Barnetts Solicitors undergo reconstruction
Southport based Barnetts Solicitors has today appointed Administrators to effect a reconstruction of the business. A successful sale of different parts of the practice has been concluded to a number of buyers which has preserved the business, all 130 jobs and over 3,000 clients. The reconstruction was required to enable the well established conveyancing practice […]
ETSOS star in commercial
Conveyancing search specialist ETSOS has announced the launch of its next generation ordering platform for the commercial property sector. The platform, designed and developed from scratch specifically for commercial conveyancers, follows months of user consultation and comes with no hub or administration fees. It is the first of its kind to offer full screen mapping, […]
Will Land Registry increasing its powers help home moving?
As we reported last week the Land Registry has issued a consultation paper to extend its remit to cover LLC1 data initially but ultimately also CON29 data. It states that it wishes to “unlock efficiency in the public sector and the land and property market”, “maximise the reuse of data for the benefit of the […]
Warning – Confusion remains over closed solicitors
Despite the SRA publishing a list of firms that have been closed,information from the SRA remains confusing as to which firms are regulated to practice and are open. The Law Society’s “Find a Solicitor” site also appears to have not been updated. For example, Hacking Ashton LLP appears on the list of closed firms but a […]
Goldsmith Williams recommend protecting “bank of mum and dad”
Property solicitors Goldsmith Williams have issued advice in response to the increased levels of first time buyers. They point out that for many first time buyers buying a house, raising the necessary deposit continues to present a challenge. Eddie Goldsmith, Senior Partner, Goldsmith Williams, said: “Many first time buyers struggle to get on the property […]
Conveyancing Association offer views on Bank of England proposals
A Conveyancing Association spokesperson has offered a legal perspective on the Bank of England’s plans to re-introduce 30-year fixed-rate mortgages in a bid to avoid a possible housing bubble in the UK. Peter Rodd, a spokesperson for the Conveyancing Association and senior partner at Boys & Maughan Solicitors, has offered the following advice: 1. General […]
Housing Index declares market in crisis
The latest asking price index from home.co.uk has declared that the housing market is in crisis and we are currently experiencing a calm before the storm. In particular the research pointed to supply of property for sale being placed on the market tumbling to the lowest level ever recorded by this index. This has meant […]
Lloyds TSB pays customers stamp duty
Customers taking out a mortgage with TSB for a home costing between £125,001 and £250,000, can now benefit from having their one per cent stamp duty paid by the Bank. This offer applies to a range of Lloyds TSB mortgage products with interest rates starting from just 2.84%. Ian Ramsden, Mortgages Director, TSB says: "With […]
9,000 homes to miss out on Flood Re
The Financial Times has reported confirmation from Defra that 3,800 homes in council tax Band H and 5,000 new builds will not be covered by Floor Re. Flood Re will see every UK household pay an additional £10 a year on top of their premium into a central pool of funds, also contributed to by […]
HMRC issue advice on SDLT procedure
Stephen Jewell, of HM Revenue and Customs, has issued some guidance explaining the importance of quoting the correct reference number and bank details when paying Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). The HMRC has said that they receive a significant number of calls and letters from customers querying if they have received their SDLT payment, or […]
Final reminder from SRA on diversity data
The SRA has contacted firms this week who have not yet submitted their workforce diversity data on line. The data is due on the 31 January and to date only 3,954 firms have complied with the requirement. Repeated reminders have been sent out since last July when the online exercise first opened. The annual exercise […]
OneSearch Direct is Assured Success with New Complete Conveyancing & Protection Launch
OneSearch Direct, the largest local authority data search company in the UK, has now officially launched ‘Assured’ its new complete conveyancing and protection solution. The comprehensive search package which will be provided to the public by conveyancing lawyers thorough the UK, includes the three key regulated searches for, Local Authority, drainage & water and environmental […]
Land Data unveils shortlist for Customer Satisfaction Award 2014 National Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence
Five local authorities have reached the final stages for the Customer Satisfaction Award for Local Authority Searches in the national Local Land Charges Awards. Solicitors and licensed conveyancers throughout the country have voted for the local authority that they feel provides an outstanding customer service in terms of quality, reliability and value for money. The […]
SRA publish list of firms without insurance
The SRA has issued the following press release this afternoon. Conveyancers take note of who you are exchanging with. SRA publishes names of firms that had no insurance The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published the list of 136 firms that did not have indemnity insurance in place by 1 October deadline and did not […]
Land Registry consults on taking on LLC searches
Last night Land Registry issued the following press release. More comment will follow from Today’s Conveyancer for our Monday news letter. Land Registry today, Thursday 16 January, launches a consultation which aims to make the house buying process easier by bringing efficiencies to the property sector, digitising government services and making public data more easily […]
New appointment for Connells Group Home Conveyancing team
Connells Group Home Conveyancing is delighted to announce the appointment of Alison Taylor as Conveyancing Panel Manager, effective immediately. Alison brings over 22 years experience to Connells’ dedicated conveyancing team and will be responsible for managing the relationship between the Group’s estate agency branches and its panel of leading law firms. Alison has previous experience […]
Tiger Aspect Holdings Ltd & Anor v Sunlife Europe Properties Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 1656 (17 December 2013)
This case raised the issue of the assessment of the diminution in value of a reversion at the end of a lease and looked at the issue of supersession (a term used by surveyors when works of repair carried out by a landlord following the end of a lease go beyond the standard of repair […]
Home loans hit six year high
The latest Mortgage Monitor from LSL Property Services showed that 78,000 monthly home loans were advanced in December, the highest level since November 2007. High LTV lending was also up 60% higher year-on-year but there was a festive dip in high LTV lending with 5% fewer home loans than in November.
Can conveyancers change buyers’ habits?
Research from Move with Us shows 84% of home owners instruct conveyancers too late in the moving process. One of the UK’s largest independent estate agent networks has released research data showing that there are a high number of home movers acting too late when it comes to instructing their conveyancer on their sale or […]
First time buyer rates up 28%
November saw the number of first-time buyers climb 28% year-on-year thanks in part to the lowering of mortgage rates by lenders. According to the latest First Time Buyer Tracker from LSL Property Services there were 27,800 first-time buyer sales in November, up 6,100 from November 2012. The average first-time buyer LTV rose to 81.3%, the […]
