London drives house price rise
Growth of 6.5% in London has helped drive an overall increase in prices of 0.8% in July. The average asking price reached £162,900, representing a 0.3% annual increase. This overall increase came despite more than half of regions seeing a year on year fall in prices. According to the Land Registry figures average prices in […]
Firm criticises professional indemnity insurance
JLT has warned that the rise in two-year solicitors’ professional indemnity (PI) insurance contracts could end up costing law firms more money. The end of the costly assigned risks pool (ARP) from this year’s renewal date has led to an increase in the two year deals. Two-year contracts are being offered by a number of […]
Shared equity helps new home rise
The FirstBuy shared equity scheme has helped Persimmon Homes to an increase in new homes sales. The government-backed initiative has enabled more first-time buyers to get a foot on the housing ladder by making it easier to secure an affordable mortgage. Persimmon said it had a shared equity interest in 30% of its first-half of […]
Sanctions process documented
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has responded to calls for increased transparency by producing a document detailing its processes and the sanctions it can impose. Tribunal president Andrew Spooner said: “The guidance effectively codifies in one document the approach to sanctions that has been adopted by the tribunal for many years. “We hope that it […]
Fifth ABS licence issued
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has granted an ABS licence to Total Conveyancing Services, the trading name of LMS Direct Conveyancing Limited. June Mulroy interim Chief Executive, CLC, said: "We are very pleased to announce that Total Conveyancing Services has become an Alternative Business Structure – the fifth licence to be issued by the […]
Mortgage fraud rising
Whilst fraud across the wider financial services industry has decreased attempted mortgage fraud has increased. According to the research by Experian, 39 in every 10,000 mortgage applications were fraudulent in the second quarter of 2012, up from 32 for the same period last year. Between April and June 2012 there was a 23 per cent […]
SRA fee structure maintained
The 2012/13 fees framework for the SRA has been confirmed by the Law Society Council and Legal Services Board. It will maintain the same fee structure as last year. Solicitors are encouraged to use the fees calculator on the SRA website in order to work out how much to budget. Go to the 2012/13 fees […]
Last chance – SLC road shows
A limited number of spaces are still available for the SLC regional road shows. They start in a few days and will provide delegates with access to a range of industry updates. Each delegate will also receive four CPD points. The regional events, which are free to SLC members, have been tailored to meet the […]
Chancel Repair Liability bulletin
Conveyancing Liability Solutions Ltd has issued the following statement relating to Chancel Repair Liability. 30 households in Broadway, Gloucestershire have been alerted that Chancel Repair Liability has just been registered against their title at the HMLR by the Church St Eadburgha. Each household now has a legal obligation, in perpetuity, to contribute to the Chancel […]
Bounce back for remortgage lending
The LMS remortaging survey has shown that after an 18 month low, gross remortgage lending for July was up 13% from June. The overall figure of £3.5bn is low by historic comparisons and down on the same period last year. LMS believe that borrowers have been holding back waiting for better deals to arrive. Those […]
Santander panel review halted
Santander has agreed to put its panel review on hold and postpone its next quarterly review whilst it undergoes consultation with the Law Society. Many across the industry were angered by the banks decision to remove panel firms based on low activity. Desmond Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society said: “The Law Society views […]
What is Property Fraud?
Sarah Hill Wheeler, a property solicitor and one of the authors of Ruoff & Roper “On Registered Conveyancing” talks to us about property fraud and the impact this can have. The webinar looks at: – What property fraud is; – How you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of property fraud; – How […]
Solar Leases: The Issues
Sarah Hill Wheeler, a solicitor and one of the authors of Ruoff & Roper On Registered Conveyancing talks us through the issues you need to know about when it comes to the increasingly popular solar leases. Whether you act for a landlord, a tenant or somebody who is purchasing a property subject to an existing […]
Changes to the Solicitors Handbook mean a greater degree of Judgment required.
Gemma Shepherd-Etchells of Gem Legal Training talks us through the recent changes to the Solicitors Handbook and what these mean for legal practitioners. Outcomes focused regulations is adapted from the Financial Services Authority’s “principles based regulation”. Gemma talks us through: – What necessitated the changes to the legal regulatory regime? – Outcomes focused regulation, identifying […]
Standard Conditions of Sale (fifth edition)
Sarah Hill Wheeler, a property solicitor and one of the authors of Ruoff & Roper “On Registered Conveyancing” talks to us about the Standard Conditions of Sale which are now in their fifth edition, published in April this year. The webinar focuses on: – Insurance and the passing of risk; – Title and payments (both […]
Surf for a solicitor?
A new website is being launched which hopes to shake-up the legal industry. MrLawyer.co.uk aims to make it easier for consumers by allowing them to search online for a lawyer. It hopes to become a portal for anyone to gain access to quality cost-effective legal advice. The idea came from three friends — a property […]
Total Conveyancing Services join Conveyancing Association
The firm has been admitted to the membership of the Conveyancing Association. The Conveyancing Association is a non-profit organisation that represents conveyancing operations throughout the UK. Lee Hartshorn, Director of Total Conveyancing (TCS) said, “We are proud to be a member of the Conveyancing Association as it demonstrates our continued commitment to the residential conveyancing […]
Conveyancing Association welcomes Total Conveyancing Services
It has today been announced that Total Conveyancing Services (TCS) have been admitted to the membership of the Conveyancing Association. TCS, whose directors have over 35 years combined experience in conveyancing practice, were welcomed to the Conveyancing Association fold by Chairman, Eddie Goldsmith. Eddie Goldsmith, Chairman of the Conveyancing Association, said, “We are delighted to […]
Gross mortgage figures published
The Council of Mortgage Lenders has revealed gross mortgage lending in June totalled £11.9 billion, representing a 5% fall both from the May (£12.5 billion) and June 2011 (£12.6 billion). Gross lending for the second quarter of 2012 was an estimated £34.2 billion, a 2% increase from the first quarter of the year (£33.6 billion) […]
90% increase in new homes listings
The number of new homes listed in the first half of the year on the SmartNewHomes website has increased by 90%, compared to the same six month period in 2011. This is partly down to the new homes portal signing up 36 new housebuilders and regional divisions since January. These include Persimmon South East, Gentoo […]
