House of Commons answer on Help to Buy scheme
William Bain MP tabled a question in the House of Commons relating to the number of people who could potentially benefit from the Help to Buy scheme in the UK and individual regions. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was asked to estimate the number of people likely to benefit from the proposed Help to Buy […]
Average rent hits £735
The latest Buy-to-Let Index from LSL Property Services plc. has revealed a 0.5% increase in average rent in March, taking UK rent to an average of £735. This increase followed a four-month downward trend and bought average rent to 4.2% higher than a year ago. As usual the strongest growth was seen in London where […]
ETSOS partner with Lawyer Checker
Conveyancing search supermarket ETSOS has announced that it is now partnering with Lawyer Checker, an online service developed to reduce uncertainty in identifying the legitimacy of the vendor conveyancer. Lawyer Checker has been integrated into the ETSOS ordering platform, enabling users to gather information on the conveyancer to whom they are sending money and so […]
OFT launches study into quick house sales
Quick house sale providers offer to buy a house or find a third party buyer very quickly, usually at a discount from the full market value. The OFT yesterday (18th May) launched a study into the market calling for people who have used, or considered using, these businesses to contact the OFT about their experiences. […]
DevAssist Development Risk
It’s just over a year since we went national with the aim of helping the legal profession forewarn their property-buying clients about nearby development risks that could impact – negative or positive – on what, for most people, is their biggest asset. Since then we have also launched DevEstate for probate practitioners. We’re delighted with […]
Don't be Conservative about your conveyancing move
With the recent death of Maggie Thatcher and George Osbourne’s budgets being released just 3 weeks ago, it’s unsurprising that politics is at the forefront of everybody’s mind. Whilst the Iron Lady was arguably one of the most controversial Prime Minsters to have been elected, it is a known fact that she shaped the property […]
Legal services customer satisfaction falls
A new report shows that the percentage of dissatisfied users of legal services has increased in the last three years. According to the YouGov SixthSense report, the percentage of consumers during that period has remained constant. Conveyancing accounted for one of the most utilised services accounting for 25% of contacts, only lower than probate at […]
New Chief Exec for Land Registry
The Business Minister Michael Fallon announced today the appointment of Ed Lester as the new Chief Executive of the Land Registry. He succeeds Malcolm Dawson OBE who has been in post since March 2011. Mr Lester has previously served as; Chief Executive of the Student Loan Company (June 2010 to January 2013), Chief Executive at […]
New Deputy Vice President elect for Law Society
The Law Society has announced the appointment of property law expert Jonathan Smithers as their next Deputy Vice President. Mr Smithers, partner at Tunbridge Wells-based firm CooperBurnett, will take up the role of Deputy Vice President in July 2013. He is expected to become President of the Law Society in 2015. He is no stranger […]
Think tank predicts one million families to move
Ernst & Young’s Item Club has predicted that the Chancellor’s ‘Help to Buy’ measures will trigger a sharp increase in house moves. In good news for conveyancers, they believe levels will be boosted from their current low level leading to increased housing-related spending and construction. The Item Club think one million families will move house […]
Lending to first time buyers increases
According to the latest data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders the number of first-time buyers increased by 3% in February. 16,400 first time buyer loans were advanced in February, marking a 17% increase on the same time last year and the strongest start to a year since 2008. First-time buyers accounted for 43% of […]
Are estate agents the best option?
In the last few days both the FT and BBC News have raised questions about the way in which estate agents operate. Sell it yourself? The BBC asked whether, in the face of high estate agency fees, the best option for selling your house is to sell it yourself. They pointed to the fact that […]
SRA thematic review results published
Concern about financial stability was one of the key issues identified in the latest thematic review by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Whilst financial stability was seen as the biggest risk to firms undertaking conveyancing, the risk of removal from lenders panels was seen as the biggest risks for the conveyancing activities specifically. Conveyancing was […]
SRA reassures those using Balva Insurance
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has reassured firms using Balva Insurance for their professional indemnity cover. Balva was told on 1 March that it cannot underwrite any new business in the United Kingdom. This restriction does not however affect existing policies, so the SRA has written to the 1,300 or so firms that use Balva […]
Flood insurance – No further forward in a deluge of model arguments and alternatives
With less than three months to go until the expiry of the Statement of Principles, it seems that government, MPs, insurance companies and their associations are still at loggerheads on the best way to fund and prioritise protection for vulnerable homeowners. Insurance giant Marsh unveiled an alternative model at the second Environment, Food and Rural […]
One in three could lose homes if lost jobs
35%, or 8.6 million people, would be unable to pay their rent or mortgage from their savings for more than a month. According to statistics released by charity Shelter 18%, or 4.4 million people, would not be able to pay their rent or mortgage at all if they could not secure a new job immediately. […]
SDT slam solicitor firm for misleading cost information
Last month we reported that Andersons Solicitors had been removed from a number of lender panels ahead of a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing. The hearing was to consider whether they had misled their clients regarding cost information. We now know that the firm had been removed from at least eight conveyancing panels and that it’s […]
Title Interrogation Report launched by CLS
Conveyancing Liability Solutions Limited (CLS) has announced the launch of TitleChecker, a new title interrogation report that examines Land Registry records and the relevant sections of the CML Handbook Part 1 and Part 2. TitleChecker automates the process of reviewing a title and produces a report to identify which areas require attention or further investigation. […]
Legal Eye expands team
Legal Eye announced today that two new Associates have joined the team. Lawyer and businessman Robin Marcus and Rhonda Hales, Account and Business Development Executive. The appointment follows recent expansion at Legal Eye, which advises legal practices on compliance and risk management. In their new roles Robin and Rhonda will strengthen Legal Eye’s compliance offering. […]
Green Deal progess report
According to the latest figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change over 9,000 Green Deal (GD) assessments have been lodged since the scheme launched in January. The Green Deal (GD) was launched on 28 January 2013 in England and Wales (and on 25 February in Scotland) will the intention of taking away barriers […]