Women in Residential Property 23rd June – discounted tickets for readers
As partners of Women in Residential Property (WIRP), we’re delighted to offer our readers an exclusive discount of 15% on tickets for the next WIRP lunch at Bank Restaurant in Birmingham on 23rd June. The event is open to anyone working in, or with an interest in the residential property industry. Guests will be treated […]
GDPR grey area catching out the majority of property professionals
Research by YourBusinessNumber has revealed that while 98% of property professionals believe they are fully GDPR compliant when it comes to their customer communications, the vast majority are failing to take the necessary steps when using instant messaging platforms and the use of WhatsApp, in particular. Research by YourBusinessNumber suggests that in a world where […]
Rightmove HPI: prices now £55,000 higher than pre-pandemic
The average price of property coming to market has hit a new record for the fourth consecutive month, rising to £367,501. This month’s increase of 2.1% (+£7,400) is the highest at this time of year since May 2014, and marks a national jump of £55,551 in asking prices in the two years since the housing […]
UK HPI: prices pause in March
Latest ONS figures show that the average house price remained at a record high of £278,000 in March, up £24,000 in a year. Average house prices were up 9.8% in the year, down from 11.3% in February, and show a reduction since peaking at 13.3% in June last year. Detached house prices were up 13.7%, […]
Dye & Durham instructed to divest tmgroup acquisition
Following an in-depth Phase 2 investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced last week that it has provisionally found the acquisition of tmgroup by Dye & Durham to substantially lessen competition in the supply of property search services, and has now instructed Dye & Durham to divest the business. Dye & Durham, an international […]
The Conveyancing Climate Change Conference
The Conveyancing Climate Change Conference, hosted by Groundsure. In this inaugural and exclusive event, hear from leading lawyers, policymakers and experts across the industry and gain practical guidance on how to advise your clients about the impacts of climate risks on residential and commercial property transactions. Do you understand the impacts climate change will have […]
Diary of a high street conveyancer; 23rd May 2022
Alongside discussions regarding additional enquiries, there are also discussions about further digitisation of the conveyancing process. I think that digitisation is a good idea and we only have to think about how the Land Registry Portal has changed the daily working life of a conveyancer to know that there are things that can be done […]
Property prices soar – and fraudsters know it, too
Property prices soar above £350k – and fraudsters know it, too For most people, buying a property is likely to be the largest transaction they ever make. In March this year, according to Rightmove’s House Price Index, the average property value broke the £350k mark for the first time, with the average house price now […]
BREAKING NEWS: CMA instructs Dye & Durham to divest tmgroup
Following an in-depth Phase 2 investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found that the acquisition of tmgroup by Dye & Durham substantially lessens competition in the supply of property search services and has now instructed Dye & Durham to divest the business. Dye & Durham, an international provider of cloud-based software and […]
Is the pandemic property boom slowing? Latest data suggests so
Despite a strong start to the year where house price growth is concerned, a month-on-month dip in mortgage approvals has caused many to speculate whether the pandemic property market boom may soon fizzle out. However, latest market analysis from specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, has revealed that new buyer activity may already be slowing, […]
MyIdentity Beta project launched
Following the Queen’s Speech earlier this week, Parliament is set to schedule digital identity legislation into the next session as part of a data reform bill. This will ensure that digital identities, however they evolve, will be trusted and secure. The property industry and Government recognise that identity proofing is often a frustrating part of the […]
LexisNexis Bellwether Report: legal tech is dividing firms
Many small law firms are thinking big when it comes to the tech they need to see them through another period of profound change. But the latest research from LexisNexis’ Bellwether report shows that 47% say they have no plans to invest in any technology at all. Today, LexisNexis Legal & Professional released the 10th […]
RICS Residential Market Survey: prices remain firm but sales outlook weakens
The April RICS Residential Market Survey shows that would-be buyers are still on the hunt for a new home, whilst stock levels and new listings remain scarce. This means that house prices continue to be pushed higher across all parts of the UK. This month +10% of respondents reported a rise in new buyers’ enquiries, […]
Queen’s speech: planning reforms to be tackled via Levelling up Bill
This year’s Queen’s Speech has today outlined several legislative changes and the overhauling of laws around levelling up, planning and economic crime that could affect conveyancers. At the state opening of Parliament this morning, Prince Charles delivered the Queen’s speech as the monarch missed the opening for the first time in almost 60 years as […]
Diary of a high street conveyancer; 16th May 2022
I was thinking about the ongoing debate on LinkedIn about additional enquiries, and I think that there is something firms could do which would help with the need to raise what many would see as unnecessary enquiries. So, without being controversial and trying to teach lawyers how to do the job properly, can I please […]
New-build sales down 40% on 2011
New research has revealed that new-build home sales have declined by 46% in the past year and, perhaps more strikingly, 39% in the past decade. In 2020, there were 76,764 new-build sales in Britain, while in 2021, there were just 41,634, according to Warwick Estates. This 46% drop is significant but is likely a result […]
Mortgage searches decreasing and approvals down by 0.4%
The latest mortgage approval statistics from the Bank of England (BoE) have been published. In its most recent release the figures show that mortgage approval levels dipped by -0.4% between March and February of this year. Figures were also -14.5% lower when compared to the same time last year. Experts from around the industry have […]
Return of right to buy on the cards
Boris Johnson is reportedly considering a return of Margaret Thatcher’s “right to buy” policy of the 1980s. Such a move would give people the chance to buy the property they rent from housing associations for a discounted price of up to 70%. According to The Telegraph, Johnson is “very excited” about the potential revival of […]
Halifax HPI: average prices increase by £47,500 in two years
April’s Halifax House Price Index (HPI) reveals average prices are up 10.8% in a year, to a record high of £286,079. The latest Halifax HPI report shows that house prices increased by 1.1% in April, and is the tenth consecutive monthly rise, the longest run since 2016. Prices have now increased by £47,568 in two […]
Diary of a high street conveyancer; 9th May 2022
It is interesting that, as we enter Mental Health Awareness Week, I have just had one of the worst weeks. I cannot say specifically what was so bad about the week; it was just a culmination of things which led to a feeling of despair on Friday and a “I don’t think I can do […]