What does ‘modernising’ home moving actually look like?
Enabling smart and trustable shared data is at the heart of government’s plans to modernise home buying and property transactions but what does this mean for consumers and the firms who represent them at every stage of the transaction? To find out, Today’s Conveyancer speaks to the Open Property Data Association, a trade association comprising […]
HM Land Registry cases to be down to less than 12 months by the end of March
HM Land Registry (HMLR) aims to have all outstanding case down to less than 12 months by the end of its financial year in March 2025 says a senior leader at the organisation. Speaking on the Conveyancing Matters YouTube chat, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Customer and Strategy at HM Land Registry (HMLR) Mike […]
In favour of digitalisation; welcoming the modernisation of home moving
Professionals from across the property sector have broadly welcomed plans to modernise the home buying and selling process after the Government announced a 12 week project to design and implement rules that would enable better sharing of data throughout the property transaction. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG) has said it will […]
New build figures show scale of challenge for 1.5m homes target
New build figures published by the National House Building Council (NHBC) and the BBC in recent days differ in absolute numbers but demonstrate the scale of the task facing the Government if it is to build 1.5m homes in the course of this Parliament. The NHBC say 124,144 new homes were completed in 2024, 7% […]
Shared data to sit at the heart of home buying and selling reforms
In a widely publicised announcement on Sunday 9th February, the Labour government announced it would be ‘modernising’ the home buying and selling process to make it fit for the 21st Century and significantly reduce transaction delays; including digitising property information and single, shareable ID verification throughout the transaction. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local […]
Government to consult on reintroducing EPC C minimum standards for lettings
The government have announced a consultation on mandatory EPC minimum standards for private rental property by 2030; 18 months after former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped similar plans. As it stands EPC E are minimum standards for private rented property, and with 48% of private rented homes in England already EPC C or above ministers […]
January price high follows seasonal dip in sales
House prices hit a record high in January 2025, up 0.7% after dipping 0.2% in December 2024; driving average property prices to £299,138 according to the latest house price index from major lender Halifax. The average property price in January 2024 was £290,357; but January 2025 that has risen to £299,138; a 3% change year […]
Reclassification of green belt to grey belt could release 27,000 homes
Nearly 3,500 historic planning applications could be reviewed and approved following the reclassification of green belt land to grey belt; releasing land that could yield 27,000 new homes. Data from development site sourcing firm Searchland has revealed previously rejected planning applications could be approved because the proposed land would now be classified as grey belt […]
Familiar failings as Barclays outage delays transactions
Conveyancers were left in limbo again on Friday as an outage at Barclays bank left many firms and individuals unable process payments and complete transactions. On Sunday the bank confirmed services were up and running and it was ‘bringing balances up to date for some of our customers and addressing any outstanding issues.’ The outage […]
Busiest start for three years say Zoopla
Further evidence of a positive start to the property market in 2025 is revealed in the latest House Price Index from Zoopla who say the first four weeks of January have been the busiest for three years with buyer demand up 13% and 10% more homes for sale. The property portal says it has seen […]
Urgency to beat SDLT deadline could see “market correction” in months after
Sentiment amongst estate agents suggests many are concerned a ‘market correction’ in the form of a slow down in transactions and house prices could happen following the end of stamp duty first time buyer exemptions in March 2025. A survey commissioned by GetAgent.co.uk found since the Autumn budget, during which it was confirmed the current […]
FoI request identifies shortage of planning officers hampering development plans
Plans to build 1.5m homes in the course of this Parliament could be impacted by a shortage of planning officers, with some council vacancy levels at almost 50% according to a recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request. The report, published in The Times, is drawn from a FoI request looking at 134 councils and suggests […]
Property portal introduces AI-powered feature search function
A new property listing portal has introduced a new way to search for their dream home, enabling home movers to enter descriptive words into the search bar to identify property features they are looking for. Billed as “home-inspiration playground” search terms including ‘freestanding baths,’ ‘exposed brickwork’ and ‘large gardens’ are promoted on the front page […]
Planning and Infrastructure Bill due in Spring to ‘turn the page on the past’
The Labour government have confirmed its Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which contains much of the primary legislation required to enact their plans to build 1.5 million homes in this parliamentary term, will be introduced into Parliament in the Spring, describing the reforms as ‘turning the page on the decline and delay of the past’ Over […]
Nationwide warn affordability pressures remain ‘stretched’ but mortgage approvals up
Nationwide Building Society says mortgage affordability remains ‘stretched’ by historic standards with London and the South East the most affected areas of the country. The North of England and Scotland are the least affected areas according to a recently published report. Despite what Nationwide’s Senior Economist Andrew Harvey describes as a ‘modest improvement in UK […]
Planning changes to reduce legal challenges from 3 to 1
Changes to planning rules outlined in the Labour Government’s Plan for Change will reduce the number of times major infrastructure projects can challenged in court tackling the culture of NIMBY-ism says Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer. The government have revealed 58% of all decisions on major infrastructure, like nuclear plants, trainlines and windfarms, are subject […]
Mark Evans announced as first keynote for Bold Legal Conference 2025
Mark Evans, Vice President of the Law Society of England & Wales, has been announced as a keynote speaker at the Bold Legal Group Conveyancing Conference hosted in London on 11th June 2025 Mark Evans, admitted as a solicitor in 1995, brings over 28 years of experience in high street practice, specialising in property and […]
PEXA hits £100m remortgage transactions
PEXA has surpassed £100m in remortgage transactions, a ‘significant milestone’ say the property settlement platform demonstrating ‘the increasing appetite among stakeholders to overhaul the technology and back-end infrastructure that supports the sector.’ PEXA say it follows a year of growth for the Australian business which launched its remortgage service in 2022 and can now deliver […]
Strong start but bigger picture ‘uncertain’ – Rightmove
Record numbers of homes listed and buyer registrations point to a positive start to 2025 according to Rightmove; but, the portal warns, the speed at which the Bank of England reduces interest rates, the impact of the end of stamp duty incentives from April 2025 onwards, and unexpectedly high’ mortgage rates all point to bigger […]
Join in National Conveyancing Week 2025
National Conveyancing Week 2025 (NCW) will be hosted from Monday 17th March 2025 with firms invited to engage with the activities of the week and play their part in raising the profile of conveyancing and the role of conveyancers in the property transaction. Alongside a host of supporters for this year’s event NCW 2025 is […]
