No more tiers

Everyone’s talking about the HMRC tax adviser registration requirements. Fewer people are talking about what they mean for your transparency obligations. From May 2026 onwards, every conveyancing firm dealing with SDLT must register with HMRC

The renewed focus on Angela Rayner’s SDLT position following confirmation that an additional £40,000 liability was settled, despite HMRC reportedly finding no “wrongdoing or carelessness”, has again highlighted how complex SDLT scenarios can become in

A form with the HMRC header, with a pair of reading glasses placed over it

As HMRC remains steadfast in its insistence conveyancers must register as tax advisers in the face of ongoing objections, the Law Society of England and Wales has shared its own detailed guidance to help conveyancers

SDLT is not a simple tax. HMRC says so. The courts say so. The statutory framework says so. And 12,737 real matters handled by Compass say so. Yet still some market commentators state otherwise, so

Compass has been awarded the Cyber Essentials accreditation, the UK government-backed certification that verifies an organisation’s defences against the most common cyber threats. The accreditation, overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), requires independently

A paper file marked 'stamp duty'

Most firms are comfortable describing how they deal with SDLT. Far fewer are confident evidencing it. That distinction matters. When the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) review your processes, the focus

The words 'stamp duty' written in wooden blocks, with a man holding a magnifying glass over the top

HMRC opened 3,035 Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) investigations in the year to April 2025. That is up 88% on the previous year. They recovered £200 million in unpaid tax, at an average of £66,000

adoor, the home moving platform connecting all parties in a property transaction and wider chain, has announced a new integration with Compass, the property tax technology business specialising in Stamp Duty Land Tax automation and

A form with the HMRC header, with a pair of reading glasses placed over it

In an environment of increasing regulatory scrutiny and tightening professional risk, SDLT is no longer a minor administrative step in the conveyancing process. It is a defined tax interaction with HMRC, and from 2026 it

A form with the HMRC header, with a pair of reading glasses placed over it

Conveyancers have been explicitly named in parliament as falling within scope of HMRC’s mandatory tax adviser registration regime, as ministers confirmed during Finance Bill Committee proceedings that the policy is proceeding without carve outs or

A form with the HMRC header, with a pair of reading glasses placed over it

SDLT specialist Compass explains why HMRC’s upcoming requirements for conveyancers to register as tax advisers fundamentally shifts the landscape of the service.   For years, SDLT has sat in an uncomfortable space for law firms.

Lidia Quinlan

Compass has announced the appointment of Lidia Quinlan (pictured) as a director, reflecting the company’s continued growth and its expanding role within the UK property Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) sector. Quinlan will continue in

A close up of hands next to a laptop, one hand holding a calculator. The image is overlaid with a graphic of a house, graphs and charts

After months of speculation about possible stamp duty reform, the autumn budget confirmed that the SDLT system remains unchanged. For many across the sector this brings relief, but it also raises an important question. If

A goldfish escapes from a blue net

HMRC’s recent consultation proposes that any organisation which ‘provides tax advice and interacts with HMRC’ must register as a tax agent. But is this drawing too wide a net and capturing conveyancers whose role is

In the last few years the number of UK Conveyancing firms has dropped significantly – where are they, and what does this mean for the market as a whole? The IRN ‘UK Residential Conveyancing Market

Think about the term ‘Client Care’. It’s the shorthand we use to describe that initial letter you send to your client. It lays out what you’ll do, how much it will cost, and how long

Our new quoting service designed to allow clients to check their potential Stamp Duty Liability quickly and easily has already been a great success for us and our clients. In June 2024, we were able

Craig Taylor Director of Relationship Development at LEAP comments on the Government’s plan to raise stamp duty to £500k:

Law firms and mortgage advisers are increasingly referring clients to ‘specialist advisers’ for advice on their Stamp Duty, but this isn’t without its own problems… “…solicitors deal with SDLT day in, day out, so they

On Friday the country awoke to the first change of governing party in nearly a decade and a half. The merits or otherwise of this political sea change are being endlessly debated on TV, radio

Digital identity in the legal industry

Calls to modernise the UK’s ‘siloed and fragmented’ property-buying process highlight how the industry has been left behind. Last month, giving evidence to the Commons Select Committee, the chair of the Open Property Data Association

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