CLC seeks practitioner input for its Quarterly Confidence Tracker
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is once again running its Quarterly Confidence Tracker to gather the views of the profession on the current state of home buying and selling. The regulator hopes the survey will become a regular health check for the industry, monitoring the sentiment and expectations of conveyancers every quarter. Contributors in […]
LMS remortgage report finds low swap rates and increased lender confidence
The March remortgage snapshot from LMS reveals ‘the lowest swap rates in recent years’, giving lenders ‘the confidence to price competitively’. The report from the national conveyancing company found that new instructions increased by 23% in March compared to the previous month, with a 10% pipeline increase. Remortgages were down 20% on February and the […]
Drop in inflation offers ‘a welcome relief’ for buyers, but industry remains cautious
The Office for National Statistics’ announcement that UK inflation has fallen to 2.6% has been welcomed by industry figures, although some predict the positivity will be short-lived. Experts claim the 0.2% drop will offer some relief to potential home buyers, with broad agreement that the downward trend supports the expectation of a Bank of England […]
Law Society seeks 1.9% increase in practising certificate fee share
The Law Society is proposing a 1.9% rise in its share of the annual practising certificate (PC) fee for the 2025–26 year. Chancery Lane has put forward a proposed PC fee contribution of £37.5 million, up from £36.8 million in 2024–25 and has asked members to contribute to its annual consultation on what the body’s priorities […]
PEPA invites conveyancers to online conference
The Property Energy Professionals Association (PEPA), whose members are the Government-appointed Accreditation Schemes for Energy Assessors, is inviting conveyancing lawyers to its annual online conference on 1st May. The conference will have a strong focus on Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reform, as well as the changing landscape in respect of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) […]
Low buyer demand and tariff uncertainty weaken market but likely to be ‘short-lived’ – RICS
The latest UK Residential Property Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) reveals weak buyer demand across the country, with ongoing tariff wars creating an ‘increasingly challenging macro backdrop’. New buyer demand slipped to -32% in March, down from -16% in February – the weakest return since September 2023. ‘Virtually all parts of […]
Post completion training now available for conveyancers
A partnership between Property Conveyancing Consultancy (PCC) and Today’s Media will provide a range of post-completion training opportunities for conveyancers. PCC Training Hub will provide bitesize training for practitioners on the intricacies of post completion work based on all HM Land Registry’s 83 practice guides, through Today’s Training. The sessions will cover topics including : […]
Rayner reiterates 1.5 million new homes pledge in Commons debate
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner has reiterated the government’s commitment to ‘record levels of housebuilding’ and funding plans to support affordable housing. Responding to questions in a Commons debate, Rayner stressed the ‘decisive action’ being taken to increase the supply of new homes, together with ‘bold reforms’ of the […]
Over 65s hold property wealth of more than £2.9 trillion
Over-65s own property wealth of £2.944 trillion outright which could be put to use supporting their retirement planning and give a boost to the property market, data from Key Later Life Finance shows. Its data shows more than 10 million over-65s own their properties outright without a mortgage and can potentially put the wealth to […]
Sixth iteration of BASPI released
The sixth iteration of the Buying dataset, known as BASPI, has been published by trade and representative bodies representing the legal, surveying, estate agency and property management sectors, including The Conveyancing Association.The updates include tweaks to existing questions and new ones focused on electric charging points, flat roofs on properties, energy-efficiency retrofitting activity, and further information […]
Planning decisions taking over a year in some places
The average time it takes for planning for decisions is over a year in some of the worst performing planning authorities, no doubt denting efforts by the government to build the promised 1.5m new homes this Parliament. Richmondshire Local Planning Authority, Brecon Beacons National Park, South Somerset, and Stockton-on-Tees are taking in excess of 12 […]
Three quarters of councils to introduce second home council tax surcharge
New powers to introduce higher rates of council tax for additional homes to effect from 1st April, with nearly three quarters of councils set to take advantage. It is estimated 500,000 second home owners could be affected after the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act gave local authorities the power to charge up to double the rates […]
“Promised by Labour, delivered by Labour” – Chancellor softens downgraded growth forecasts with investment promises
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to make a clear distinction between the Labour government’s attitude toward the property market and that of the previous Conservative administration. The Chancellor used the update to highlight the raft of economy boosting measures introduced by the government in recent weeks after the Office […]
Digital property packs a good idea say consumers – Survey
Digital property packs are a good idea say four in five consumers but the gap between their understanding of property transactions, and the reality, is driving delays, a lack of transparency, and inefficiencies in the property market. A recent survey of home movers identified 82% of consumers believe Digital Property Packs are a good idea, […]
Reaction to Bank of England base rate hold
The Bank of England has, as was widely anticipated, confirmed the Monetary Policy Committee has held base rates at 4.5%. Despite hope for further interest rate falls in 2025, many commentators felt a further cut was unlikely so soon after February’s decision. And while inflation, currently 3%, remains above the Bank of England’s target of […]
Search provider first to include integrated property logbooks
Hampshire search provider HW Conveyancing Searches has teamed up with property logbook provider Chimni to launch what they are describing as an industry first integrated search and logbook offering. The service enables conveyancers to order logbooks for home buying clients as part of the search ordering process. Results are then pre-loaded into the logbook to […]
Agents confident of post-March property market volumes
Estate agents report increases in the number of new properties coming to market, more prospective buyer registrations and viewings after the pre-Christmas lull, all of which point to positivity remaining in the property market beyond the SDLT deadline at the end of March. The latest Propertymark Housing Insight Report, is based on a survey of members, […]
LawTech to receive a further £1.5m in funding
Legal technology has been allocated a further £1.5m in government investment designed to help startups attract further private investment said Justice Minister Sarah Sackman KC MP in a speech to professionals at the first-ever UK Lawtech Conference. The funding has been allocated to LawTechUK, a government-backed initiative launched in 2019 with the aim to transform […]
NLIS channel license awarded to Wessex Searches
Wessex Searches has become the latest conveyancing search information provider to be awarded a channel license for the National Land Information Service (NLIS). Wessex Searches becomes the fifth channel license, joining Dye & Durham, Searchflow, X-Press Legal Services and On Point Data; the license will go live in Summer 2025. Wessex Searches is the official […]
International Women’s Day: Progress on partner gender parity but still some way to go
This International Women’s Day (8th March 2025), the Law Society of England and Wales encourages the profession to continue supporting women’s progress to senior levels. In 2023, more new female solicitors (832) attained partner equivalent positions compared to their male counterparts (522). Despite advancements, female solicitors still represent only 34% of partners or partner equivalents, […]