Referral fee ban back on the agenda
The estate agency press have this morning reported on a review by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team which recommends the mandatory disclosure of referral fees to consumers. The review was requested by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) instructed to look into the practice of referral fees and […]
Protecting your business in uncertain times
Protecting your business in uncertain times is key to future success. The national lockdown may have ended and schools are open but we are still a long way from being back to normal, as the announcement of the introduction of the ‘rule of six’ highlights. Add to this the indications that the Brexit negotiations do […]
Landmark Information Group steps-up for Macmillan Cancer Support
A team of 17 staff members from across the Landmark Information Group has embarked on a huge walking challenge to raise money for the Macmillan Cancer Support charity, during September. With a goal to walk the distance of all the Landmark offices – and back again – in one month, the team is aiming to […]
Howden Acquires St Giles Legal & Professional Risks
Howden, the independent insurance broker with employee ownership at its heart, announced today that it has reached agreement to acquire St Giles Legal & Professional Risks (‘St Giles’), a professional indemnity insurance broker specialising in the UK solicitor sector, a market in which Howden is already a leading provider. This move further cements Howden as […]
Your chance to see how the HBSG Pledge can work in practice.
The Home Buying & Selling Group have launched their new Pledge designed to introduce more transparency and speed up property transactions. Key Members of the group, Beth Rudolph from the Conveyancing Association, Richard Powell of Ryder & Dutton Estate Agents and Paul Hajek of Clutton Cox Conveyancing, will be taking part in a live webinar […]
Home Buying and Selling Group launches new industry pledge
Home Buying and Selling Group launches ground breaking industry pledge to support home movers in England and Wales Since lockdown, the HBSG has been working with the home moving industry to help ensure the home moving market operates as well as it can during Covid-19 and beyond. The group produced pan-industry guidance on the day […]
BREAKING NEWS: PIE/PSG Snapped Up By Owner of Index Property Information Group
Dye & Durham Limited, the Canada-based owner of Index Property Information Group, has today announced the purchase of well-known property search and cloud software business Property Information Exchange for a sum of around £32m. Operating under the “poweredbypie” brand, Property Information Exchange merged with PSG (Property Search Group) in 2017 with the acquisition of a […]
Ordering Title Insurance Online Just Got Easier
As part of its commitment to provide solutions to help property lawyers and their clients overcome the many hurdles faced when buying property, Stewart Title has launched a number of improvements to its already successful online ordering platform, Stewart Online Solution. “The pressure is always on lawyers to find ways to resolve the problems faced […]
SearchFlow responds to the Halifax House Price Index, September 2020
In response to the latest Halifax House Price Index, which has shown prices reach a record high after the largest monthly increase since 2016, Dr Tom Quirke, managing director of SearchFlow – the UK’s largest provider of legal due diligence for commercial and residential property transactions – provides his view on what this means to […]
ALEP Welcomes CMA’s Investigation Into Mis-Selling Of Leasehold
The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has welcomes the CMA’s enforcement action against four of the UK’s house builders over their mis-selling of leasehold properties. As well as mis-selling of properties, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will also investigate evidence surrounding potentially Performanceunfair terms concerning ground rent. Mark Chick, Director of ALEP, said: […]
Law Society Survey Results Revealed In Application To Legal Services Board
In an application to the Legal Services Board (LSB) that has the Law Society asking for the Practising Certificate (PC) fee to remain the same, the results from a recent survey, regarding the fee, have been revealed. The survey, undertaken between the 8 June and 10 July, asked solicitors whether they felt the current fees […]
Terrafirma Celebrate 5 Years of Helping Property Professionals Understand the Ground
This week Terrafirma celebrates 5 years of positive disruption and innovation across the UK’s property and conveyancing sectors with bold plans for an engaging educational series and important product update. From an idea borne from their Founder and CEO, Tom Backhouse’s passion to communicate GeoScience to professionals and wider public, Terrafirma are now the leading […]
poweredbypie Sees Rise in Interest in Secure Online Conveyancing Communication Tool
Search and software provider poweredbypie, has seen a significant rise in interest in its online communication tool Document Portal, which enables simple and secure electronic exchange of all documentation within the conveyancing process. Carole Ankers, chief product & technology officer, poweredbypie confirms: “Document Portal is part of our Brighter Law toolkit which enables conveyancers to calculate and generate automatic, […]
The Cashroom Limited is expanding the services we offer
The Cashroom Limited is expanding the services we offer Credit Control! At the Cashroom we provide a full accounting service to the legal profession – from day to day entries, through compliance, management accounts and now credit control! Cash is one of the most important things in any business. Law firms are no different. From […]
Nationwide Say No To Bank Of Mum & Dad
Nationwide is said to be restricting the amount of money first-time buyers (FTBs) can use as a deposit that has been gifted to them by their parents – or the Bank of Mum and Dad as it’s more commonly known. It is believed that Nationwide is now asking FTBs to prove at least 75% of […]
‘Nightingale Courts’ To Help With Eviction Backlog
With evictions and repossession cases set to begin again on the 23 August 2020, the government has established Nightingale Courts – similar to the Nightingale Hospitals used to help the NHS – in a bid to reduce the backlog of cases that has built up as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Nightingale Courts […]
National Accident Helpline Pre-close Trading Update
The National Accident Helpline Group PLC (the “Group”) has today released its Pre-close Trading Update and Revised Banking Facility document. Despite the results being significantly impacted by the pandemic, NAHL has responded well, with the revenue for the period covering the six months to 30 June 2020, is expected to be £20.4m. This, as to […]
New Panel Created By SRA To Advise On Policy
A team has been named that will advise the Solicitors Regulation Authority to “help deliver our work in a way that meets the public interest and is responsive to changes in the legal services market.” says chief executive Paul Philip. The core panel members announced are; Kate Briscoe, chief executive of consumer website Legal Beagles; […]
CLC Seeks Responses To Their Consultation On Licence and Practice Fee Arrangements
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has published a consultation on their annual review of Licence and Practice Fee Arrangements. The consultation paper notes the reduction in Practice Fee three times since 2016 that has resulted in a cumulative decrease of 42%. This has been achieved by reducing the regulatory burden despite a significant proportion […]
Two new members appointed to the CLC’s governing Council
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), the regulator of property and probate lawyers, has today announced the appointment of two new Council members. Jenny Quirke takes up the post of Chair of the CLC’s Audit and Risk Committee and joins the CLC Council in August, following the end of incumbent Heather Foster’s term. Milton James […]