Law Society seeks member feedback for home buying and selling consultation response
The Law Society has launched a survey of members seeking views on the government’s home buying and selling consultations, with the opportunity to take part in focus groups to help inform the Society’s responses. The Law Society website is hosting the survey, and is encouraging responses from members and the wider legal sector. The survey […]
SRA ‘concerned by continued non-compliance’ with source of funds checks
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has reviewed ‘a substantial body of data’ for a thematic review of source of funds and wealth compliance, and says it is ‘concerned by the continued levels of non-compliance’. Data gathered through proactive supervision work over three years has consistently shown that compliance with source of funds requirements remains a […]
Bank Rate stays at 4% ‘but further cuts expected’
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has voted to maintain Bank Rate at 4%, by a majority of five to four, with the minority voting for a reduction of 0.25 percentage points. Announcing the decision, the committee said CPI inflation is judged to have peaked. ‘Monetary policy is being set to balance the risks […]
HMLR launches ‘ambitious’ new strategy for ‘faster, less stressful property market’, with a focus on digital transformation
HM Land Registry has set out its ambitions for 2025 and beyond in a strategy it says will deliver better services and create a faster, less stressful property market, centred around the use of data and a push towards digital transformation. Strategy 2025+ sets out HMLR’s long-term priorities designed to modernise property transactions and improve […]
Conveyancing ‘stretched to breaking point’, survey finds, as working group launched to discuss urgent reforms
A survey by conveyancing membership body Bold Legal Group (BLG) reveals widespread concern about the sustainability of the conveyancing profession, with 93% of respondents reporting the role has become more challenging or is in decline. The majority of those surveyed (82.5%) believe regulatory and compliance demands are the biggest issue affecting daily working life, with […]
Conveyancing task force urges local law societies to take action over homebuying reform
The Conveyancing Task Force (CTF), formed last month in response to the government’s proposals for homebuying reform, has written to local societies in England and Wales asking them to take urgent action over the plans. The CTF – a collaboration of 23 law firms including SMEs and a public limited company, as well as individuals […]
Chancellor ‘looking at proposals’ to double highest rates of council tax
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reported to be considering proposals to apply a 100% increase to the highest council tax bands, which would affect more than one million homes, predominantly in London and the South East of England. According to a report in The Telegraph on Saturday, the chancellor ‘is said to be looking at’ plans […]
Increase in property transactions ‘a reassuring sign’
HMRC’s provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions for September has seen a year-on-year rise of 4%, to 95,980, which represents a 1% increase on August’s figures. The provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate is 102,420, 8% higher than the same period last year and 2% lower than August. Seasonally adjusted non-residential transactions […]
HBF warns OBR new homes targets are too optimistic, with many sites ‘unviable’
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecast of 1.5 million homes being built by the end of the decade are too optimistic, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has said, with increased costs making many sites unviable. In March, the OBR said planning reforms would bring housebuilding to its highest level in 40 years, and the […]
Number of households ‘will increase by 2.4 million by 2032’, with more people living alone
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) projects the number of households in England will increase by 2.4 million (10.3%) within 10 years, with single-person households set to increase by 19.6% and households with children falling by 8.4%. The ONS modelling projects the number of households – based on demographic trends rather than the […]
Invoice and mandate scams fall, but fraud remains ‘a major threat’
Losses caused by criminals posing as conveyancers and other tradespeople to intercept large payments totalled £19.9 million in the first half of 2025, a decrease of 24% on the same period the previous year, according to the latest half year fraud report from banking trade association UK Finance. And although the figures show a year-on-year […]
AML regime responsibility to pass to FCA amid ‘blitz on pointless admin’
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will become the Single Professional Services Supervisor (SPSS) for anti-money laundering (AML) as part of her ‘blitz’ on ‘pointless admin’ In an effort to save £6bn per year by 2029 the chancellor has announced sweeping changes to business bureaucracy at a Regional Investment Summit in […]
Christmas comes early; buyer slowdown “6-8 weeks earlier than usual”
The traditional seasonal slowdown in homebuyer demand in the run up to Christmas has come six to eight weeks earlier than usual as buyers adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach to moving home ahead of the budget on 26th November. A first annual fall in sales is reported by property website Zoopla in its latest […]
Conveyancing Association announce date and theme for 2026 Annual Conference
Conveyancing representative body The Conveyancing Association (CA) has announced the date and theme of its 2026 Annual Conference which is to be held at The Belfry Hotel & Resort in Birmingham. Taking place on Thursday 12th February next year the Conference is entitled, ‘Conveyancing Under The Spotlight’, with reflections and analysis on how conveyancing firms […]
£2m government funding allocated for home buying and selling reform
Nearly £2m has been allocated to support innovation in the property market as conveyancing searches and data have been targeted by the government as areas where cutting through ‘out-dated red tape’ would enable innovators to ‘get new technologies out of the lab and into use sooner. ’ The funding has been awarded by the Regulators’ Pioneer […]