Three day completion record for home moving partnership
Movera, Connells Group and iamproperty Group have logged a completion time of just three days in an auction transaction, beating the home-moving partnership’s previous record of 11 days. The three day timescale was recorded between receiving the draft contract pack and completion, in a property purchased through the iamsold Auction. The service is available to […]
CTF calls on lenders to take ‘a more active and accountable role’ in property market reforms
The Conveyancing Task Force (CTF) has urged UK Finance and its members to take a more active, and accountable role in delivering the government’s home buying and selling reforms. The groups warns that digitalisation alone will not resolve the “systemic” delays that continue to frustrate consumers and professionals alike. While lenders have been vocal in […]
Proptech AI platform bags £60m investment
Orbital, the AI platform for real estate law, has raised $60m to support its continued growth. Co-founded in the UK by Will Pearce and Ed Boulle in 2018, it supports 200,000 residential and commercial real estate transactions annually for more than 5,000 property professionals, with offices in London and New York serving the UK and […]
Draft commonhold and leasehold bill published – campaigners remain sceptical
The government has published its long-awaited draft bill on commonhold and leasehold in what it says is a “game-changing shake up” of the leasehold system. The announcement was made in a TikTok video by the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, in which he set out his plans for reform. The bill includes a £250 a […]
UK Finance to launch new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook: conveyancers must register and pay £50 fee
UK Finance, the trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector, will launch its new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook platform on 2 March. Access to the handbook will only be possible with an individual user account, with all current generic email logons to be discontinued by 31 May. UK Finance advises all conveyancers and […]
Quarter of new law firms don’t make it past five years, research finds
An analysis of Companies House data has revealed a quarter of new businesses in the legal services sector fail to make it past their first five years. Witan Solicitors examined the number of businesses in the legal industry incorporated between January 2021 and December 2025 and compared it to the number that have since entered […]
Building Safety Regulator cuts ties with HSE
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has become a standalone body, paving the way for the creation of a single construction regulatory agency. BSR is now an ‘arm’s-length’ organisation under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), moving away from its Health and Safety Executive (HSE) origins. It was established in 2021 as a response to […]
OS location data identifies hard-to-heat homes
An analysis of over 23 million homes across Great Britain using the Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database (OS NGD) has identified the characteristics of homes vulnerable to low temperatures. By applying OS NGD building attributes to create a heat index, areas where homes are most at risk of heat loss can be mapped to help […]
LSL Estate Agency Franchising acquires National Search Service to strengthen conveyancing proposition
LSL Estate Agency Franchising, which has over 60 national franchises and a portfolio of 11 brands, has acquired property search company National Search Service (NSS). The acquisition complements LSL’s existing conveyancing proposition, provided by Homefast, the company said, underlining its commitment reduce transaction times for customers. A family-owned business founded in 2004, NSS provides property […]
New SDLT tax service aims to ease regulatory burden on conveyancers
As conveyancers await updated HMRC guidance on the proposed tax adviser registration changes, a specialist SDLT advisory firm has launched a product designed to ease the burden of managing complex stamp duty transactions. Post Complete from SCA Tax is an SDLT calculation and review service created for conveyancing teams. Led by Matthew Gannon, an AAT-qualified […]
New appointments aim to boost growth at Armalytix and WSP Solicitors
Conveyancing data intelligence firm Armalytix has appointed a new head of sales to help it expand beyond conveyancing and support the full property transaction chain, while WSP Solicitors has expanded its residential conveyancing team following a period of growth. Amie Williamson (pictured top left) joins the Gloucester firm from Tayntons, where she spent 19 years leading shared […]
Finalists for the British Conveyancing Awards 2026 announced
The finalists for the British Conveyancing Awards 2026, sponsored by Groundsure, have been published this morning, with 61 different organisations recognised for their commitment to excellence and client service. The winners will be announced live at a gala dinner hosted at the iconic Manchester Cathedral on 12 March. The awards were first hosted as a […]
CLC urges Treasury to re-think tax adviser status of conveyancers
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has written to the Treasury urging it to reconsider its stance on requiring conveyancers to register as tax advisers. In a letter to James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, CLC chair Dame Janet Paraskeva said the organisation is “disappointed that it still seems to be the intention to require […]
Design guidance aims to ‘raise the bar’ for new builds
The government has published updated new build design guidance which it says will ‘raise the bar’ for developments, ensuring they are well-connected to local shops and services and resilient to climate change. A consultation has been launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG) to gather feedback on the guidance, which the […]
Conveyancing Association releases full conference agenda
The Conveyancing Association (CA) has released the full agenda for its annual conference, which will be held at the Belfry Hotel & Resort in Sutton Coldfield (pictured) on 12 February. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the conference, which has the theme Conveyancing Under the Spotlight. Guests and participants will reflect on how conveyancing […]
LeO shares early resolution advice to cut ‘unnecessary escalation’
The latest Spotlight article from the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) focuses on early resolution, with practical steps for legal service providers to follow to resolve complaints at first tier. Clear communication, timely responses and proportionate remedies will all help resolve complaints before they escalate unnecessarily, the LeO says, leading to faster outcomes for customers. In 2024/25, […]
conveybuddy donated £19,030 to charity in 2025 and raises target to £50k
Panel management firm conveybuddy donated £19,030 to charitable causes in 2025, with more than half of the total (£11,200) donated in the last quarter of the year alone. The donations are made on every case completed through its platform, with the strong Q4 contribution reflecting increased completion volumes, the company said. Brokers using conveybuddy are […]
Affordability gap locks out 1.5m from housing market
The gap between what aspiring homeowners can ‘realistically’ afford and the actual cost of purchasing a property has widened significantly in recent years, according to the latest report from The Home Builders Federation (HBF), Broken Ladder: The Affordability Gap. As a result, HBF is now calling for government support to address the affordability crisis for first-time buyers […]
Conveyancing paralegal banned from legal work, fee earner supervisor cleared
A conveyancing paralegal has been barred from working in legal practice, with her “deliberate dishonesty” cited as the aggravating feature, whilst her fee earner line manager has been cleared of any wrongdoing. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard that solicitor Joanne Elizabeth Tappin and paralegal Ria Lakhani, then at Mackrell Solicitors, were alleged to have made […]
Restricting jury trials would save just 2% of crown court time, IfG says
A report from the Institute for Government (IfG) on the potential impact of government plans to restrict jury trials reveals the changes would “unlock only relatively modest reductions in demand”. Instead, the IfG says, the government should focus on reversing the decline in productivity seen in the crown courts since 2016. The proposals to reduce […]