations and been sold back to its original owner. We reported earlier in the week that Indeed Online PLC had taken the decision to cut its Directors pay following disappointing second half results. Today they announced that the […]
GroundSure launch market first
GroundSure have today launched a new product which looks at which areas of the country may be affected by fracking, windfarms and other energy resource exploration. The “GroundSure Energy” report will identify sites of interest within 25km of a property. Dan Montagnani, Managing Director, GroundSure explained the reasons for launching the product: “With home-buyers increasingly […]