Cash buyers are driving the housing recovery with levels at their highest since 2008. Hamptons International estimates up to 70 per cent of the 20,000 additional property sales recorded by HMRC in the first half

With only one month to go before the new mortgage rules come into force, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) is preparing for the possibility of a rocky road ahead. The CML recently posted that

The number of first-time house buyers has risen by 42 per cent year-on-year, research has revealed. The latest First Time Buyer Opinion Barometer from LSL Property Services showed that there were 22,400 first-time buyer transactions

The Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA), has today announced that there are only 2 weeks left to book to attend the RPSA annual conference. Held at the BRE in Watford on Tuesday 15th April, this

Linder Myers Solicitors has completed a deal with leading legal services specialist, Assure Law which will see the firm refinance its debts and appoint a chief executive officer to lead the practice. The deal, believed

Residential conveyancers will look forward to increased business as the home mover market improves following the recession but do they find themselves at a cross roads of choices, the making of which may meaningfully influence

Lack of property headlines in the 2014 Budget shows government’s confidence in housing market recovery. The announcement of the Chancellor George Osborne’s budget yesterday lunchtime lacked any major headlines concerning the property sector. The much

Average rents in the UK remain flat on month but are 8% higher overall than this time last year. This is a momentary reprieve for tenants but an increase is likely as the rental market

Residential conveyancers will look forward to increased business as the home mover market improves following the recession but do they find themselves at a cross roads of choices, the making of which may meaningfully influence

The Ministry of Justice has approved full practise rights for CILEx members. The Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling, has confirmed that he will make the Order needed so that CILEx members can be authorised to practise

North West law firm Maxwell Hodge has appointed two new members of staff to its growing property law team. Carole Carr has over 20 years of experience as a Licensed Conveyancer, with her last role

The number of empty homes in England has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded. 2013 saw the amount of vacant properties drop by 75,000, the biggest-ever annual fall, leaving the total amount of empty

Today, Land Registry launches its latest digital service, MapSearch. This free service offers land and property professionals a searchable online version of Land Registry’s Index Map that contains the location of all registered land and

Property lawyers and conveyancers have no appetite for privatising the Land Registry or making changes to the 150 year old body as proposed by the Government, according to a survey by the Council of Property

With the government currently holding a consultation on the future of the Land Registry, proposing it’s part-privatisation, the PCS Union has said it will not rule out taking strike action. The Land Registry has been

The Property and Energy Professionals Association (PEPA) has written to The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, highlighting the amount of money lost due to his department’s inefficient use of energy

Lender Exchange, a privately run centralised panel management system for lenders to collate information from law firms in the conveyancing sector, is set to launch over the next few weeks. Today’s Conveyancer spoke to Justin

A study has revealed that there are now eight buyers chasing every new instruction on the market. With attractive mortgage products like buy-to-let now on offer, competition for property across the country is rising, with

The February 2014 RICS residential market survey has shown a continuation of trends since mid-2013, with the headline price net balance remaining positive as prices continue to rise across the UK. Sustained increase in demand

Lending to high LTV borrowers reached a six-year high in February, the highest monthly number since April 2008, a report reveals. Monthly high LTV loans topped 11,000 for the first time in six years, a

Broker Conveyancing has announced it has added Gordons Property Lawyers to its solicitor firm panel. The broker-focused conveyancing distributor has added the Maidenhead-based solicitor firm to the panel with immediate effect and broker users will

LMS has joined together with the West Bromwich Building Society to launch and manage its conveyancing panel, through the use of an innovative online portal.  As part of the collaboration, LMS is providing legal panel

Biggest reductions are for applications lodged electronically when there is a 50% reduction on the current fees, for each House price band. The other main changes are: Combining the two lowest Scale 1 fee bands

The Countrywide group is being facilitated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), a regulator of legal services, as part of a scheme by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to develop world-class

Entering the awards is an excellent idea for Conveyancing firms, as winning one of the sought after awards is an excellent way to raise the profile of a firm.  Firms who have won categories in

Until now, there has not been any authoritative information to show where property is at risk of flooding by groundwater, with the only data available for the purpose merely showing susceptibility. The reports are based

Introduction Whether and to what extent a trustee can be relieved from liability for breach of trust is, excusing a play on words tortuous. This recent case before the Court of Appeal may be seen

The SRA and CLC have both announced they will be facilitating the creation of a new apprenticeship scheme being set up by the government. Trailblazers offers the first ever apprenticeship that can lead to a

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has acquired the business of HL Interactive through their debt legal arm, Ascent. It is the fifth deal made by the Manchester based recoveries group since it was granted Alternative Business

The Land Registry has launched a property alert service in a bid to fight property fraud. The new service allows owners to register a total of three properties for monitoring, and any applications made to

Within another generation, half of the UK population may be living in rented accommodation, a study has revealed. Only 65 per cent of UK homes are currently owned by the occupier, a six per cent

The latest HSBC CML handbook change answers the question ‘Does the lender want to receive environmental or contaminated land reports?’ The complicated and confusing answer that HSBC writes is: Japanese Knotweed – You will need