Conveyancing firms must adapt to survive market downturn – claim
With indicators pointing to a slowing down of the recent property boom, conveyancing firms need to use this breathing space to overhaul their customer journey and improve the experience for clients and employees, according to insight6. The conveyancing sector has been subject to intense criticism over the past couple of years. An unexpected property market […]
An open letter to estate agents and conveyancers
Matt Baldock, Director and co-owner of Charles David Casson Estate Agents, pens an open letter to the property industry If an alien’s only view of earth was via LinkedIn, then they would know nothing about a global pandemic, a war, or the cost of living, but assume that our biggest problem was the terrible relationship […]
No rise in fall-throughs despite Summer slowdown
As the school holidays arrive, distracted home-sellers – especially those in higher-priced homes – are potentially putting their plans on hold until the autumn moving season, according to Rightmove. Meanwhile, buyer enquiries are undimmed by the recent record interest rate rises. And despite anecdotal evidence from around the sector to the contrary, statistics released by […]
The conveyancer’s view: “there has to be an easier way of doing this…”
The conveyancer’s view, 15th August 2022 The first half of August saw Today’s Conveyancer and Property Industry Eye poll their respective readerships with a version of the following question: “Do you think it would be beneficial for all the parties to a transaction – agents, lenders, buyers, sellers etc – to have a better understanding of the […]
Legal sector set to receive boost in £4 million in tech funding
The UK legal sector is set to receive £4 million of investment which will help develop technological advancements. This, it is hoped, will modernise the sector and keep the sector competitive on the world stage. The investment will help achieve a second phase of the LawtechUK programme, which aims to develop new technology like machine […]
Home insurance quotes with subsidence history increases by 637%
Home insurance quotes with a history of subsidence claims have risen by a staggering 637% over the last 10 years, new research has revealed. This is partly due to an increase in subsidence issues. Between 2012 and 2021, there was an average annual increase of 27.8% for home insurance quotes, according to GoCompare Home Insurance. The […]
Smart contracts: the future?
Smart contracts providing security and performance across transnational agreements between multiple parties presents both their greatest advantage and disadvantage. If coded under agreed legal conditions, a specified jurisdiction and with no human error during its writing, smart contracts have a place in creating performance across borders, time-zones and businesses. Conversely, contracting across parties in multiple […]
Cloud strategies for law firms
Law firms have, to some degree, been adopting cloud-based technologies over the years as their business needs have changed. They’ve migrated software, email and other key servers from on-premises to the cloud, and are now reaping the rewards of improved functionality, efficiency and user experience. New solutions are removing barriers that once caused frustration to […]
Sellers receiving 99.4% of asking price as market remains relentless
New research has revealed that so far in 2022, the average homeowner in England and Wales is achieving 99.4% of asking price, up 2.4% when compared to the same timeframe last year. However, in no less than 41% of postcodes, sellers are achieving 100% or more of their asking price expectations. Best performing postcodes The […]
Government’s cladding contracts “impossible to sign”, say developers
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) are refusing to sign contracts promising to fix cladding issues. The planned government proposal is seeking to rectify dangerous cladding implementations after the Grenfell Tower fire. The HBF claim the proposals go way beyond previous agreements with government officials and are “impossible to sign”. Today’s Conveyancer previously reported that developers […]
July’s inCase champion of the month announced
We love to recognise the hard work and achievements of individuals within our partner firms who go above and beyond, and really embrace how inCase can transform their business by celebrating our inCase Champion on the month. Congratulations to Sarah Barnes of Napthens Solicitors for winning July 2022’s inCase Champion of the Month for all […]
Rising PII costs see crippling affects for conveyancing firms
It’s starting to feel like the era of the small law firm is over. More and more, smaller firms are closing their doors or being absorbed into bigger networks in order to survive, and the driving factor behind a lot of these closures is the continually rising cost of PII. In the last quarter of […]
Register of Overseas Entities – what does it mean for conveyancers?
The implementation of a Register of Overseas Entities (ROE) will help law firms tackle the opaque nature of foreign ownership and support efforts to tackle money laundering in the UK property market, says Mike Ward, Executive Chairman of Armalytix on the latest Today’s Conveyancer Podcast Effective today, 1st August, overseas entities are required to provide […]
One in three transactions collapsed over last year – report
A shocking one in three (34%) property transactions fell through in the last 12 months, according to research from Smoove’s inaugural Home Movers Report. This caused a waste of almost £2,000 on associated costs, such as surveys, local authority searches and legal fees. The volume of busted transactions contrasts with booming market activity. According to the […]
How should conveyancers approach undertakings?
Extended feature: Ian Quayle examines “the bedrock of our system of conveyancing” – undertakings, what they are, and how they should be approached Undertakings are seen as a cornerstone of the conveyancing process, and the ability to rely on an undertaking from a conveyancer of the seller is a critical aspect of the completion process. […]
Diary of a high street conveyancer; 1st August 2022
Watching the amazing sports events at the Commonwealth Games, I thought about how long these athletes train for and their dedication to their chosen sport. I then thought about conveyancing, and I know that there are no Olympics for conveyancing, but I do believe that to become a good conveyancer you need to learn about […]
HMLR publishes new checklist for lease extensions
HM Land Registry has published a handy new checklist for use when handling lease extension applications that take effect as surrender and regrants. It comes as part of a wide-ranging and determined effort to drive down the number of requests for information (requisitions) we have to send, which cause delays in the registration process and […]
Bluestone launches with LMS Secure Link® redemption statements to increase efficiency of conveyancing process
LMS, the UK’s leading conveyancer and panel management specialist, today announces that Bluestone Group, the specialist mortgage lender, is launching with LMS Secure Link®. LMS Secure Link® is an innovative messaging service, launched last year to streamline the conveyancing process and improve case query turnaround times. The service enables law firms to raise common post […]
Property professionals must use certified AML tech to tackle growing problem
Using technology certified against the Government Framework (UK DIATF) and which has been developed specifically to support compliance with Anti Money Laundering verification checks, is the only way property professionals can effectively tackle the UK’s spiralling money laundering problem, the director of Index East Anglia has warned. Commenting on the findings of a new study […]
Thirdfort secures strategic investment from Knight Frank, Savills and Chestertons
Move forges closer alignment on product development as Thirdfort creates the industry standard in residential, lettings, commercial and mortgages Thirdfort, a risk management platform combining Know Your Client (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Source-of-Funds (SoF), has secured equity investment from leading agents Knight Frank LLP, Grosvenor Hill Ventures (Savills’ proptech investment subsidiary) and Chestertons. All […]