Search Provider conference announced
The Council of Property Search Organisation (CoPSO) has announced its first annual conference will be held on Thursday 29th November 2012. The conference will be held at the Pullman Hotel in London and aims to provide members of the search industry with a series of topical presentations on key issues. Presenters at the conference will […]
Could new website spell disaster for estate agent conveyancing referrals?
Conveyancers are constantly on the lookout for ways to set themselves apart from the crowd. Is it possible that a new website could help them do just that? I was recently contacted by Phin Mpofu, CEO of ConveyancingBy.com., who wanted to talk to me about “the most phenomenal website for conveyancers since Google”. I have […]
Government Rejects Chancel Repair Liability Reform
The Government have decided against tidying up the current mess of Chancel Repair Liability. Peter Luff MP for Mid Worcester, who secured the debate in Westminster Hall, has been helping some of his constituents directly affected by the consequences of the archaic law of Chancel Repair Liability. Brief History of Chancel Repair Liability Chancel Repair […]
Innovation, Regulation and Standards in an Evolving Market
Details of the latest Westminster Legal Policy Forum Keynote Seminar have now been released and will provide an opportunity to consider the “future of conveyancing” following both structural and regulatory reform. The future for conveyancing and property transfer: innovation, regulation and standards in an evolving market Timing: Tuesday, 11th December 2012 Venue: Central London This […]
Why don’t they have CQS?
With CQS becoming increasingly dominant we analysed the top 150 accounts at the Land Registry to see how many were accredited. Surprisingly 29% of solicitor practices in the top 150 are not Conveyancing Quality Scheme accredited. But why? Given that Santander has set Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation as a panel membership requirement, we thought it […]
Remortgaging bouncing back
Monthly gross remortgage lending increased by £276m in September to £3.18bn, up 9.5% on August’s £2.90bn. Total gross mortgage lending fell to £11.6bn, down 10.1% on August. Commenting on the results, Andy Knee, Chief Executive of LMS said: “Notwithstanding the considerable increase in September, in historic terms, the remortgage lending figure is still relatively low. […]
New Fee Order in force from today
Land Registry have stated today "The Land Registration Fee Order 2012 comes into force today. Under the Land Registration Fee Order 2012 our fees have reduced by an average of 10 per cent. We have lowered scale and fixed fees for applications relating to nearly every statutory service. Our fee guides will help you to […]
Joint ownership guidance
The Land Registry has issued new guidance on joint property ownership. The new guide will help members of the public understand the two different types of joint ownership and how to amend Land Registry records if they change the way in which they hold the property. If consumers own property jointly, either as a married […]
New rental index launched
A new index has been launched by residential property specialists Move with Us, and is aimed at investors looking to get the highest yields on their property investments. The index was developed in conjunction with an economist at the London School of Economics and Home.co.uk. The inaugural report showed that rents are stable after an […]
Gross mortgage lending falls
The Council of Mortgage Lenders has estimated that gross mortgage lending in September was £11.6 billion. This is 10% lower than August’s gross lending figure of £12.9 billion and a 15% fall from September 2011’s £13.7 billion. Duncan Kreeger, chairman of West One Loans said: “The mortgage market is clearly in a lot of trouble […]
Goldsmith Williams launches bridging service
The firm has launched Bridging Borrowing Direct, which offers bridging borrowers the opportunity to overcome legal hurdles. They will offer a competitive price and ability to guide customers through the complex legal bridging process as painlessly as possible. Eddie Goldsmith, Founding Partner at Goldsmith Williams, said: “Time and time again we hear the same story […]
Landlord returns increase
The September Buy-to-Let Index from LSL Property Services plc, has revealed landlords saw an average total annual return of 6.2% on a rental property in September, up from 5.5% in August. This represents an average return of ï¿¡10,216 with rental income of ï¿¡7,909 and a capital gain of ï¿¡2,307. If rental property prices maintain the […]
BCL Legal appoints first ever apprentice & welcomes back Moore
BCL Legal is pleased to announce that it has appointed its first ever apprentice. Nichole Luckhurst — 18 — has joined the consultancy support administration team from college and she will now be working towards an NVQ Level Two & Three. She was recruited via the Apprentice Academy which is an organisation that delivers an […]
BCL Legal takes part in DAC Beachcroft LLP’s soccer fundraiser for the Prince’s Trust
As a sponsor of DAC Beachcroft LLP’s The Penalty Shoot Out, BCL Legal was hoping to make its mark but despite the valiant efforts of our team, we only managed to score 40 points and we came bottom of the league table! However, the event — which was staged in association with Active Soccer — […]
BCL Legal Secures Record Candidate Placements & Registrations in First Half of 2012
BCL Legal — one of the leading legal recruitment consultancies outside London — is continuing its robust expansion drive after announcing it placed 22% more candidates in the first six months of 2012 across the UK. The company also registered over 83% more candidates during the same period across its private practice and in-house departments. […]
16.30
BCL Legal — a leading national recruitment consultancy which has offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and Reading — is continuing to develop its offering by launching a new department called BCL Graduates which aims to help talented graduates get their first step on the legal career ladder. The new & free service — […]
New Chairman for SLC
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has announced the appointment of a new Chairman. Existing SLC board member, Simon Law, will replace John Clay with immediate effect, who has taken the decision to step down as Chairman after eight years in the role. Simon Law said: “It is an exciting time to be taking up […]
SLC conference bookings open
Bookings are now open for the SLC annual conference, which will take place on the 21st November in Derby. The conference will be hosted by Paul Lewis, presenter of Money Box on BBC Radio 4. Speakers will include representatives from the CLC, the Land Registry, the National House Building Council (NHBC), Ordnance Survey and the […]
New services for Land Registry
The Land Registry has announced that it is considering the feasibility of widening its information services. It will be testing out a prototype service for a year which will provide a standardised price Local Land Charges search and Con 29 information service. The service will have a fixed turnaround time and format. The Land Registry recently […]
Online fraud on the rise
CIFAS has revealed that 83% of frauds recorded in 2012 so far were attempted or carried out online. Over the same period in 2011 this figure was 71%. Most other methods of fraud have seen a decrease. Plastic card accounts and mail order goods suppliers are the preferred targets for fraudsters. CIFAS describe the rise […]
