From future threat to present reality: How location data is redefining risk in conveyancing
With the UK facing increasingly unpredictable weather, there is an urgent need for the property sector to adapt. Climate risk is no longer a distant threat – it’s a present-day reality increasingly affecting real estate. The impact is not just being felt through flooding, rising sea levels, overheating homes or subsidence, but through transition risks […]
Binding contracts and faster sales are great – but will the home buying overhaul actually happen?
House sellers will have to reveal issues with their properties before selling new under government plans to reduce costs for buyers and speed up transactions. These changes – dubbed by the government as “the biggest overhaul of the home buying system” in England’s history – might also see buyers and sellers signing “binding contracts” to […]
Law Firm Services welcomes government drive to speed up the home buying process
The government’s latest announcement on digitisation and speeding up the home buying process reflects a long-standing ambition shared by Law Firm Services (LFS) and Minerva to make property transactions faster, more transparent, and more data-driven. Back in 2008, LFS delivered more than 100,000 Home Information Packs (HIPs), championing upfront information long before it became a […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – This ‘straightforward’ case is not what it seems…
I had a lot of things to write about this week as so much seemed to be happening. Still a lot of negativity on LinkedIn, still a lot of conveyancing bashing. We now also have a consultation about how to make this all better, and which could result in cheaper fees for buyers (thereby increasing […]
Conveyancers are unfairly caught in HMRC’s tax advice net – some simple rules could set them free
HMRC’s recent consultation proposes that any organisation which ‘provides tax advice and interacts with HMRC’ must register as a tax agent. But is this drawing too wide a net and capturing conveyancers whose role is limited to SDLT filing? Conveyancers already manage various compliance tasks, including anti money laundering checks, environmental and title searches, trust […]
Mazur, money and modernisation – The regulator’s view
In this episode of the Today’s Conveyancer Podcast host David Opie is joined by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers’ Director of Strategy and External Relations to discuss the regulator’s view of the big issues facing conveyancing. The podcast was initially recorded in the days before the government’s home buying and selling reforms consultation with much […]
The government’s home buying proposals revisit some old ground – and conveyancers are weary
The recent announcement that the Government is, once again looking into improving the home buying and selling process is particularly poignant for me, because as most of you know, I owned a Home Information Pack production business back in 2010. Whilst the outlined new proposals don’t replicate exactly what was in a HIP, they do […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – ‘Hold please caller, so I can do my job’ – Part 4
After a very disrupted day, a call comes in that takes priority. If you missed what happened earlier, catch up with parts one, two and three. 2.30pm: A level of calm descends as staff settle down to work. All completions are done; we hope that all buyers have collected their keys without any issues and we […]
Why the SRA’s updated guidance on money laundering matters for conveyancers
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued updated guidance on money laundering: for conveyancers, this is more than just another regulatory update. Property work continues to be singled out as one of the highest risk areas for criminal exploitation, and the guidance makes clear what the regulator expects to see in practice. Why now? The […]
Short leases, long chains: the lending pinch point every conveyancer meets
A buyer agrees a price on Tuesday; by Friday the valuation is back and the file feels less certain than it did at memo-of-sale. The sticking point isn’t title, searches or even the survey. It’s the lease length and, more precisely, how a lender will see it when time is already tight. Conveyancers know this […]
Beyond the spreadsheet: AI and the future of legal reporting
It’s no secret that across the legal sector, reporting is a necessary evil. Senior staff often spend hours each month chasing down figures, pulling data into spreadsheets, and then trying to turn all of that into something that looks halfway presentable for partners’ meetings. It’s slow, repetitive, and it takes highly skilled people away from […]
‘Conveyancers are at the heart of home buying and selling’ says incoming Law Society president Mark Evans
Next month I will be extremely proud to become the president of the Law Society of England and Wales. Holding this position of responsibility means I can help the profession that has given me so much. It is something that I will never take for granted. The Law Society is privileged to be able to […]
Recommendations for leasehold reform: An open letter to the housing secretary from ALEP
Dear Secretary of State On behalf of ALEP (the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners), we would like to congratulate you on your new role at this pivotal moment for land tenure and leasehold reform. The leasehold enfranchisement sector is encouraged by the government’s commitment to bring about necessary change. With Matthew Pennycook having set an […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – ‘Hold please caller, so I can do my job’ – Part 3
In part three of a very frustrating day full of phone calls and queries, the Secret High Street Conveyancer picks up the phone to ask some questions of their own. If you missed the previous instalments, catch up with parts one and two. I look at the clock – only 2.10pm. Three hours to go until […]
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
…so the proverb goes. In this latest episode of the Today’s Conveyancer podcast the topic of conversation turns to the increasing use of open AI and tools like Google’s Gemini, and ChatGPT to help consumers understand more about the conveyancing process; in turn challenging the advice provided by the profession and eroding the trust between […]
A social housing boom is coming – is the legal sector ready?
When the new housing secretary Steve Reed declared his mission to “build, baby build” and accelerate delivery of 1.5 million homes this Parliament, the announcement was widely welcomed across the property industry. The ambition is clear: to bridge the gap between supply and demand, particularly for affordable homes, which remain out of reach for many. […]
From Victorian paperwork to digital dreams: modernising the UK’s antiquated housing market
We need to talk about the UK’s property market. Our transaction process feels like a remnant of a bygone era. Britain’s conveyancing system seems particularly labyrinthine and bureaucratic compared to other developed nations. One major issue is the time it takes. In the UK, the average period from making an offer to completing a purchase […]
The rise and fall of the Law Society Empire
“Integrity is the key to understanding legal practice. Law’s empire is defined by attitude, not territory, power or process.” Ronald Myles Dworkin QC The Rise of the Law Society Empire The Law Society formed in 1825 and gained a Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1845, allowing it to govern its own affairs. Through the […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – ‘Hold please caller, so I can do my job’ – Part 2
After part one was published last week, The Secret High Street Conveyancer explores how the afternoon shift goes… I hardly have time to contemplate what the next 10 years of my life before the afternoon shift begins! A quick lunch hurriedly eaten at my desk, watching the emails mount up in my in box, and […]
The Perfect Partner
In the third and final instalment of his “Perfect” trilogy, former CEO of the fastest growing law firm at the time-turned consultant Simon McCrum shares his views on what it takes to be the Perfect Partner in a legal business. Through the course of his book, and in previous podcasts, Simon has explored what it […]