TM Group Extends Compliance Portfolio with Jet Flight
New product increases efficiency, reduces risk and ensures compliance in residential conveyancing London, 18th July 2013 – TM Group, the largest provider of property searches in conveyancing, has extended its suite of compliance products with the launch of Jet Flight. Jet Flight is a unique product that is the first to come to the market. […]
Regulated Personal Searches – what’s driving their increased uptake and what does this mean for the industry?
There’s no denying that over recent years we have seen a significant increase in the number of conveyancing firms ordering Regulated Personal Searches opposed to the more traditional, Council searches. This summer we conducted a survey among our many subscribers to explore just how many conveyancing firms were now routinely favouring searches from personal search […]
CML releases response on Scotland sep rep
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has urged Scottish solicitors to reject their proposal to introduce mandatory separate representation. The Law Society of Scotland (LSS) will be voting in September on a potential law change that will make it mandatory for lenders and buyers in the same property transaction to be represented by separate solicitors. […]
Gross mortgage lending reaches £15 billion
The latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show that gross mortgage lending increased 2% from £14.7 billion in May to £15 billion in June. This was up 26% from £11.9 billion in June 2012 and the highest monthly estimate for gross lending since October 2008. CML chief economist Bob Pannell said: "Improvements in […]
Land Registry campaign wins Equality and Inclusion award
The Land Registry’s Respect campaign has won the ‘Inclusive Culture’ Award at the 2013 Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) Awards. Respect is the Land Registry’s commitment to provide an inclusive environment in relation to diversity, professional development and work/life balance. Last year the Land Registry won the Large Employer of the Year Award […]
Stamp Duty crack-down by HMRC
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have released new guidance on the stamp duty land tax rules for pre-completion transactions. Their guidance explains how the new rules work and provides examples of how they apply to various scenarios. The rules are set out in Schedule 2A of the Finance Act 2003, and will apply to pre-completion […]
ABS Licence for Convey Law
Convey Law, a firm specialising in residential conveyancing, joined the ranks of those who have achieved the Alternative Business Structure (ABS) certification from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). Convey Law were subject to an 18 month process where the CLC reviewed all of their internal procedures, processes, estimates and documents. Attaining ABS certification […]
CLC review finds “no regulatory case for referral fee ban”
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has revealed that they have submitted proposals for increasing transparency around referral fees to the Legal Services Board (LSB). After conducting research they concluded that there is no regulatory case for an outright ban on referral fees. The CLC revealed that they have determined the biggest threat to the […]
Conveyancing Awards hope to raise huge sum for charity
Law Firm Services has already received offers of a number of auction lots for the charity auction they will once again host at the Conveyancing Awards in September. GroundSure is the latest to get involved, having just generously donated four Club Wembley tickets to next year’s FA Cup final. Richard Mathias of LFS said: “It’s […]
GroundSure on our television sets
GroundSure has been featured in current BBC3 series "Cherry Heaney’s Property Virgins", which follows the fortunes of a number of first time buyers. In the most recent episode, Ailsa was looking to buy her first property but was unsure of the various surveys and searches that she needed to ensure that all is well with […]
Survey reveals selection of bizarre concerns of house viewers
A survey has shown consumers are worried about dealings with the other side in a slightly different way to that conveyancers might expect, with 19% of questions viewers asked estate agents being about ghosts. Research, conducted by Move with Us, surveyed 200 independent estate agents to find out the most unusual questions they had been […]
Forty MPs call for stamp duty to pass to sellers
A group of Conservative MPs representing marginal seats has called for the cost of stamp duty to transfer from seller. The Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed the suggestion which is part of a wider Forty Group report, which is being touted as a “moderate manifesto” for the Conservative party ahead of the next election. […]
Bristol firm closed by CLC
Bristol based licensed conveyancers, Michael Prout & Co, were yesterday closed by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. The CLC have assured existing clients that they are “working to ensure outstanding conveyancing transactions can proceed with minimal inconvenience.” Firms who are dealing with transactions where Michael Prout & Co are involved should contact the CLC at […]
Ayishah Khalil joins the Legal Eye team
Legal Eye expand their team of Associates with new addition Ayishah Khalil. Ayishah, a qualified solicitor who has eight years experience working in the legal sector, started her career at a major UK law firm before moving to a regional, Legal 500 Firm. With experience in various areas of law including Conveyancing, Matrimonial law […]
July Weather Trigger for Increased Subsidence
The risk of a full blown subsidence event this year has been upgraded to ‘moderate’ according to a new report from leading UK arboriculturist OCA UK Ltd 1 in 5 homes in the UK* (approximately 6.5 million properties) are at risk of subsidence each year with an average estimated £200-250 million spent on subsidence claims […]
Reduction in amount of house sales falling through
The number of house sales falling through has reduced from 29.74% in the first quarter of 2013 to 19.77% in the second quarter. According to the house sale fall through index from home buying company Quick Move Now, house sale fall through rates have been a steadily decreasing since July 2008. Donna Houguez, Market Analyst […]
Chancellor dismisses suggestion of “house-price bubble”
The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has defended the Help to Buy scheme designed to boost home ownership. Critics of the scheme have warned that it could create a house-price bubble. When addressing the Treasury Select Committee last week Mr Osborne said: “It’s a three-year scheme. “I don’t want to create uncertainty that it […]
First time buyers continue to increase
Mortgages granted to first-time buyers reached 25,100, their highest monthly figure since late 2007 in May. This was up 42% from the same time last year and 29% from April. First-time buyers now account for 45% of all loans for house purchase, accounting for £3.4 billion in value in May. According to the latest data […]
Second charge lending continues to increase
The second charge mortgage market saw a 43% increase by value and 23% by volume in May. According to the latest figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) there was a 5% increase in new consumer finance in May 2013. Fiona Hoyle, Head of Consumer Credit at the FLA, said: “These figures show […]
Land Registry makes e-DRS sign up easier
All Land Registry customers who lodge paper applications with them will now be able to lodge certain applications electronically using e-DRS, regardless of whether they are a conveyancer. The Land Registry announced the change as part of a number of simplifications to the terms and conditions that govern their electronic Document Registration Service (e-DRS). The […]
