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 […]
Market turmoil leaves home movers exposed to mortgage rate changes
Four in 10 downsizers still require a mortgage to buy a home, the impact of which is consumer exposure to “market turmoil”, the home moving comparison site reallymoving warns. Drawing on its own data from thousands of quotes on its site, reallymoving said 40.5% of downsizers used a mortgage to purchase their home in the […]
Satisfied clients aren’t leaving reviews in growing ‘advocacy gap’, report finds
A survey of legal services clients has found that although the vast majority (84%) are happy with the service they receive, 66% said they would never leave a review. Access Legal surveyed 1,000 clients who have used conveyancing, wills and probate, family law or personal injury legal services in the last two years for its […]
Tickets on sale for Sort Ball, with Gatsby glamour and secret celeb DJ
Tickets are now on sale for Sort Group’s Sort Ball, which will feature a Great Gatsby theme and a secret celebrity DJ. Guests at Derby’s Vaillant Live venue on 21st October will step back in time to the roaring 1920s and experience an evening of glitz, glamour and Art Deco elegance, with a performance by […]
New Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook live from 29 June – conveyancers encouraged to pre-register
The new Mortgage Lenders Handbook will be live from 29 June, UK Finance has announced. The organisation is encouraging conveyancers to pre-register for the site before 5pm on Friday 15th May. UK Finance confirmed the planned date in a statement, and said conveyancers and solicitors should continue to use the current handbook until then. “In […]
Rightmove faces £1.5bn class action as agents claim portal has overcharged for services
Property portal Rightmove is the subject of a class action as estate agents claim it has overcharged for its services. The claim, first reported in November 2025. has now been submitted to the Competition Appeal Tribunal by Jeremy Newman, a former panel member of the Competition and Markets Authority, claiming the property portal has been […]
Communication, unclear expectations and unjustified delays are key causes of residential conveyancing complaints
Poor communication, unclear or unrealistic expectations and unjustified delays without proper explanation are the key causes of complaints in property transactions, according to the Legal Ombudsman in the latest Spotlight published on its website. The Spotlight goes on to provide guidance for practitioners, focusing on what the ombudsman describes as three critical junctures: instruction and […]
Conveyancing appointments round-up
The onset of spring has seen a series of announcements from law firms and tech companies sharing details of new conveyancing hires and promotions. Switalskis has appointed four solicitors (main pic) to its residential conveyancing team, including two directors, adding further property expertise to its Wakefield, Bradford, Sheffield and Grimsby offices. Ed Atkin (pictured far […]
Lawfront adds Reading-based Field Seymour Parkes to portfolio
Private equity backed consolidator Lawfront has announced the acquisition of Reading based Field Seymour Parkes, taking the total number of firms under its ‘regional leaders’ banner to seven. Field Seymour Parkes joins regional firms Farleys, Fisher Jones Greenwood, Nelsons, Slater Heelis, Brachers and Trethowans as the Blixt-backed Lawfront continues to add to its growing […]
LSB confirms Richard Blakeway as chair of Office for Legal Complaints
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed the appointment of Richard Blakeway to the post of chair of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) after an open competition. The appointment follows Blakeway’s appearance before the Justice Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny last month, and has been approved by Sarah Sackman, the minister of state for […]
‘The biggest shock to the UK mortgage market since the 2022 mini-budget’
The Iran conflict has triggered the sharpest shock to the UK mortgage market since the 2022 mini-budget, the financial information company Moneyfacts has said, with rates soaring in the space of just one month. Mortgage deals have been rapidly repriced, with average two-year fixed rates jumping from 4.84% to 5.84% in a month, while five-year […]
HMLR faces ‘pivotal’ year, says board chair Sachdev in response to Baroness Taylor
HM Land Registry faces a “pivotal” year, according to chair of the organisation’s board, Neil Sachdev (pictured). The comments came in a response to a letter from parliamentary under-secretary of state Baroness Taylor of Stevenage outlining expectations for the agency. In her letter, Baroness Taylor said HMLR should reposition its service offering from that of […]
Legal tech sees 35% increase in external investment as government invests £4.5m in incubator
LawtechUK, a Ministry of Justice-backed initiative supporting technology startups in the legal sector, has secured further funding to enable it to continue operating for the next three years. The programme, currently delivered in a partnership between CodeBase and Legal Geek, will receive an additional £4.5 million over the next three years. Last year, UK-founded lawtech […]
Movera, ONP Solicitors and Steele Raymond celebrate growth
Movera and Steele Raymond are entering the new financial year in strong positions, with the trio of businesses celebrating growth, acquisitions and expansions this week. Home moving brand Movera reported a 33% year-on-year increase in sale and purchase completions across its conveyancing firms, ONP Solicitors and Cavendish, in 2025. To support its growth aspirations, Movera brought in […]
Industry body for legal software throws its weight behind home buying reform
The Legal Suppliers Software Association (LSSA) has thrown its weight behind efforts to reform the home buying and selling process in a meeting with the Ministry of Housing. The LSSA said it had met with a strategy adviser in the Ministry to discuss proposed reforms to the home buying and home selling process and the […]
Court of Appeal overturns Mazur in ‘most consequential judgment for legal services in recent history’
The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) in its appeal against Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives and paralegals can conduct litigation. In a statement released following the ruling, CILEX chief executive Jennifer Coupland said it was “the most […]
Mazur overturned: Legal sector reacts
Law firms and practitioners have responded to the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives and paralegals can conduct litigation. Following the Court of Appeal’s judgment, CILEx Regulation said its priority would be to support those who had been affected […]
‘Ominous signs’ as Middle East conflict clouds positive housing market indicators
The latest indicators from HMRC and Nationwide paint a positive picture of the housing market, but experts warn the figures “set an ominous tone” as the Middle East conflict slows economic growth. Seasonally adjusted UK monthly residential property transaction figures from HMRC show a 6% increase on January’s figures, with 102,410 transactions. Although the figures […]
National Housing Bank launches with £16bn fund for new homes and regeneration
A National Housing Bank, first signposted last year, is officially open for business, providing public finance “to accelerate the delivery of new homes and communities, whilst also enabling the regeneration of towns and cities across England”, the government has announced. The institution is a subsidiary of Homes England and is backed by the government to […]
Breaking news: CILEX reacts to Mazur appeal win
The Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in CILEX & Ors v Mazur & Ors. Allowing the appeal, Sir Colin Birss, Chancellor of the High Court, said “it is hard to see why this litigation went on as long as it did”. Following the ruling, CILEX chief executive Jennifer Coupland said: “This is the most […]