Strong year for Barratt Developments
It has been a strong year for the group with group revenues up by 14.1% for the full year to £2,323.4m, with completions of 12,637 units up from 11,078 in 2011. Group operating profit before exceptional items for the full year up by 41.6% to £191.1m up from £135 million last year. Mark Clare, Group […]
SRA warning: misuse of Irwin Mitchell brand
The SRA has warned that a conman using the name of top law firm Irwin Mitchell has been e-mailing members of the public in an attempt to obtain personal details. A number of individuals across the country have been sent letters fraudulently claiming to be from Irwin Mitchell LLP and alleging that the recipient has […]
Encouraging lending figures
The August Council of Mortgage Lenders figures showed a 12% rise from July. A total of 55,300 loans were advanced for house purchase in August, worth £8.4billion, compared to 49,500 in July. This is the largest number of loans advanced in one month since the summer of 2010. Commenting on the latest CML Gross […]
Chancel Repair Liability – what’s next?
A year today the medieval ruling granting the Church powers to charge those owning ‘rectorial land’ for the upkeep of the church chancel, will cease to be an overriding interest. But what will that mean in practice? Conveyancing Liability Solutions Limited warn that conveyancers will need to be vigiliant. There are more than 5,000 parishes […]
Do firms need email policies?
Firms have been warned to be wary of putting themselves at risk of professional negligence through making administrative errors. Speaking at the recent Law Firm Services conference Malcolm Gordon, a PI expert from St Giles PI, said that it was administrative errors rather than legal mistakes that were causing problems for firms. Administrative errors account […]
Searches UK offering free services
The search provider is offering their customers free access to and use of a choice of four different systems, to see which works best for their business. They explained that whilst practice, case management and quote generating software can provide a huge amount of value to a business, it can be difficult to know which […]
SearchFlow offer guidance on risk management compliance
SearchFlow have joined forces with Legal Eye to help practices embed compliance within their firms. The firm is running a series of seminars throughout the autumn to explain more about compliance and how they can help. To find out more . They explain that the need for risk management processes is vital following the SRA […]
Law Society takes stake in external service provider
The Law Society has announced it will be teaming up with Riliance, a company who offer support on outcomes-focused regulation (OFR). This is the first time the Law Society has invested in a firm rather than formed a commercial partnership. The deal will allow Riliance to strengthen its Risk and Compliance Service and Lexcel practice […]
Flat month according to RICS
RICS September Housing Market Survey shows a fairly flat month for both transactions and prices. The national price balance improved slightly from -18 to -15, meaning 15% more surveyors reported a fall rather than a rise in prices over the last three months. London remains the only region where more surveyors are reporting price rises […]
Data-enabled fraud here to stay
The UK’s Fraud Prevention CIFAS have identified a 10% increase in cases of confirmed fraud across their membership. Whilst this is a worrying trend the increase may be in part due to improved detection techniques, and increased fraud awareness, helping to reveal more frauds that had previously escaped undetected. There was a 73% increase in […]
Homeowner confidence up
According to a survey by Zoopla homeowners feel more confident about the property market than they did this time last year. Zoopla’s Housing Market Sentiment Survey indicated 63% of homeowners believe that house prices in their area will rise over the next six months, up from 59% at this time last year. Only 21% homeowners […]
First time buyers drive valuations increase
September’s Housing Market Activity Report by Connells Survey and Valuation has shown a bounce back from a slightly weaker summer period. First-time-buyer activity was a key part of the month’s increase, with these valuations up 38% from August. The total number of residential valuations conducted by Connells increased 30% in the same period. Despite such […]
Website encourages Right to Buy claims
Tandem Law has set up www.righttobuymortgageclaims.com offering a “specialised professional negligence department” to help consumers claim money they are owed by “unscrupulous” brokers. The firm’s website states that as the right to buy scheme became popular in the 1990’s the system was abused by brokers selling consumers products they did not need. This abuse is […]
SRA state of the union
The SRA has published its latest set of key industry data. They revealed that there are currently 127,109 practising solicitors in the UK, up from 124,306 this time last year. In September there was a sharp rise in the numbers of admitted individuals due to training contracts usually finishing around July/August. There were 2342 newly […]
ETSOS complete collaboration project with VTUK
ETSOS, the one-stop-shop for property professionals, has announced the successful completion of a collaboration project with estate agency software specialist VTUK. The latest version of VTUK’s Aquarius software sees the full integration of ETSOS’s Quotation & Referral System (QRS), enabling agents to take control of conveyancing leads and instructions by linking in directly to their […]
OFT decision on money laundering upheld
Mansell McTaggart Limited was fined £3000 for carrying out estate agency work whilst unregistered. Changes to Anti-Money Laundering Regulations, which came into place on the 1st October 2012, mean UK-based estate agents who are involved in helping buy or sell property overseas must register. The firm had appealed the OFT decision but a tribunal has […]
Building society lending increases
Gross mortgage lending by building societies and other mutuals has increased 40% year-on-year to £3 billion in August. Mutuals had a 23% share of the market compared to 16% in August 2011. Adrian Coles, Director-General of the Building Societies Association, said: "Lending by mutuals grew substantially in August compared to the same month last year […]
SRA warning: Adams and Adams Solicitors firm
The SRA has warned the public to be wary of contact from anyone claiming to be from Adams and Adams Solicitors. They have been told that consumers have been contacted by people claiming to be from Adams and Adams Solicitors using the e-mail address adamschamber@hotmail.co.uk The contact has claimed the recipient is a beneficiary of […]
Will conveyancing become Saga dominated?
Saga has announced plans this week to revolutionise the market by introducing a new range of legal services. Saga Legal Solutions will offer services such as will writing, power of attorney, conveyancing and probate at fair and affordable fixed upfront prices. Conveyancing will be charged at a flat rate for all, rather than based on […]
Assigned Risk Pool applications low
The SRA has reported the number of applications from solicitors firms looking to enter the Assigned Risks Pool (ARP) is lower than in previous years. This will be the final year for the scheme which provides Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) for firms that have failed to secure cover on the open market. The pool is […]