DevAssist receives CPD accreditation
We are delighted to announce that DevAssist has been granted CPD accreditation from the SRA. This means that you can now collect points while also finding out how our unique search reports can help your property-buying or probate clients. Our principal course — Trade Secrets: Development and its Impact/Benefit on Conveyancing and Probate Practitioners — […]
SOS and ETSOS complete product integration to help lever competitive advantage in conveyancing
Solicitors Own Software (SOS) and ETSOS have completed the integration of the ETSOS conveyancing search portal into SOS Connect, one of the UK’s leading legal case management systems. This means users of SOS Connect can now access ETSOS’s online ordering system direct from their workflow, without the need to switch between applications whenever conveyancing searches […]
Have firms given up on acting for Santander? Or even conveyancing?
Santander made a really important announcement last year, saying that if solicitors firms wanted to act for them then they have to have be CQS accredited by 31st March 2012. On Saturday 9th February there were just 50 days left before the 31st March. In December the Land Registry said 4400 firms made applications to […]
Steve Ray comments on the professional indemnity insurance market
Steve is a Director of Howden Windsor, the Professional Indemnity Division of Howden Insurance Brokers. He has been at Howden Windsor for six years having formerly been a partner at well known risk management practice McCavitt Ray & Co. What do you think will happen to the insurance market for Solicitor’s practices over the next […]
Online lawyer search website launches
We announced last August that an online search tool MrLawyer.co.uk would be coming to market. The site has now launched in the London area and will roll out across the UK in the next few months. Lawyers are able to register for no charge to the site which will launch to consumers in April 2013. […]
Strong January for valuations market
January saw the fourth consecutive month of annual growth in valuation activity, according to the latest Housing Market Activity Report by Connells Survey & Valuation. The number of residential valuations conducted by Connells in January was up 16% from December and 39% from the same period last year. John Bagshaw, corporate services director, Connells Survey […]
Annual increases in house values and sales
House values have increased by an average of £7,000 in the last year whilst overall sales are also up 8%. According to the latest report from LSL Property Services Ltd. January’s figures are better than expected. David Brown, commercial director of LSL Property Services, said: “Market conditions are certainly improving. “Funding is cheaper, thanks to […]
Home ownership continues to fall
In bad news for the conveyancing market, the level of homeownership has fallen to its lowest level since 1987. The news comes despite some recent improvement recent signs of improvement to the mortgage market, following the introduction of the Government’s Funding for Lending scheme last August as well as a number of lenders dropping their […]
Lenders offering record low rate loans
A number of lenders have started to offer record low rates for a two-year fixed-rate loan, with many providers offering rates of 1.99pc. Borrowers with a 40pc deposit can pay £995 for a two-year fixed-rate deal at 1.99pc, from Yorkshire, Norwich & Peterborough and Chelsea building societies. HSBC has gone even further by cutting its […]
Number of house hunters picks up
The average number of house hunters registered per estate agent branch increased to 282 in December from 263 in November. The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) housing market report for December showed that despite the increase house hunters the number of first time buyers fell from 22% to 21%. The number of properties available […]
Ramsdens expand to Wakefield
Ramsdens have announced the opening of their ninth office in Wakefield. Paul Joyce, managing partner at Ramsdens said: “This is the next stage in our on-going expansion programme and is a natural progression for the firm in our aim to provide specialist legal services to people across the whole region. “An office in Wakefield […]
NHBC confirms successful launch of ‘Manage Buildmark Acceptance’ system.
NHBC is pleased to confirm that the launch of the new online system for acceptance of Buildmark cover has been a great success. The new system was launched at the start of November 2012, and by the beginning of February 2013 over 2,300 conveyancers have set up accounts and are enjoying the benefits, which include; […]
Conveyancing Firms, Death by Stealth?
This a guest blog and the views expressed in it are those of the author not those of Today’s Conveyancer. Over the course of the last week I have received emails from conveyancing firms who have had varying issues with a number of lenders, including, the Yorkshire Building Society, the Principality, Nottingham Building Society, Santander, […]
Decision Insight Information Group Appoints Carl Martin as IT Director
Carl Martin has been appointed IT Director (Europe) by Decision Insight Information Group, the information and data provider for the financial and legal services. Martin will lead the European IT function across all of the Decision Insight Information Group brands including SearchFlow, the property search provider, and xit2 the online property data specialist. He will […]
CLC Discipline and Appeals consultation
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers opened a consultation on Discipline and Appeals Arrangements on the 21 January. We are really sorry that we missed covering this at the time, but there is still plenty of time to respond before the Friday 19 April deadline. The consultation comes as a result of the Legal Services Act, […]
Partnership seeks to challenge legal landscape
Peppermint Technology and Brilliant Law, have announced that they will be working together with the aim of changing the landscape of legal services. Brilliant Law, the first law firm to have a corporate structure led by non-solicitors, will be using the Peppermint Platform software to help deliver legal services. Peppermint is one of first major […]
SRA revocation process begins
The SRA has confirmed that it began its revocation process on Monday, 4 February, when it contacted individuals who had failed to complete the practising certificate renewals exercise. As of today, 11 per cent of expected applications are either incomplete or have not been submitted. Individuals who were part of their firm’s ‘bulk’ renewal application […]
Firms announce CQS in time for Santander deadline
A number of firms have announced they have obtained the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation mark, in time for Santander’s 31 March deadline. Last September Santander changed the terms of its residential conveyancing panel to require all existing, as well as new, member firms to gain accreditation. Jane Brooks Law and Setfords Solicitors have […]
Law Society warns firms to check insurers
The Law Society has warned solicitors to exercise caution when taking out their next professional indemnity insurance (PII) policy, and double checking whether the company will be able to meet any insurance claims. The warning is issued after the recent financial collapse of two insurers, Quinn and Lemma. The Law Society is keen to point […]
Land Registry warning: check addresses
The Land Registry have issued a notice advising firms to check their “address for service” in order to prevent fraud. The address for service is the address to which they send notices and correspondence. They say that keeping your address up to date and accurate is an important step in helping to prevent property fraud. […]