The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have fined leading law firm, Mundays, after it was found to be using stamp duty land tax (SDLT) avoidance schemes to save their clients over £2.5 million. The firm based

Broker-focused conveyancer, Blacks Connect, has today (9th October 2014) announced the launch of a new proposition, Blacks Affinity, a conveyancing quotation system which will be instantly available to users of the IRESS Trigold Prospector mortgage sourcing

Leading housing expert and British economist, Kate Barker claims charging capital gains tax (CGT) on the nation’s main residencies would be an effective strategy to tackle the housing shortage and give equal access to property

Last Friday saw a glittering gathering of Cheshire’s booming Businesses in the grand setting of Chester Cathedral’s nave. With Granada’s Lucy Meacock as Host, the ceremony got off to a flying start with the team

Supporters of a campaign aimed at making it easier for housing providers to protect their tenants are being urged to make their voices heard in the corridors of power. The Gas Access campaign has set

Traditionally, payment for conveyancing services has always focused on fixed fees, never having any roots in time recording. This has been the basis on which the noisy neighbours in the litigation department have billed for

Consumer research carried out by Baring Asset Management has reported an increased number of home owners within the UK will be using property to fund their retirement. In the 2014 report, around 2.5 million non-retired

One of the UK’s leading conveyancing panel management specialists, LMS has announced the beginning of a partnership with Accord Buy to Let. The purpose of this latest venture is to allow LMS to assist Accord

Having heard the intentions of the political parties during the conferences over the past couple of weeks, it’s intriguing to see the proposed efforts to improve the face of the property market and aid the

Earlier this week, the Government released a report on UK Stamp Tax Statistics for 2013/14. It has revealed the overall takings for stamp duty have increased by 35% compared to the previous year. Paula Higgins,

The Society of Licensed Conveyancers today called on all mortgage lenders to follow the lead given by HSBC in allowing all firms that are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) to act for

The modern law firm continues to face many challenges with increasing regulatory responsibilities, competition and ever more demanding clients who expect more for less. The good news is there are practical, proven ways and means

The SRA has launched the Practicing Certificate (PC) renewal period for 2014. This exercise will remain open to legal professionals for one month, and the closing date for renewals is Friday 31st October 2014. A

The inclusion of technology within law firms is becoming more vital to business success. It seems clients are increasingly making property buying decisions based on quality of service, rather than pricing structure. You’d expect the

Seriously solicitor…eight weeks in and only now you apply for local searches FFS never found a decent conveyancing company in my life – MJG (@1966MJG) October 1, 2014

Two partners of former Harrogate firm Abode Solicitors have been fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT). Richard Chan and Rajob Ali were fined £15,000 each by the Tribunal following a prosecution brought by the

Throughout October, Today’s Conveyancer are covering a new “Topic of the Month”, focussing on technology within the law and conveyancing industry This topic is being sponsored by Eclipse — the UK’s leading provider of integrated

Conveyancing firm Conveyancing Direct is delighted to announce that Emily Eldridge has been named ‘Young Conveyancer of the Year’ at the Law Firm Services (LFS) Conveyancing Awards which were held at the Ricoh Arena in

New Solutions Range of medium term buy to let finance Available to landlords who fail to qualify for a buy to let mortgage Following the success of the Classic and Premier Ranges, Keystone has announced

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) are one step closer to achieving long-term aspirations to increase fining powers they can impose on “traditional” solicitors and law firms. An application has been recently submitted which requests an

House prices in London’s most expensive areas are plummeting, sparking fears of a domino effect of house price falls across the UK. The latest data from Home.co.uk shows falls in six out of ten of

The UK’s six biggest lenders have seen a fall in their share of the gross mortgage lending market, for the fourth year running. A Council of Mortgage Lender’s (CML) report revealed 2013 saw the top

Steven Kay has joined Birketts’ commercial property team in Chelmsford as a legal director. Steven specialises in acting for the major national house builders and has over 15 years’ experience in commercial and residential property.

It’s been reported that leading broker, Howden Windsor have foreseen an estimated 10% increase in Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) premiums this year for smaller law firms, following their recent analysis of the industry. According to

All conveyancing firms and professionals need to ensure their buy-to-let clients are aware of the looming Self Assessment registration deadline. The majority of your clients will know any property they let within the UK will

Jennifer Bourne is Senior Policy Adviser at the Council of Mortgage Lenders. With CML’s seventh annual fraud conference taking place in London on November 12, she tells Today’s Conveyancer what solicitors should watch out for

The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has announced today that Baroness Hayter will be the lead speaker at the SLC Conference which will be staged this year in association with the Bold Legal Group on

As of next year, it’s expected the Government will introduce an Immigration Bill, which requires all of the UK private rented sector (PRS) to perform a screening process on prospective tenants, to ensure they have

Reports from the National Housing Federation show that more so than ever, young people are having to rely on their parents in order to take the first steps onto the property ladder. A staggering two-thirds

On 15th September, the UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) introduced new plans to quicken the turnaround for any Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). The main aim is to reduce major delays which are impacting all areas

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) and HSBC are now finalising the new process to incorporate all CLC firms within the bank’s mortgage conveyancing arrangements. This new system was agreed by both parties in July

Brian Hall is Managing Director and Head of Underwriting for the recently re-branded and re-named LawSure Insurance. He told Today’s Conveyancer why the re-brand was important and how LawSure can work with conveyancers. Why did