Deadline to have your say on TA6 – Friday 16th August
The deadline for conveyancers to register to be involved in the TA6 consultation is on Friday 16th August. The Law Society of England and Wales says it has had over 1,000 conveyancing professionals register to take part. The consultation was launched on 10th July with solicitors, licensed conveyancers or other professionals working in conveyancing being encouraged […]
Search tie up for home moving platform to “do more in one place”
Home moving and sales progression platform adoor has announced it will be able to provide conveyancing searches directly from its portal through a partnership with search provider Elan. Local Authority, Drainage and Water and Environment reports will be accessible without having to leave the adoor system, updating the relevant field within the workflow automatically. It […]
Barratt and Redrow merger hits Shropshire snag
The deal to merge two of the largest housebuilders in the UK may go ahead if the two organisations can resolve a “high combined share of land” in an area in Shropshire say the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA stepped in to the proposed £2.5bn merger in March citing concerns about whether the […]
New podcast takes a light-hearted look at conveyancing
A new podcast from two well-known conveyancing professionals aims to shed a light on the daily trials, tribulations and enjoyment of running two separate property departments. “Bricks and Banter” has been launched by Tom Parkinson and Laura Cartwright and is described as taking a light-hearted look at the challenges they face as Directors of their […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer: Fall-through Friday
I am acting for a lovely young couple. They are buying their first home together and are very excited about it. This is the second house that they are trying to buy – the first house had a loft conversion with no consents; the usual issues had arisen around the Particulars of Sale indicating the […]
Finding common ground on how to move the industry forward: The Estate Agent’s perspective
When we carried out our cross-market research last year, one thing was abundantly clear: times are tough for property professionals. Estate agents are no exception. A staggering 88% said their role has been impacted by recent legislative changes, while 53% admit to struggling to progress transactions at an optimal pace. They’re not alone. Across the […]
‘Strategic rebrand’ for home moving app
A home moving app which aims to automate property compliance and simplify home moving has announced it will rebrand as part of a ‘significant evolution’ in its mission. MoveGenius will rebrand to Snappily, a name they say ‘reflects our vision of making the home moving process faster, simpler, and more efficient, encapsulating the essence of […]
Firms who generate most complaints should pay more – CLC
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has launched a consultation on proposals to change how its contribution towards the Legal Ombudsman is paid, so that those firms who generate more complaints contribute more to the levy. The proposals are designed to “provide a stronger incentive for the small number of firms that generate disproportionate levels […]
Breaking down barriers: Can a conveyancers find common ground with an estate agent and a mortgage lender?
There’s no doubt about it. Residential property transactions are taking longer. As our latest market research reveals, the average time it takes from instruction to completion is 19 weeks. That’s a 64% increase compared with 2007. It’s perhaps no surprise then that 72% of the conveyancers we spoke to said protracted timescales were impacting chain […]
Reservation agreement tested in court as buyer told to pay £35,000
A buyer has been told to pay £35,000 in a case relating to the enforcement of a reservation agreement after a judgement found they were considered to have pulled out of the transaction unreasonably. The case was brought by reservation agreement guarantee service Gazeal, who secured the compensation laid out in their reservation agreement after […]
‘Mixed-Use’ definition sees successful £225,000 SDLT appeal
HMRC has lost its appeal against a £225,000 Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) claim. A first tier tribunal (FTT) heard the case which centred around Durford House, a 6 bedroom property set amongst 16.6 acres of land and 12 acres of mature woodland. The claim was made by Cornerstone Tax, who claimed the property was […]
Growth a key message in Kings Speech at State Opening of Parliament
Labour say their ‘mandate for change’ will see a raft of new legislation introduced designed to prioritise growth in the King’s Speech at the official State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday 17th July. The speech will include proposals to launch a National Wealth Fund to ‘drive investment into the UK,’ to a new Mission Control […]
1,150 homes every day until 2029 to meet housing targets
The new labour government must deliver just over 1,150 new homes every single working day for the next five years to achieve its stated aims of building 1.5m news homes in this Parliament according to estate agency membership group Propertymark. The representative body have called on the new government to provide a detailed plan on […]
Market ‘poised for upturn’ despite slow pipeline progress
The residential property may be ‘poised for a potential upturn’ despite transactions being over 40% down on 2019. A 6% increase in the number of new properties coming to market and listings remaining above 2019 levels since the turn of the year, point to a ‘possible return to more dynamic conditions’ according to the latest […]
Open letter calls for regulation of estate agency
An open letter signed by British Property Federation (BPF), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Federation of Private Residents Association (FoPRA), The Property Institute (TPI) and Propertymark has called on newly appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner to introduce a regulated framework for estate agency. According to the signatories, […]