Q1 property trends are encouraging for conveyancers, Landmark report suggests
Residential property data for Q1 of 2026 contains encouraging trends for conveyancers, the latest report from Landmark Information Group suggests. Although global pressures and affordability are constraining home moving activity, listing volumes rose by 3% year-on-year across Q1 2026, Landmark’s data reveals. A 6% uplift in January has resulted in consistently high levels of stock […]
‘Modest but meaningful’ drop in fall-through rates across UK
Fall-through rates have fallen slightly in 10 of the UK’s 13 regions, according to the latest report from property data analysts TwentyCi. The national rate fell from 24% in Q1 25 to 23.7% in Q1 26 – “a modest but meaningful” 0.3% percentage-point decline, TwentyCi said. The year-on-year reduction stands at 1.3%. The improvement was found […]
‘Tough times ahead’ in buy-to-let market as demand falls
Demand in the buy-to-let market has been largely fuelled by re-mortgaging, with new purchases falling slightly in Q4 of 2025 compared to the same period a year ago, newly released figures from UK Finance reveal. There were 59,489 new buy-to-let loans advanced in the UK, worth a total of £11.2 billion and up 18.2% on […]
Mortgage lifespan falls to record low as lenders pull products due to interest rate uncertainty
The average shelf life of a mortgage fell to a record low of just eight days in March, down from 14 days in February, according to the latest Moneyfacts UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Report. The previous lowest average lifespan of a mortgage was in July 2023, at just 12 days. Overall product choice has decreased […]
Mortgage Advice Bureau acquires HomeOwners Alliance
HomeOwners Alliance (HOA), a consumer focused home-moving advice website, has been acquired by Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) in a move described by MAB as a way to “strengthen presence earlier in the home-buying journey and expand its role across the wider property ecosystem”. Founded in 2012, HOA receives millions of web visits annually, providing guidance, […]
Monisha Shah appointed chair of the Legal Services Board
The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of Monisha Shah as chair of the Legal Services Board for four years from 1st April 2026. For the last 12 months, Catherine Brown had acted as interim chair of the oversight regulator after the unexpectedly short tenure of Alan Kershaw who stepped down in February 2025 after […]
Conveyancer fined and ordered to pay costs of £50,000 for failing to protect client money
A partner in a conveyancing firm has been fined £7,500 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000 by a Council for Licensed Conveyancers adjudication panel after approving transfers of over £363,000 from the firm’s client account to its office account. The decision of the disciplinary hearing was published on the CLC’s website in November but […]
Real-term fall in conveyancing pricing, with four in 10 clients opting for cheapest quote
A scrabble for instructions in the final quarter of 2025 has resulted in a real-term fall in the cost of conveyancing, with a quarterly average purchase and sale fee (including disbursements and expenses) of £2440 in the first quarter of 2026, compared with £2437 a year ago. With inflation currently at 3%, conveyancing costs have […]
Legal-technology founder launches AI powered conveyancing firm
The founder of a conveyancing technology provider has launched a CLC-regulated law firm “to show that the variability that has long characterised the conveyancing process is not inevitable”. Ed Boulle is the co-founder of Orbital, an AI-powered property due diligence platform which provides summarised title documents, leases, deeds, searches and lender requirements for conveyancers. Announcing […]
Law Society issues Mazur practice note
A new practice note aimed at providing guidance on how firms can ensure they are compliant with the recent Mazur decision has been published by the Law Society of England and Wales. The practice note provides advice on how firms can make sure that only those authorised to do so carry on the conduct of […]
Rightmove calls for stamp duty reforms, as first time buyers pay £4,618 more since relief ended
First-time buyers are paying an average of £4,618 more in stamp duty since the £425,000 threshold was removed last year, according to figures from Rightmove. The property portal is calling on the government to consider reforms to the property tax, as the figures reveal an extra £307 million has been collected from first time buyers […]
LeO receives 6.1% budget increase to tackle ‘staggering’ increase in complaints
The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) has published its 2026-27 Business Plan & Budget for the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), which includes a strong emphasis on preventing complaints from arising and reducing unnecessary escalation. Complaints have risen almost 30% year-on-year and the LeO expects to receive 7,675 new complaints in 2026-27, representing a 174% increase since 2019-20. The level […]
Positive BoE lender survey misleading, experts warn, as ‘ongoing turmoil spooks big banks’
Lenders expect mortgage demand to increase over the coming months, according to the Bank of England’s latest Credit Conditions Survey – but experts warn attitudes have shifted since the survey was carried out earlier this year, amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. Demand for secured lending for house purchase was unchanged in Q1, with figures covering the […]
‘Housing market has lost some momentum’ – Halifax
The latest house price data from Halifax suggests the housing market has lost momentum as spring begins. The pace of annual growth has eased to 0.8% from 1.2% the previous month, which Halifax head of mortgages Amanda Bryden says reflects wider uncertainty regarding the conflict in the Middle East. She explained: “Concerns about higher energy […]
RICS reports slowdown of UK housing market as ongoing Middle East conflict raises borrowing costs
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK Residential Survey for March 2026 found the market losing momentum as rising borrowing costs and wider geopolitical uncertainty weighed heavily on buyer confidence and sales activity. New buyer enquiries fell to a net balance of -39%, down from -29% in February, marking the weakest reading since August […]
100% mortgages on the rise as buyers struggle with affordability
Sales of 100% mortgages hit a five-year high last year, an analysis of Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) data by Compare the Market has found. The comparison site warns the rise indicates buyers are increasingly struggling with affordability. In the first three quarters of 2025 (January to September) sales of no-deposit mortgages reached 574, compared with […]
Modified Affordability Assessments ‘a boon for consumers’ but more needs to be done to raise awareness
A national mortgage brokerage network has welcomed the impact of last year’s Modified Affordability Assessments (MAAs), as newly released data showed the number of borrowers moving to a new lender using MAAs more than doubled in the wake of the FCA’s changes to the regime last summer Stonebridge said the initiative by the Financial Conduct […]
RICS launches consultation on updated party wall practice guidance
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a consultation on the draft 8th edition of Party Wall Legislation and Procedure, inviting feedback from surveyors, legal professionals, dispute resolution practitioners and other stakeholders involved in party wall matters in England and Wales. The consultation will run for approximately eight weeks across April and May […]
Women in Residential Property hosts networking lunch and calls for conveyancers to get involved
Women in Residential Property, a group which fosters collaboration between women working across all sectors of the residential property sector, is hosting a networking lunch in London this month and is urging more conveyancers to get involved. Founded in 2017 by Emma Vigus, Women In Residential Property holds regular digital and in-person networking events in […]
Survey highlights gulf between client expectations and home moving experience
A survey of 1000 home movers suggests expectations around the time it takes to complete a property purchase is being insufficiently communicated, with over two thirds of respondents saying their purchase took longer than expected. Perhaps unsurprisingly, against a backdrop of extending transaction timescales, three quarters of respondents said their transaction took longer than 12 […]