Chinese, Malaysian and other Far Eastern investors are pushing up demand for new build investment properties across many UK cities. But are you doing enough to win their business? The property markets in Beijing, Shanghai
The RICS January 2013 Housing Market Survey has shown that prices have remained fairly static whilst transactions have slightly increased. Of these transactions the number of new buyer enquiries fell. As ever there is significant
Santander made a really important announcement last year, saying that if solicitors firms wanted to act for them then they have to have be CQS accredited by 31st March 2012. On Saturday 9th February there
Steve is a Director of Howden Windsor, the Professional Indemnity Division of Howden Insurance Brokers. He has been at Howden Windsor for six years having formerly been a partner at well known risk management practice
We announced last August that an online search tool MrLawyer.co.uk would be coming to market. The site has now launched in the London area and will roll out across the UK in the next few
January saw the fourth consecutive month of annual growth in valuation activity, according to the latest Housing Market Activity Report by Connells Survey & Valuation. The number of residential valuations conducted by Connells in January
House values have increased by an average of £7,000 in the last year whilst overall sales are also up 8%. According to the latest report from LSL Property Services Ltd. January’s figures are better than
In bad news for the conveyancing market, the level of homeownership has fallen to its lowest level since 1987. The news comes despite some recent improvement recent signs of improvement to the mortgage market, following
A number of lenders have started to offer record low rates for a two-year fixed-rate loan, with many providers offering rates of 1.99pc. Borrowers with a 40pc deposit can pay £995 for a two-year fixed-rate
The average number of house hunters registered per estate agent branch increased to 282 in December from 263 in November. The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) housing market report for December showed that despite
Ramsdens have announced the opening of their ninth office in Wakefield. Paul Joyce, managing partner at Ramsdens said: “This is the next stage in our on-going expansion programme and is a natural progression for the
NHBC is pleased to confirm that the launch of the new online system for acceptance of Buildmark cover has been a great success. The new system was launched at the start of November 2012, and
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers opened a consultation on Discipline and Appeals Arrangements on the 21 January. We are really sorry that we missed covering this at the time, but there is still plenty of
Peppermint Technology and Brilliant Law, have announced that they will be working together with the aim of changing the landscape of legal services. Brilliant Law, the first law firm to have a corporate structure led
The SRA has confirmed that it began its revocation process on Monday, 4 February, when it contacted individuals who had failed to complete the practising certificate renewals exercise. As of today, 11 per cent of
A number of firms have announced they have obtained the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation mark, in time for Santander’s 31 March deadline. Last September Santander changed the terms of its residential conveyancing panel
The Law Society has warned solicitors to exercise caution when taking out their next professional indemnity insurance (PII) policy, and double checking whether the company will be able to meet any insurance claims. The warning
The Land Registry have issued a notice advising firms to check their “address for service” in order to prevent fraud. The address for service is the address to which they send notices and correspondence. They
On 25 February, the Land Registry’s Peterborough office, including the Customer Information Centre will be moving. The new address is: Land Registry Peterborough Office Stuart House City Road Peterborough PE1 1QF To visit the Peterborough
Following Mary Portas’s review on the future of UK high streets, the government has announced it will be trialling a series of changes in planning regulations. They have said that they want to promote the
The CIFAS Staff Fraud Database has revealed a significant increase in the level of fraud committed by employees during 2012. A 43% increase was seen across all types of staff fraud in 2012 compared to
The latest figures from the Bank of England show December marked the fifth consecutive increase in lending with 55,785 mortgages approved. The average for the previous six months was 50,058. This was the highest number
For the second consecutive year the equity release market expansion continued, with the average customer taking out an equity release plan in 2012 releasing £52,268, an increase of 7% on 2011’s £49,000. According to analysis
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued a warning involving con artists claiming to be from May, May & Merrimans. This is the second warning this week relating to a con artists pretending to represent
Up to 1,000 firms have just 59 days left to obtain the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation mark, or risk being removed from Santander’s conveyancing panel. In September last year, the bank changed the
The SRA have revealed that 1,200 nominees did not declare “potentially relevant issues” — including undisclosed criminal convictions, serious disciplinary sanctions and undeclared bankruptcy. A total of 145 firms are facing enforcement action for failing
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned of con artists claiming to be from legitimate law firm Alker and Ball. The public are advised that the e-mail address alkerandball@lawyer.com and the mobile telephone number 01942
A Legal Services Consumer Panel report has praised the SRA for making consumers’ lives easier when choosing legal services and understanding their rights. The report is entitled “Empowering Consumers Background Paper 2: learning from other
Conveyancers have been warned of the need to carry out more flood searches to avoid accusations of negligence, as parts of the country face the threat of flood from melting snow. On Tuesday, the Environment
One of the largest panel managers of conveyancing in the UK, Move with Us, has announced a new partnership with Pattinson Estate Agents. The group will partner Pattinson, one of the largest independent estate agency
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has launched a consultation asking for feedback on the fines it can levy against firms and individuals that have breached the Code of Conduct. The proposals look to make the
In a case last week, Lord Justice Toulson remarked that property laws relating to those co-habiting offered little legal protection to non-married couples whose relationships break down. He referred to a report that was published