Taylor Wimpey, the new home builder, have told the Stock Exchange that their order book for new homes has seen a 20 per cent increase since December. Is this a sign that the new homes sector Read More
Age Partnership, an equity release specialist, who are based in Leeds have appointed Goldsmith Williams as its exclusive legal services partner. The move is to enable processes to be streamlined and to realise ‘considerable Read More
Some of the industry’s leading experts have put their weight behind ‘Moving with the Times’, the UK Conveyancing conference, which takes place on 7 September 2011. Harry Hill, ex-CEO of Countrywide Estate Agents and CPL, Desmond Read More
With the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) announcing their full endorsement of the CQS, stating that it sees the scheme as becoming a ‘prerequisite’ for membership to lenders’ panels, firms are keen to announce their Read More
In a move that may generate further competition in the searches market the Land Registry has confirmed that it is exploring the possibility of developing its range of information services to include searches of the Read More
The Law Society’s new home buyer quality mark, the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS), is receiving the backing of the Legal Ombudsman in their commitment to ‘drive up standards in the home buying market’. The Read More
Exactly one month on from the announcement in the budget of the Government’s First Buy scheme to help first-time buyers, research from Rightmove reveals what impact the scheme looks set to have on first-time Read More
The Legal Ombudsman (LO) is setting up a new stakeholder advisory panel just six months into looking at the service provided by solicitors. The panel is being created in order that the LO can Read More
The latest research carried out by Connells Survey and Valuation has indicated that housing market activity has seen a slight increase – with 7 per cent more residential valuations being conducted compared to one year ago. Residential Read More
The Chairman of the Conveyancing Association, Eddie Goldsmith, is asking that firms of Solicitors and Licensed Conveyancers take “a more definitive role” when it comes to tackling mortgage fraud, claiming that “if conveyancers don’t Read More
The SRA have issued the following press release The draft Strategy builds on work conducted by the SRA over the past two years which has focused on the risks posed by a small number of Read More
Chartis, who hold the leading share of the primary England & Wales Solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance market have made a their disappointment with the new rules clear. A spokesperson for Chartis said they “believe that Read More
Anthony Ruane of Optima has said, “Lenders are waking up to the idea that they need to take more control over their own destiny in appointing firms to act in the future” and that “Lenders Read More
Last week the SRA announced the outcome of its review into solicitors professional indemnity rules. In summary main changes are in relation to the operation of the Assigned Risks Pool (ARP). They are: – In Read More
The Conveyancing Protocol is a 160 page softback text that sets out the Law Society’s “preferred practice” for conveyancing transactions for freehold and leasehold property. From the 1st April 2011 the new Conveyancing Protocol has taken Read More
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has warned that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) proposals to reform the Professional Indemnity Insurance market ‘are inadequate and will increase fears for the future of the market. The Read More
The latest National Mortgage Index released by Mortgage Advice Bureau and Coreco Group has indicated that the bulk of new mortgage applicants are opting for a fixed rate mortgage. Of the total mortgage applications Read More
Rightmove have released their House Price Index for April 2011 showing that agents are holding unsold stock at around 74 properties per branch, up from 70. It just goes to show that the increased number of sellers Read More
Mortgages for Business recently launched the MFB Complex Buy to Let Index which tracks buy to let loan size, property value, loan to value and yields with the results being published quarterly. According to Read More
Barnetts Solicitors, a leading provider of volume conveyancing to lenders, has become the first volume conveyancer in England & Wales to achieve the Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation. Around 800 firms have so far made an application Read More