Recruitment drive for conveyancers at Pannone
After seeing a 400% increase in new instructions over the last year law firm Pannone is rapidly expanding its conveyancing team. Their conveyancing department has recently recruited four additional solicitors, four conveyancing assistants and is taking on a further six conveyancers and assistants in the coming weeks. Partner Daniel Hickey said: “We have worked extremely […]
Shulmans QCAS adds to team
Leeds-based QCAS, a division of Shulmans LLP, has responded to its busiest period for three years by recruiting two new solicitors. The firm has also recruited three new assistants, and further appointments are on the cards for later in the year. Victoria Mortimer, Head of QCAS, said: “The market has really grown in the past […]
Entries welcomed for Conveyancer of the Year awards
Entries are open for the Conveyancer of the Year Awards 2013 in association with The Sunday Times and The Times. The Conveyancer of the Year Awards 2013 form part of the Estate Agency of the Year Awards which will take place on 6th December 2013 at the Lancaster Hotel in London. The day will also […]
Zoopla blog advises avoiding small firms
A recent blog from property website Zoopla looks at how you can speed up house sales. They say that in an ideal world a freehold sale could complete within six weeks, but said the current market was far from ideal. The piece includes expert opinions on various aspects of the process. One looks at the […]
Home asking prices hit five year high
The average asking price across England and Wales is now £241,710, the highest level since July 2008. The July 2013 Home.co.uk Asking Price Index also found that annual house price inflation hit 4.0%, the highest annualised increase since March 2008. The survey also mentions the impact of falling supply to the market particularly with regards […]
Could solar panels be acting as a sales deterrent?
The blows just keep coming for the government’s environmental objectives as research finds roofs fitted with solar panels could cause sales to falter. Solar panels can either be owned outright by the householder or fitted and rented out to a utility supplier. According to research by independent home finding company County Homesearch, purchasing homes with […]
Closure notice: Doubleday Property Lawyers Limited
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has advised that Doubleday Property Lawyers of 20 High Street, Halstead, Essex, closed on 11 July. All current and past files have been passed to Ross Coates Solicitors along with all client monies retained by Doubleday at the time of closure. Doubleday Property Lawyers only undertook conveyancing work. Current […]
Consumer expectation that house prices will keep rising
52% of consumers think average property prices in the UK will rise over the next 12 months. Just 12% think they will fall according to the latest Housing Market Confidence Tracker from Halifax. Halifax use the difference in these figures to establish a House Price Outlook (HPO), the balance of +40 this month is the […]
SearchFlow launches new Energy Report for conveyancing search due diligence
SearchFlow, the UK’s leading property search information provider, has today launched a brand new search report that will provide conveyancers with more information on current and planned energy developments in the vicinity of their client’s property. The report includes information supplied by Groundsure on all forms of existing energy infrastructure, such as nuclear, gas, coal […]
Chancel Repair Liability (CRL) DOESN’T stop after 13/10/2013…
The Land Registration Act 2002 has meant that overriding interests must be registered by midnight on 12th October 2013. However, because the liability only falls away at the point of first or next registration, there is in fact no deadline date when CRL stops. If the liability has already been registered it is an […]
LMS announces partnership with Marsden Building Society
LMS, one of the UK’s leading conveyancing panel management specialists, is pleased to announce its partnership with Marsden Building Society, further strengthening its connection with the building society sector. The Marsden operation today continues to be true to the principles of its founders, remaining focused on home ownership and savings. They have a strong affinity […]
Supply and demand imbalance continues
New buyer enquiries in June increased to +38, the highest level since August 2009, whilst sales to stock ratio edged down. According to the June RICS Residential Market Survey rising demand is at least partly due to increased availability of credit. The relatively small amounts of stock coming onto the market, has resulted in this […]
Move away from traditional searches
Over the last two years 89% of the top independent solicitor and Licensed Conveyancer firms, identified by the Land Registry, have chosen to use searches from personal search providers rather than those supplied by Local Authorities. The data was gathered from a survey of Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) search code subscriber members. CoPSO […]
Part exchange increasing in popularity
The number of part exchange sales has increased 11% year on year. According to the latest data from Move with Us, a change in the types of property being built and schemes such as NewBuy are behind the increase. Robin King, Director at Move with Us, said: “We’ve seen some encouraging signs for the property […]
Government report suggests complicity in money laundering “rife” in legal sector
The Law Society Gazette have published an article indicating that lawyers are shocked about the publication of an inter-governmental report which suggests complicity in money laundering and terrorist financing is “rife in the legal sector”. The report, Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Vulnerabilities of Legal Professionals, which was published last month by a body called […]
HMRC unveil Stamp Duty Avoidance plans
The HMRC has unveiled the details of the new Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED), an initiative designed to clamp down on Stamp Duty avoidance. The tax is aimed at companies, collective investment schemes and partnerships that have purchased property in the UK worth £2m or more. These types of bodies will now have to […]
SRA launch Risk Outlook
The SRA has launched its “Risk Outlook”, a document detailing their assessment of the market and the key risks they see in providing legal services. The Outlook is a key foundation of their approach to tackling risk and the hope it will provide firms and consumers with a clear view of the SRA’s assessment of […]
Former housing minister launches Bill to introduce agents licensing scheme
Former Labour housing minister John Healey has launched a ten minute rule bill which seeks to establish a national mandatory licensing scheme for letting and managing agents. The Letting Agents (Competition, Choice and Standards) Bill 2013-14 will establish standards and redress for landlords, tenants and leaseholders, and prohibition of letting and management agent fees. Local […]
Legal Services Board looks into consumer decisions around legal advice
Consumers are likely to make quick, intuitive decisions when they are deciding on legal support, according to a recently published set of reports. The Legal Services Board has published three reports investigating consumers’ behaviour when deciding whether or not to seek legal advice. Two of the reports look at consumer decision making whilst the third […]
Fraud up a quarter to over £0.5bn
In the first half of 2013 fraud cases have totalled £0.5bn, up 38% from the same period in 2012. According to latest KPMG ‘Fraud barometer’ the average fraud case value has increased dramatically from £2.8m to £3.5m. They also found that professional criminals had become more involved in fraud with responsibility for frauds totalling £290m, […]
