Rayner cleared of ‘wrongdoing or carelessness’ as she settles £40,000 SDLT bill
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner says she has settled a £40,000 bill for stamp duty land tax after being cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Rayner said an investigation by HMRC resulted in her settling the underpayment. HMRC said it was […]
Kitemark for upfront information providers to be developed as new representative group launches
A new group has been launched to standardise the production of material information and digital sales packs, under the umbrella of the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA). Upfront Information Group (UIG) has been established by the self-regulatory body of logbook providers to enable it to engage with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) […]
Leasehold complications lengthening transaction times, with conveyancing blamed for delays
Average transaction times have extended by four weeks since 2019, according to statistics published by Connells Group this week. Leasehold transactions are driving much of the increase in average timescales, with a typical leasehold transaction taking 155 days to reach exchange in April – 58 days longer than a freehold property. The estate agency group […]
Firm-wide CPD and peer-assessed training part of new CLC ongoing competence requirements
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is introducing new requirements for individuals and firms to undertake and report on ongoing competence, as part of a new Ongoing Competence Code. The code, effective from 1st November, includes the assessment of training by senior colleagues. Individuals will be required to complete and report on a minimum of […]
‘Embrace AI to stay relevant to TikTok generation’ Sir Geoffrey Vos tells lawyers
Sir Geoffrey Vos, the Master of the Rolls, has urged lawyers to embrace technological change and the use of AI to ensure younger generations engage with the justice system. Sir Geoffrey Vos, head of civil justice in England and Wales, said in a speech at The Judicial Institute for Scotland, Parliament Square, Edinburgh, last Thursday, […]
Property industry webinar returns on 12th May
Networking and collaboration group Women in Residential Property has hosted regular property market updates since its inception in 2017, drawing on the experience of its members from across the residential property sector, with representation from block management, estate agency, surveying and conveyancing. This month, the update is led by Emily Gray (operations director for independent […]
Lawyers urged to take practical action to support mental health and wellbeing ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week
LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal sector, is encouraging legal professionals to take simple practical actions to support their own and others’ wellbeing during Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from the 11th to the 17th of May. Last year, LawCare’s research found that many people in the legal sector were struggling with […]
BoE interest rate hold ‘is cause for optimism’
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted by a majority of 8–1 to maintain Bank Rate at 3.75%. The hold has been welcomed as a sign of stability by some, with Jason Tebb, president of online property portal OnTheMarket, calling it a cause for optimism among borrowers. “As well as this, many […]
CLC seeks views on proposed rule changes
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is seeking views on proposed changes to the rules governing how disciplinary proceedings involving regulated practices and individuals are dealt with by its independent adjudication panel. Member feedback is encouraged on changes to the procedural rules that govern matters under the panel’s consideration, which the CLC says will enhance […]
Leasehold ‘blighting lives’ says housing minister, as plans to introduce commonhold reaffirmed
The government has reaffirmed plans to introduce commonhold as the default tenure to “stop the renewal of the leasehold system” and give homeowners back control of their homes. Speaking at the Institute for Government, Matthew Pennycook , the minister of state for housing, communities and local government, described leasehold as a “blight” and a barrier […]
Determined buyers sustaining demand, despite ‘fresh fog’ of rising inflation and house price slowdown
After Rightmove’s latest data offered a more optimistic picture of the housing market, ONS consumer price inflation figures and UK house price index bring what PwC UK described as “a fresh fog”. But despite the ongoing uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, other experts point out the house price index offers a backdated snapshot, and […]
Fully digital homebuyer service launched by Lloyds Banking Group, LMS and Connells Group
Lloyds Banking Group, LMS and Connells Group have launched a fully digital home buying service, which the partners say will reshape the way homes are bought and sold across England and Wales. The digital homebuyer service has been developed to eliminate the points of frustration and cut weeks of waiting and uncertainty from the process, […]
SRA is investigating £39.5m ‘sophisticated suspected fraud’ at PM Law
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed it is investigating a “sophisticated suspected fraud” at PM Law, following its intervention in February. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the regulator said it now believes the failure of the firm, headquartered in Sheffield (pictured) was due to the improper removal and misuse of around £39.5 million […]
‘Modest but meaningful’ drop in fall-through rates across UK
Fall-through rates have fallen slightly in 10 of the UK’s 13 regions, according to the latest report from property data analysts TwentyCi. The national rate fell from 24% in Q1 25 to 23.7% in Q1 26 – “a modest but meaningful” 0.3% percentage-point decline, TwentyCi said. The year-on-year reduction stands at 1.3%. The improvement was found […]
Conveyancer fined and ordered to pay costs of £50,000 for failing to protect client money
A partner in a conveyancing firm has been fined £7,500 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000 by a Council for Licensed Conveyancers adjudication panel after approving transfers of over £363,000 from the firm’s client account to its office account. The decision of the disciplinary hearing was published on the CLC’s website in November but […]
Real-term fall in conveyancing pricing, with four in 10 clients opting for cheapest quote
A scrabble for instructions in the final quarter of 2025 has resulted in a real-term fall in the cost of conveyancing, with a quarterly average purchase and sale fee (including disbursements and expenses) of £2440 in the first quarter of 2026, compared with £2437 a year ago. With inflation currently at 3%, conveyancing costs have […]
New Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook live from 29 June – conveyancers encouraged to pre-register
The new Mortgage Lenders Handbook will be live from 29 June, UK Finance has announced. The organisation is encouraging conveyancers to pre-register for the site before 5pm on Friday 15th May. UK Finance confirmed the planned date in a statement, and said conveyancers and solicitors should continue to use the current handbook until then. “In […]
Rightmove faces £1.5bn class action as agents claim portal has overcharged for services
Property portal Rightmove is the subject of a class action as estate agents claim it has overcharged for its services. The claim, first reported in November 2025. has now been submitted to the Competition Appeal Tribunal by Jeremy Newman, a former panel member of the Competition and Markets Authority, claiming the property portal has been […]
Communication, unclear expectations and unjustified delays are key causes of residential conveyancing complaints
Poor communication, unclear or unrealistic expectations and unjustified delays without proper explanation are the key causes of complaints in property transactions, according to the Legal Ombudsman in the latest Spotlight published on its website. The Spotlight goes on to provide guidance for practitioners, focusing on what the ombudsman describes as three critical junctures: instruction and […]
‘The biggest shock to the UK mortgage market since the 2022 mini-budget’
The Iran conflict has triggered the sharpest shock to the UK mortgage market since the 2022 mini-budget, the financial information company Moneyfacts has said, with rates soaring in the space of just one month. Mortgage deals have been rapidly repriced, with average two-year fixed rates jumping from 4.84% to 5.84% in a month, while five-year […]