A modern approach to dealing with clients
The Partnership, a Guildford based legal practice, are in the process of revamping their website so that they can ‘move with the times’ and provide new online services to their clients, including Skype. The development of their new website will see new offerings such as a unique first time buyer guide, an online-chat service, which […]
Land Review results in self-build plots offered for sale
Following a review of its land holdings a Lancashire council is offering three plots of land for sale, with planning permission, to potential self-builders. West Lancashire Borough Council are offering the plots for immediate purchase and say that it is likely that there will be other plots becoming available throughout the borough so self-builders should […]
Plenty look but few buy
Rightmove recently announced that they had received a record number of visitors to the site, over 34 million pages of traffic, in just one day. This is the not the first time Rightmove have broken their own record, they reached 33.4 million pages on January 3rd. Rightmove holds the largest market share of the top […]
Distressed law firms on the rise
Corporate recovery specialists, Begbies Traynor, have released their latest quarterly Red Flag Alert, a benchmark of company distress, which shows a year on year increase of 24 per cent of companies facing “critical” levels of financial distress during the last quarter of 2011. Professional Service businesses, most of which are said to be legal businesses, […]
Part exchange offers life line to home owners
Part exchange can remove much of the stress and cost that selling a home brings with it and this could prove to be a key selling tool for developers in 2012, according to Stubbings Property Marketing. Stubbings are a specialist agency providing dedicated marketing and sales support for developers and land owners in the UK. […]
Asda set to rival Tesco Bank
It is thought that Asda are making plans for a launch into mortgage lending following their registration of an “Asda Money” trademark. Asda have neither confirmed nor denied the reports that it will launch into mortgages, simply stating that they “register trademarks all the time”. If the reports regarding mortgage lending are correct it would […]
Stamp Duty loophole targeted by Osborne
Tax avoidance schemes are costing the nation billions of pounds in lost revenue but Chancellor George Osborne is expected to unveil plans that will close the loophole which currently cheats the Treasury out of around £500 million in stamp duty and £1.3 billion in inheritance tax, say experts. In Central London alone more than £100 […]
AIB Group (UK) Plc v Mark Redler & Co (A Firm) [2012] EWHC 35 (Ch) (23 January 2012)
Introduction This is an important case for all solicitors acting for lenders taking security. It also provides a salutary lesson when dealing with redemptions and has a useful summary of the law relating to breach of trust claims and the appropriate remedy. Here the lender was seeking to recover the balance of an advance which […]
Potential buyers positive about prospects in 2012
House buyers are said to be “upbeat” about their prospects of purchasing a property this year, according to research carried out by Santander Mortgages. Director of Santander Mortgages, Phil Cliff, commented: "Given the tough economic climate people are becoming more upbeat about their prospects of purchasing a new home this year. It’s been a tough […]
CML 10th annual legal issues conference
21 February 2012 Conference time: 0900hrs – 1635hrs Holborn Bars, 138-142 Holborn, London, EC1N 2NQ The conveyancing world has changed drastically over the last year impacting lenders, consumers and conveyancers alike. Regulatory reshaping; the economic back drop; the significant impact of solicitor fraud on lenders; and the entry of new types of market players in […]
Large conveyancers increase their market share by 1/3 in 2011.
The impact of the continued pressure on conveyancers in 2011 is starkly revealed in statistics from Land Registry. Comparing the number of transfers for value registered by account holders at Land Registry there were 1299 fewer firms making applications in 2011 compared with 2010. So whilst there are over 10,000 solicitors practices and 700 licensed […]
Change in Government policy creates conveyancing risk.
SearchFlow last week reminded conveyancers that on the 30 June 2013, the ‘Statement of Principles’ between the Association of British Insurers and the Government, which commits insurers to continue to provide flood insurance under certain scenarios, is being withdrawn. This could leave property worth £214bn uninsured and potentially uninsurable. Should this happen many home owners […]
Law Society’s first detailed comments on HSBC super panel.
The implementation of the new HSBC super panel by Countrywide has raised lots of practical questions from conveyancing practitioners, some of which the Law Society has been able to seek clarity on this week. In a letter published in the Gazette Desmond Hudson the Law Society Chief Executive has written to its members. We reproduce […]
ABS-specific case management system from Eclipse
Alternative Business Structures (ABS) will soon be entering the legal marketplace and Eclipse Legal Systems, a UK Case Management Software provider, has been the first to launch an ABS-specific case management system. Eclipse has made two new Proclaim Case Management Software systems available, having taken into account the “unique requirements of ABS organisations”: – Proclaim […]
Squatting becomes criminal offence
The Government announced its intention to bring in legislation for 2012 which would make “occupying a private property illegally” a criminal offence. Squatters have, until now, been able to stay in a property, providing there is access, in accordance with Section 6 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, later amended by the Criminal Justice and […]
April deadline for ARP firms
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been in contact with firms that are still open and covered by the Assigned Risks Pool (ARP) and given them a deadline of April to secure their own cover or close. The 31 firms remaining in the ARP will each get a visit this month from the SRA and […]
SLC comment on HSBC super panel.
The Society for Licensed Conveyancers is the representative body for licensed conveyancers. Speaking to Today’s Conveyance a spokesperson for the SLC has aligned itself with the concerns of the Law Society saying: “We have been contacted by many of our members expressing great concern at the introduction by HSBC of such a limited panel of […]
Which? warns of significant failings in Equity Release advice
Which? carried out a mystery shopping investigation of 22 qualified equity release advisers and found that the advice given to pensioners fell short of the benchmark with 20 per cent failing the tests and only two cases of excellence. Equity release is usually considered by pensioners who have no mortgage on their property and wish […]
Nationwide panel review to cull dabblers.
Nationwide Building Society has started a review of its conveyancing panel, removing those firms that have lain dormant for the last 12 months. Given that Nationwide is one of the largest lenders in the country we at Today’s Conveyancer think this is a reasonable policy from Nationwide to protect itself from lawyers that dabble in […]
Lowest levels ever of new listings for estate agents
Rightmove are reporting a listings drought with just 36,433 properties coming on to the site per week. These are the lowest levels recorded over the last ten years, since the site started measuring the market. Whilst the first week of 2012 saw asking prices rise by 1.4 per cent, prices are still down on the […]
