The planned consultation by the SRA on the future of Professional Indemnity Insurance does have some sensible proposals but the Law Society believes that removing work for financial institutions from the scope of the minimum
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) have released data showing that an expected decline in mortgage lending has become apparent. With 46,000.00 loans for house purchases in October (worth a reported £6.7 billion), down by
To understand the implications of the current economic climate with regards to lending and conveyancing it is important to look at how we got to be in the state that we are in and where
The Land Registry have launched a consultation on proposed changes to land registration legislation to take account of changes made by the Legal Services Act 2007 The Legal Services Act 2007 makes provision for the
Solicitors, particularly those in smaller practices, are concerned as to the way some mortgage lenders have reduced the size of their conveyancing panels. The Law Society have said that they are being very active in
City law firm Speechly Bircham has secured a landmark ruling for supermodel and entrepreneur Elle Macpherson against the liquidated Isle of Man bank Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander (KSF), which brings a little-known legal principle dating
Local authority searches have long been debated and there is now fierce competition between private search companies and councils over price, turnaround times and data quality. Whilst such competition should benefit the consumer, with the
Legal Futures has reported that the SRA is considering significant changes which may impact conveyancers. Specifically in respect of the holding of mortgage advances and insurance renewals. In July 2010, the SRA commissioned Charles River
Conveycentric and Landmark have issued the following press release which we think our readers will value reading in its full form. Insurance-backed search available from the CML website provides solicitors with immediate access to Handbook
The SRA has announced that it is proposing to remove the single renewal date for Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) for firms from October 2011. This means that firms would be able to renew cover at
Ben Whiting, Director at Ab Initio Legal Recruitment reports on recruitment in the residential property sector and offers his predictions for 2011. Overall, 2010 has been a subdued year for residential property recruitment. The legal
Conveyancers should note that the Information Commissioner has served two organisations with the first monetary penalties for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. I believe that at some point a conveyancer will be fined
ETSOS, the on-line conveyancing ordering system, is excited to announce the launch of two new enhancements to its site that will enable property practitioners to work even faster, more efficient and cost effective than ever
This article is reproduced from Property PSL by Alan Riley The North East Property Buyers Ltd Litigation case – [2010] EWHC 2991 (Ch) – involving an alleged sale and leaseback fraud is an interesting decision:
Following the Law Society new conveyancing kite mark and a review by RICS of its quality enforcement The National Association of Estate Agents has created a licensing scheme for agents. A licensed estate agency branch
The Conveyancing Association (CA) is a not for profit trade association whose objectives are to improve the experience for the home moving public, to encourage greater collaborative working, to take a fresh and innovative approach,
We can all picture the images in Cumbria, Cornwall and Sheffield in recent years when flooding has hit the headlines but, whilst it is not a matter of legal right or obligation, has this altered
Following a recent consultation exercise the Fees in the Registers of Scotland Amendment Order 2010 has been signed by the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism and has been submitted to the Scottish Parliament. The
The Ministry of Justice has issued a consultation paper called “Proposals for Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales”. The consultation proposes two potential changes to use money held on client account to fund
The Bank of England have released their monthly statistical report showing that purchase mortgage approvals for October are down slightly, 47,185, compared with September, 47,369. This makes the approval rates for October lower than the
The NHBC today reports that the number of new homes registered in October was 10,028 – a slight rise on September’s registration levels (9,033). Numbers have remained consistently between 9,000 and 11,000 since April this
Grainger plc is possibly the UK’s largest listed specialist residential landlord and owns, acquires and trades regulated and market-let tenanted properties. Established in 1912 they now own over 20,000 properties and also manage 4,000 properties
The buoyancy of the UK rental market continues with over 40% of renters stating they believe rents will be higher in 12 months’ time, according to results from Rightmove’s latest quarterly Consumer Confidence Survey. Miles
New research from property search website Zoopla.co.uk reveals that buying is more cost-effective than renting in 80% of British cities/towns. The figure is up from 74% in July as asking prices have come down and
Persimmon Homes today confirmed that sales volumes have remained stable with sales prices and margins holding firm in Autumn 2010, despite below expected levels of visitors and reservations. The company would usually expect these to
The company reports that underlying selling prices have remained stable during the period, while total average selling price on completions increased by c. 9% to £180,000. Total completion revenues also increased by c. 9%, driven
On 29th July the Government announced that the fee for carrying out a personal search of the Local Land Charges Register (formerly £22) was to be scrapped with effect from 17th August 2010. Subsequent guidance
The prime central London lettings market has seen average rental prices increase by over 12% year-on-year as demand continues to exceed supply, says Sandfords, one of the capital’s leading independent property consultants. The shortage is
Responding to new Council of Mortgage Lenders figures showing there were 8,900 repossessions in July-September this year, Campbell Robb, Chief executive of Shelter said: “While repossessions are lower than predicted, annual levels are still the
Rural homeowners have seen the value of their property rise by more than £100,000 over the past decade, according to the latest annual Halifax Rural Housing Review. Based on Halifax’s own data, the average house
The Guardian newspaper today reported that a coalition of the UK’s leading housing and legal organisations have written to Chancellor George Osborne warning of "dire consequences" for homebuyers and the building industry if Financial Service
Eclipse is a leading provider of case management, practice management and workflow software. The firm’s Proclaim software system is in use by 12,000 professionals dealing with a vast range of work areas. Eclipse’s flagship product,