Diary of High Street Conveyancer – Let’s create better home moving experiences for everyone
I saw a post this week from someone in the conveyancing world for whom I have a great deal of respect. The post was about how his son had been buying a property and was told by the estate agents that there were fees to pay for mortgage services. As I read it, I knew […]
Reassessing Client Account Interest: Navigating Regulatory Changes for Financial Stability
Handling client money is a core responsibility for law firms, with an associated obligation to pay a fair sum of interest to clients. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requires firms to account to clients for interest earned on funds held on their behalf, in line with the principle of fairness outlined in the SRA Accounts […]
Cyber security tools for conveyancers from the experts
For all its awfulness, it’s clear there is never a time when conveyancing firms, and their clients, aren’t – at the very least – being considered by fraudsters as a potential target, or actively being probed for areas of weakness, particularly from a cyber point of view. That will not be anything new to conveyancing […]
“More haste, less speed” in submissions to avoid requisitions says SLC Chair
Conveyancers have their own roles to play in making conveyancing more efficient and professional and reducing simple errors which cost the profession millions of pounds each year. Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) Chair Simon Law has published a statement supporting the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) findings in its latest Risk Agenda that post completion […]
How AI is Transforming Billing Models and Client Relationships in Law Firms
The legal industry is undergoing a huge shift, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). While much of the focus has been on AI’s ability to enhance operational efficiency, its impact on billing practices and client relationships is equally transformative. In a sector long-dominated by traditional hourly billing, AI offers a path to new, outcome-based […]
“No one better placed to connect the home moving journey”
“Houseful” is probably best known for the property portal Zoopla, but the technology giant is steadily building an array of property and data businesses and has under it’s umbrella estate agent software Alto, new homes software Yourkeys and Hometrack, a UK provider of automated valuations and property insights. Their latest venture, Movemnt, launched in July […]
Property Patter: What does the Budget mean for property?
James Stewart and Lewis Currie from our Tax Team catch up with Emma Humphreys to digest the first Labour Government budget since 2010. In this episode, we will be looking into the implications the Budget will have on the world of property. What are the key tax changes for those with property investments? Is there any positive news for business tenants, particularly […]
What is Horizontal Digital Integration: And why is it relevant to conveyancers?
In the complex world of home buying and selling, where multiple stakeholders work together—from lenders to conveyancers, surveyors, and estate agents—a new digital transformation approach is emerging: Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI). Developed as a strategic methodology, HDI isn’t a single technology or platform. Instead, it serves as a framework for building a connected ecosystem where […]
The Secret Diary of A High Street Conveyancer: Navigating Stamp Duty surprises and the constantly shifting landscape
I think that one of the skills of being a good conveyancer is being able to deal with anything which is thrown at you on any day. We all know that not each day is the same. What starts as an issue in the morning resolves itself within an hour; what is moving along nicely […]
The train has left the station…
Having talked about keeping the search industry on its toes in their previous appearance on the podcast, Kevin Johnson and Jeremy Dorkins of On Point Data join the latest Today’s Conveyancer Podcast to provide update on their progress over the last 18 months, climate change, the quality of search information and advice for practitioners, and […]
Average five-year fixed mortgage rate down
The average 5-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.64 per cent, down from 5.36 per cent a year ago according to the latest figures from Rightmove. The average 2-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.91%, down from 5.81% a year ago and the average 85% LTV 5-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.66%, down from […]
Budget announcement on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief reform
Following the Chancellor’s Budget announcements today on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief reform, Idina Glyn, Partner at Mishcon de Reya, has spoken on the reforms. The restriction of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) has been threatened many times, but the Budget today has executed a swift blow to the […]
Legal Tech experts say conveyancers can ‘turn the tide’ as complaints to the ombudsman rise for a third year running
A recent conveyancing market report has documented a host of insights from industry experts on what conveyancers can do and how the property purchase process can change to help firms deliver an exceptional client experience, following data from the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) showing complaints have risen for a third year running. In Access Legal’s annual report, ‘The state […]
What a clown – they use technology
The “clown” emoji is the latest weapon of choice for some of the noisier participants of social media, using it to describe other lawyers who, in their opinion, should not be carrying out conveyancing. These typically accompany the accusation that these “clowns” have an over-reliance on technology, and are the cause of the delays we […]
The Secret Diary of A High Street Conveyancer: Dear Sirs
I have been following some discourse about how we write emails. It is an interesting discussion. I was taught that all letters to other firms should always start with ‘Dear Sirs’ and end ‘Yours faithfully’. Letters to clients and others who were known to me would be written ‘ Dear Jane/John (insert favourite client’s name)’ […]
Property Market Trends Q3 2024
The Today’s Conveyancer Podcast once again brings you the results of the latest Property Trends Report, published by Landmark. Host David Opie is joined by regular guest Ben Robinson, Managing Director of Landmark Estate Agency Services. This time Landmark Divisional Director Mike Holden joins to lend his expertise to the discussion which looks at the […]
Enhancing identity verification: How conveyancers can navigate the future UK housing boom
It’s been a sluggish few years for the UK housing market. Data from Nationwide shows market activity has remained broadly flat over the past 12 months, and is 15% lower than pre-Covid levels in 2019. This has naturally led to less work for conveyancers, with data from Search Acumen’s Conveyancing Market Tracker showing that the […]
Bank delays could put paid to simultaneous exchange and completion
Clearly one of the big stories over the last couple of weeks – presuming you are not a civil servant paid more than the Prime Minister stepping down to avoid being the centre of attention – has been the new powers that are going to be afforded to banks to allow them to pause payments […]
The Secret Diary of A High Street Conveyancer: Isn’t our work is hard enough without getting bashed on social media?
This week’s diary entry talks getting trashed on LinkedIn – and how much of the hard work in conveyancing is learned in day-to-day difficulties – not education settings…. Conveyancers are getting a hard time on LinkedIn at the moment. It is upsetting to see. I came into this profession to try and make some sort […]
149 ways to be more Google friendly
Firms and businesses who want to be found locally online for their products and services need to consider 149 different factors in order to ensure their online presence is search engine friendly. This is according to Ben Marley, formerly of Rightmove, feefo and ESTAS, who joins the latest Today’s Conveyancer podcast to discuss the launch […]
