Latest Geovation cohort welcomed on to funding programme
The innovation arm of Ordnance Survey has welcomed the latest cohort of GeoTech and PropTech startups to its accelerator programme Geovation; the 19th group to go through the incubator. Geovation’s Accelerator Programme was launched in 2009 as a collaboration between Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry to provide start-ups with expertise and support to help […]
Property fall throughs on the rise – analysis
Analysis of property market withdrawals and fall through suggests both are on the up in the first half of 2024. A fall-through is generally considered to be a property transaction that collapses after an offer has already been made and accepted. Meanwhile, a withdrawal refers to instances where a seller decides to remove their property […]
Remembering Sarah Edmundson
The property world is in mourning as the sad passing of Sarah Edmundson was confirmed today (Wednesday 23rd October) after a lengthy battle with cancer. Sarah had held a number roles across the property sector at Fine & Country, the Guild Of Property Professionals and was part of the team at Boomin aiming to disrupt […]
Collaboration group seeks volunteers for mentoring pilot
A mentoring programme is being piloted by networking and collaboration group Women in Residential Property seeking members to take part in a six-month trial. Women in Residential Property (WiRP) was launched in 2017 to foster and facilitate collaboration between women working across all sectors of the residential property industry from development through to agency and […]
Law Society TA6 webinars now available to watch on-demand
Webinars produced by the Law Society as part of their consultation into proposed amends to the TA6 Property Protocol form have been made available to review on demand. ‘Understanding the TA6 form and digital developments in residential conveyancing’ have been published as part of Property Week (14 to 18 October) and sought to cover topics […]
CoPSO seeks new chair
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) is seeking a new chair after James Sherwood-Rogers announced he would be stepping down at the end of September 2024. Sherwood-Rogers confirmed in August he would be stepping down after over 10 years as chair saying “I am proud of what CoPSO has achieved, but it is time […]
Lower rates stoke first-time buyer demand
The latest data from Legal & General Ignite shows that improved mortgage affordability and lower interest rates are tempting prospective buyers to purchase their first home. Searches by brokers on behalf of first-time buyers grew 9.1% in September, following a 5.4% increase in the previous month. This growth in activity shows that lower mortgage rates […]
September 2024 mortgage market activity
Twenty7tec has announced mortgage market statistics for September 2024. In September 2024, compared to August 2024: Purchase mortgage searches were down 0.1% Remortgage searches were up 11.9% Buy To Let purchase mortgage searches were up 8.4% Buy To Let remortgage searches were up 17.5% Residential purchase mortgage searches were down 0.8% Residential remortgage searches were […]
Conveyancers respond to new powers to delay suspected fraudulent payments
New powers enabling banks to delay transactions by up to four days to further investigate fraud have been criticised by conveyancing representative bodies. The new powers, which were originally due to come into effect in early October, will allow banks to delay payments for up to 72 hours where there is reasonable grounds to suspect […]
#BabyLossAwarenessWeek: Join ‘Time for Action’ initiative
In support of Baby Loss Awareness Week, RWK Goodman are inviting UK organisations to take part in their ‘Time for Action’ initiative. From 9th to 15th October, they are offering free access to our online training, designed to raise awareness and foster understanding around pregnancy and baby loss. This training is a simple yet impactful […]
Over-regulation of law firms is “suffocating” says PLAG president after regulators tighten rules for firms
The head of the Property Lawyers Action Group (PLAG) has criticised the Law Society for “letting down” members over the TA6 form updates, condemned legal regulators’ efforts to enforce transparency as “suffocating,” and questioned the “integrity” of the sector’s representative bodies. In a wide-ranging interview, Stephen Larcombe spoke with Eve Tawfick of Today’s Conveyancer about […]
Beyond Law Group launches its specialist residential property practice with newly appointed leadership team
North-West law firm, Beyond Law Group, has announced the launch of its specialist residential property practice, Home Property Law. Based in Cheshire, Manchester and London, the specialist team will provide best in class service to homeowners who are looking for cutting edge, personalised service when undertaking residential property transactions. The Group has already established two […]
PEXA launches Future Property Transactions Group
PEXA has announced the launch of the Future Property Transactions Group. Initially focused on West Yorkshire, the new pilot working group initiative brings together stakeholders from across the market to “accelerate the transformation and improvement of the UK home buying and selling process”. The Group will drive collaboration between key property market stakeholders in the region […]
Watchdog will name firms under financial investigation
A watchdog has said it will name and shame firms who are under investigation in the name of ‘public interest’, which has been met with furious backlash. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) outlined proposals to release the names of firms who are being investigated for financial breaches. Despite fierce opposition the joint executive director of […]
Movemnt joins OPDA
Movemnt has joined the Open Property Data Association (OPDA) to support its mission to speed up homebuying by sharing digital property information across the home transaction. Movemnt is part of the Houseful family of brands which includes leading property website Zoopla, estate agent software Alto, new homes software Yourkeys and Hometrack, a leading provider of […]
Reeves pledges to overhaul housebuilding process, targeting ‘blockers’ at Labour conference
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to tackle the barriers slowing down housebuilding, promising to eliminate the “blockers” in the current system during her speech at Labour’s annual party conference. Reeves emphasised the need to “rip out the blockages” that frustrate builders, reiterating Labour’s goal to construct 1.5 million homes during this parliamentary term. Fergus Charlton, […]
OPDA launches new research project to find out how homebuying can be improved
A new research project launched this month is set to discover what buyers think should be done to improve homebuying in the UK. The Open Property Data Association (OPDA) has issued a survey through over 30 of its member firms including Atom bank, Inventory Base, and Kotini to cover thousands of existing and potential homebuyers. […]
Need for speedier legal work drives 82 per cent of lawyers to embrace AI
A majority of UK lawyers have adopted generative AI or have plans in motion, almost four-times the number seen in Summer 2023. Lawyers say delivering work faster is the biggest benefit of AI, yet it is prompting many to rethink the suitability of their pricing structure, according to a new report by LexisNexis. The survey […]
Law Society warns legal sector ‘particularly vulnerable’ to cyber threats
Nick Emmerson, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, commented on the three-day summit to boost cyber skills and tackle growing threats saying the legal society is ‘particularly vulnerable’. The UK convened leading nations including the US and EU for talks on how to tackle the growing threat of cyber-attacks, as new figures […]
Law Society developing new resource to support in-house members with ethical practice
As part of its professional ethics programme, the Law Society of England and Wales is working in partnership with the Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre (IDEA) at the University of Leeds to create a new resource to support in-house solicitors. “In-house solicitors are in a unique position, as both legal advisors and business advisors to their […]