Back in December we reported that the Legal Services Board’s thematic review had called into question the issue of holding client money. Last week the Financial Services Authority gave the go-ahead for a scheme Read More
An increase in value of £57 billion in 2012 saw the total value of all British homes of ï¿¡5.963 trillion at the end of December. According to the data from property website Zoopla.co.uk this represents Read More
The Property Codes Compliance Board (PCCB) has announced it has appointed a third inspector responsible for ensuring compliance with the Search Code. Dave Penney joins the team following a stint at search firm SearchFlow, where Read More
The Building Societies Association has announced that Adrian Coles, Director-General is stepping down from his post later this year after 20 years in post. Commenting on the decision Mr Coles said: "I have enjoyed, and Read More
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has completed its first year of authorising and regulating alternative business structures (ABS). 387 firms have started the application process since 3 January, 2012. 74 licenses have been granted so far with a further 19 Read More
Under the Governments Green Deal home owners and tenants are able to borrow money in order to make environmental improvements to their properties. The measures must pay for themselves in the economic lifetime of the Read More
In light of the Money Laundering (Amendment) Regulations 2012 your firm may need to change its reliance procedures. The range of people and businesses you can now rely upon for Client Due Diligence (CDD) has been Read More
According to research from specialist mortgage broker Mortgages for Business, 55% of landlords are planning to expand their property portfolios over the next six months. Only 6% of landlords said they are planning to trim their portfolios Read More
From today the 9th of January 2013 all sales or letting advertisements in the commercial media will now be required to show the EPC rating of the property being advertised. The full A-G energy performance graph Read More
First Title Insurance plc (First Title) has received the endorsement of The Law Society for the second time in a row. The prestigious attribution follows a rigorous process of assessment during which The Law Read More
I very recently read an article in the magazine for the Chartered Institute of legal executives where three or four recruitment consultants were discussing the current market and positioning of locums in the current climate. Read More
Last week the Land Registry issued account holder transaction statistics for November. The figures showed that small conveyancers are continuing in business and not vanishing as has often been predicted. Of the 4562 Land Registry account Read More
A new year always brings with it both challenges and opportunities. We thought you might be interested in what our editor Chris is watching this year. 2012 was described as the “perfect storm” for conveyancers by Read More
The latest figures from the Bank of England show that lending secured on dwellings fell by £0.2 billion in November to £11.6 billion. This was compared to the previous six-month average increase of £0.3 billion Read More
The Law Society has clarified its position on solicitors referring clients to non-independent advisors. Back in November we reported controversy between the Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, after the SRA passed new rules that Read More
The Legal Ombudsman has announced a change to their fees structure which will see an end to free cases for firms. Whilst previously firms were allowed two free cases per year they will now be Read More
Homeless charity Shelter has warned that almost one million people took out a payday loan over the last 12 months to help them cover their mortgage or rent. The charity warned that around 7.8million Britons are Read More
In 2012 advertised rental prices in Great Britain increased by an average of 1.9%, or £37 per month. The increase was pronounced in London where a rise of 3% was seen across the year. Rents rose at the Read More
According to research from property website Zoopla.co.uk, increased demand for high-end properties meant 47,024 more British property millionaires were created in 2012. This represents an increase of 19% from this time last year and takes the Read More
After severe tenant arrears rose by an average of 10.8% per quarter for the first three quarters of 2012, the final quarter of the year saw a fall of 15.6%. According to the latest Tenant Arrears Tracker by Read More