5 reasons why digital connectivity should be a priority for all conveyancers
The importance of digital connectivity for the future of conveyancing The property market is a diverse ecosystem of multiple professions operating independently. Estate agents, conveyancers, mortgage brokers and lenders provide individual services throughout a property transaction, but unlike other industries such as banking, they aren’t connected by a universal digital network. The lack of digital […]
National Paralegal Awards 2021 Goes Hybrid
The National Paralegal Awards, hosted by the PPR is taking place on Thursday 23rd September 2021. This event is a virtual award show and is free to attend by registering here This year there are 20 hotly contested categories with trophies up for grabs. The winners and sponsors will then join together for a winner’s […]
Did the Northern Property Market REALLY need the Stamp Duty holiday?
As the Stamp Duty holiday comes to a close, Claire Elliott, Client Relationship Manager at tmgroup, asks “Did the Northern property market REALLY need the Stamp Duty holiday, or did it make a bigger difference in the South?”. Hear what the industry has to say! Ahead of the next tm:tv session on “What has the […]
Dip in home building output holding back economic recovery
The fall in construction output below the pre-pandemic level in February 2020 is a wakeup call that the construction industry is struggling according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The comments come in response to ONS data on construction output which shows a dip of 1.8% in July, the fourth consecutive month of decline. […]
August HMRC Stats show busy run upto to end of SDLT holiday
August’s HMRC statistics show the anticipated busy run up to the end of the SDLT holiday on 30th September. The data is split into non-seasonally adjusted estimate, and seasonally adjusted estimates (which follow a regular annual pattern) UK residential transactions. In August 2021 the non-seasonally adjusted numbers were 106,150 transactions, 25% higher than August 2020 […]
Data protection breaches have resulted in 1580% ICO fine increase
A report conducted by law firm RPC has revealed that fines for data protection breaches issued by The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the latest financial year have increased by 1580% compared to the previous year. The record £42 million in fines in the year 2020/21 represent those issued for data protection breaches and were mainly comprised […]
Mortgage market overwhelmingly healthy in Q2
The UK property market will continue to be buoyed by the recent publication of Q2 statistics which show a strong mortgage market. The Bank of England’s “Mortgage Lenders and Administrators Statistics” show the amount lent in mortgages between April and June hit £89 billion, the highest point since 2007 and twice the value of 12 […]
LSB to set out plans for greater transparency for consumers
Today, the Legal Services Board (LSB) launched a consultation on a draft statutory statement of policy on empowering consumers. Developed following engagement with the legal services regulators and others across the sector, it outlines how the regulators should ensure that people and small businesses who need legal advice have the information they need to shop […]
Landmark transaction completed using “Qualified Electronic Signature”
Hugh James has, this week, completed the UK’s first-ever property deal using the revolutionary new Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), which was recently approved by HM Land Registry. The landmark transaction forms part of a national Land Registry pilot, to test the new QES process, which has been described as a “gamechanger” in signing documents. Whilst […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 20th September 2021
I have seen posts on LinkedIn and other forums this week about how solicitors and estate agents should work together . You would think that would be the simplest thing to do; we both want the same outcome which is for the seller to sell and the buyer to buy! But experience shows that this […]
Coal and non-coal risks now assessed in Terrafirma’s CON29M
Have you ever wondered what the ‘M’ in ‘CON29M’ stands for? If you said mining, you’d be right. However, you’d be forgiven for being confused as until now, the CON29M report has only covered mining assessment from a single mineral – coal. Ground risk specialists Terrafirma, who provide mining and natural ground hazard reports to […]
Conveyancing pipelines remain strong into Autumn
August saw an anticipated fall in the number of properties sold per estate agency branch as the SDLT holiday comes to a close at the end of August. But buyer demand and conveyancing pipelines remain strong into the Autumn as the property market hurdles the final SDLT cliff edge on 30th September. Figures from NAEA […]
HMLR Practice Guide updates
HM Land Registry (HMLR) has published details of changes to several Practice Guides in its latest update. Overseas companies and limited liability partnerships (PG78) This guide deals with the registration requirements for overseas companies, in particular the requirements when they differ from those for UK companies. The guide also includes some information about overseas limited […]
Was I naïve?
Back in February I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, I had made the decision to be a master of my own destiny and set up a CLC regulated law firm. I shared an article with you back in May. Little did I know or appreciate the turbulent time ahead. I didn’t receive my insurance […]
How to survive September: Top tips for conveyancers
There are hundreds of articles out there about burnout, how to notice the signs and stop what you’re doing when you’ve overdone it. As conveyancers, we know our current workload will remain full on for the next few weeks (let’s not sugarcoat it), and many of us are not about to take the amount of […]
Conveyancing Information Executive whitepaper provides first practical view of industry-wide UPRN adoption
The Conveyancing Information Executive (CIE) has today published a detailed whitepaper, ‘Property Passports: the role of Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs)’, which addresses the practical challenges of transitioning the property industry to universally using UPRNs, to help improve the property transaction process. Chris Loaring, a spokesperson for the Conveyancing Information Executive said, “It is commonly […]
Can conveyancers and agents work together better?
The ESTAs returns in October with the relationship between estate agents and conveyancers under the microscope. The unprecedented activity in the property market over the last 18 months has highlighted the relationship between agents and conveyancers; the average time for a sale to complete is longer than it has ever been and abortive transaction numbers […]
Autumn housing market will see a “settling” after “extraordinary” growth
The Autumn housing market will see a settling of the extraordinary growth seen so far this year but demand will remain strong as supply issues continue into the Winter months according to the August reallymoving House Price Forecast. The forecast reports conveyancing quote volumes returned to more normal levels for the time of year last […]
Jenrick out in cabinet reshuffle
Housing Minster Robert Jenrick has been ousted as Prime Minster Boris Johnson conducts his cabinet reshuffle. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has been confirmed as the new housing secretary. As part of his role, Mr Gove has been handed responsibility for the government’s “levelling up” agenda and will retain responsibility for relations with the UK’s […]
Countryside Properties agree to leasehold concession
Countryside Properties has joined Taylor Wimpey and Aviva in announcing it will end the doubling of ground rents on new build developments. They concession is another victory for campaigners who have successful lobbied the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) to step in and end what is widely considered an unfair practice. Countryside will also remove […]