Signs of market momentum despite ongoing affordability issues – UK Finance
A modest year-on-year increase in mortgage applications is a sign of residual momentum in the housing market after the stamp duty deadline, but affordability remains ‘very stretched’, according to the latest Household Finance Review from UK Finance. The report reveals an expected surge in mortgage lending in the first quarter of 2025, driven by homebuyers […]
Local government ‘losing out on millions’ in council tax revenue due to second home loophole
A rule that lets second home owners avoid paying council tax if they rent their properties out for just 10 weeks a year is costing central and local government an annual £334 million in revenue, according to commercial real estate company Colliers. The loophole allows owners to ‘flip’ their holiday homes into the business rates […]
Communication is key when dealing with delays, says Legal Ombudsman in new guidance
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has set out its expectations for service providers when dealing with third-party delays, which stress the importance of effective communication. The LeO says almost half of the complaints it receives are about communication and delays, with a ‘common feature’ being whether the delay could have been caused or influenced by a […]
Australian conveyancers raise concerns after property market outages
Conveyancers in Australia have called for authorities to investigate what they describe as the ‘de-facto monopoly’ of the electronic lodgement network operator (ELNO) following a recent outage on the Jellyfish app. In a scenario reminiscent of the latest banking outages to impact conveyancers and home movers in the UK, the Jellyfish app, which is used […]
Home ownership aspiration sinks to a decade-long low, with buying process ‘a well-known joke’
The homebuying process, stamp duty rates and the leasehold system have all been cited as ‘major housing concerns’, according to new research by the HomeOwners Alliance. The organisation, which has been tracking UK housing concerns for the past 10 years, says issues that were significant in 2015 continue to plague the market in 2025. While […]
More advice for homeowners on use of ‘highly effective’ spray foam
A consumer guide to understanding spray foam insulation has been released by a collaboration involving the Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA) and the Property Care Association (PCA), after the PCA warned homeowners against using the foam earlier this year. The new guide, developed with contributions from the Residential Property Surveyors Association, Bangor University, Andy Wilson Financial […]
Smaller builders ‘will benefit from streamlined processes to speed up housing progress’
The Government is proposing reforms across land, regulation and finance that will create simpler rules and faster decision-making to benefit small and medium sized housebuilders, it has said. ‘Complex’ planning rules will be streamlined and ‘onerous’ regulatory burdens eased, the government said, in a bid to build thousands of homes faster on smaller sites across […]
Highest buyer demand since 2022, with 437,000 sales agreed this year
Figures from property data specialists TwentyEA, gathered by real-time tracking of over 99% of property listings, reveal that buyer demand is 7% higher than this time last year. Demand is highest in the North West, which saw year-on-year growth of 12% across the region, followed by Wales with 10%. Increases were seen across all price […]
Consultant model ‘a fundamental part of the UK legal fabric’
Alternative legal platform providers, otherwise known as consultant-model law firms, continue to demonstrate ‘importance that lawyers are placing on autonomy, work-life balance, and the ability to build a practice supported by strong infrastructure’ say the authors of a report into the size and structure of the market. The sector hit over 4,000 practitioners last year, […]
Homebuyers believe conveyancers are ‘primary culprits’ in a frustrating process – OPDA
A report from the Open Property Data Association (OPDA) reveals ‘widespread frustration’ with the homebuying process, with almost half of the 5,300 recent homebuyers surveyed saying property lawyers and conveyancers were the ‘primary culprits’. Just over 60% of respondents said they had been asked to provide the same information or documents two or three times, […]
CIE responds to climate change practice note: ‘An opportunity, not a requirement’
The Law Society of England & Wales published the practice note ‘Climate Change and Property’ on 12th May 2025. This practice note follows from initial guidance ‘The Impact of Climate Change on Solicitors’ which was published on 19th April 2023. The practice note represents the Law Society’s view of good practice, in relation to climate […]
April lull in buyer demand is temporary and will bounce back, says Rightmove
A 4% drop in buyer demand reported in Rightmove’s April house price index is a ‘temporary lull’ that will bounce back in May, the property portal reports. Despite the fall, year-to-date buyer demand is 3% ahead of the same period last year, sales agreed are 4% up for the same period, and Rightmove says its […]
Stamp duty rush pushed conveyancing costs to ‘all-time high’ of £2,434
The cost of conveyancing increased by 11.9% between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, ‘driven by competition for services and a rush to complete before the stamp duty changes’. An analysis of 59,000 conveyancing quotes by the home moving company reallymoving revealed an average cost of £2,434 for combined sale and purchase, including expenses and disbursements. […]
‘Utter nonsense’ – readers react to new climate change guidance
‘Utter nonsense’ and ‘a historic blunder’ – two comments that reflect the sentiment of Today’s Conveyancer readers in response to the Law Society’s new practice note on climate change. The views shared this week are overwhelmingly at odds with the positive comments from industry leaders, which Stephen Larcombe referred to as ‘a hard sell’. He […]
Expertise and training the leading cause of unnecessary pre-contract enquiries – Survey
Sentiment around the number and relevance of pre-contract enquiries remains low amongst conveyancers with over half saying the situation is worse than 12 months ago in the latest sentiment survey undertaken by Today’s Conveyancer The survey, which has run annually for the last four years and this year received over 100 responses, again demonstrates pre-contract […]
NTSELAT material information guidance withdrawn – but duty to report remains
As part of the transition to the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC) which supersedes the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) have announced it is withdrawing the Material Information Guidance it published in 2022 and 2023. Effective 8th May 2025, the […]
Bank of England cut rates for fourth time since 2024 peak
The Bank of England (BoE) has announced it has cut interest rates by a further 0.25%; from 4.5% to 4.25%; the fourth cut since last year’s 5.25% peak. The announcement was delayed to observe the two minute VE Day silence. The move has been welcomed by professionals across financial services and property who hope the cut […]
National Property Transaction Network pilot reduced completion time by 35%
A pilot scheme for the National Property Transaction Network (NPTN), an open and secure digital platform developed by legal tech company LMS, achieved a 35% reduction in completion times and a 43% drop in cancellations. The network connects conveyancers, suppliers, agents and lenders throughout the property transaction process. The pilot tested how cross-industry collaboration and […]
Completion takes a month longer than buyers expect; issues with communication are a top gripe
The house buying process takes 36 days longer than buyers expect it to, according to new research from the Open Property Data Association (OPDA). Almost half of those questioned said conveyancers are the primary cause of delays. On average, people expected the exchanging of contracts to take 88 days after an offer was accepted. But […]
Government trials AI tool to digitise planning records ‘in 40 seconds’
The government has begun testing an AI tool it says could convert planning documents into digital records in just 40 seconds, in what it says is ‘a vital step’ to helping councils meet the 1.5 million new homes target. Extract is a generative AI tool that will turn documents such as old maps and handwritten […]