Solicitors Discipliniary Tribunal sees rise in appearances
The number of solicitors appearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has risen, with 140 applicants in 2015. According to the panel’s latest annual report, this represents a substantial rise with 117 applicants in 2013. Of those 140, the overwhelming majority (123) involved practising solicitors, two in respect of solicitors clerks alone with five of those […]
ULS co-founder to step down from board in August
eConveyancer owner ULS has announced that non-executive director and co-founder Nigel Hoath won’t be seeking re-election to his role and will therefore be stepping down in August. Nigel Hoath sold £4.5 million worth of his shares in the company in January in order to fund property investment opportunities, but still has a stake of 11.8% […]
Search Acumen comments on the RICS residential market survey, May 2016
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the RICS residential market survey, May 2016: “The government must be slightly startled that the possibility of a Brexit is engineering, for a very brief window, what it wanted to achieve along – greater affordability in housing. Fear, whether it’s rational or not, is driving the housing […]
GeoSmart launches SuDSmart Due Diligence Reports for Lawyers on Sustainable Drainage
Leading environmental information company supports lawyers’ Duty of Care with a unique report to alert land owners and developers to new drainage requirements
Chancel Searches
Chancel repair liability is an ancient law which benefits around 5,200 pre-Reformation churches (built before 1536) in England and Wales (1). It is a long standing and legally enforceable liability to repair or contribute towards the cost of chancel repair of a parish church (the part of the church containing the altar) (3). During the […]
Number of homes for sale half pre-recession levels
The number of homes for sale in April was 51% lower than it was in April 2008 according to newly released figures. According to the property search engine, there were 855,585 on the market in April 2008 compared with 415,038 in April 2016. Even compared with 2010, home.co.uk say the drop is still large, with […]
The impacts of the winter storms
December 2015 was the wettest, warmest December since records began in 1910, with temperatures 4.1oC above the 1981-2010 average (figure 1)1. Following the severe impacts of three successive storms, it’s imperative for anyone looking to purchase either residential or commercial property to thoroughly assess flood risk ahead of purchase. Storm Desmond hit at the beginning […]
Search Acumen and Land Data announce webinar to bring conveyancers up to speed on CON 29 and CON 29O changes
New CON 29 & CON 29O forms to go live on 4 July 2016 Webinar in partnership with Search Acumen will be hosted by Jan Boothroyd, an authority on local land charges, on 21st and 30th June Attendees to get free access to a downloadable guide; registrations limited to two per firm due to expected […]
The Help to Buy: ISA Bonus Request System Explained
The Help to Buy: ISA was introduced on the 1st December 2015 as a tax free savings account designed to help more people save a deposit for their first home. An online portal has been introduced by the government to claim these bonuses and with the majority of ISA holders still saving, the future holds […]
Guidance on sustainable drainage systems published by Old Square Chambers
John Bates, a Barrister at Old Square Chambers has published a guidance note for solicitors, covering sustainable drainage systems. The note covers new planning policy changes in support of sustainable drainage systems, or “SuDS”. John Bates writes: “Government planning policy and planning decisions now include a presumption in favour of SuDS being used for all […]
Valuation activity dips further after April’s Buy-to-Let slump
Home valuations fell by one percent from April into May according to surveyors Connells Survey and Valuation. The number of valuations however rose year on year, with 18% more compared with May last year. The biggest monthly drop was amongst first time buyers with eight percent less activity, matched by an eight percent rise in […]
Solicitor fined after admitting to failing to report material facts in over 100 transactions
A former partner of Andersons Solicitors has been fined £2,000 and asked to pay further costs of £3,000 after admitting failings in over 100 conveyancing transactions. Ms Emma Kate Dancer was a solicitor and then partner at the now defunct Andersons Solicitors, which closed in 2013. She says she does not intend to practice again. […]
InfoTrack & Legal Eye announce latest series of joint webinars: Managing Risk & Protecting your firm from Cyber Crime
InfoTrack and Legal Eye have announced a new series of free CPD webinars in June and July, designed to educate conveyancers with practical tips around managing risk and protection from cybercrime. This free CPD series will run two webinar topics on the following dates, are available to all legal professionals and are claimable for 1 […]
Latest additions to Equity Release Council board share aims
Two board directors have been newly appointed by the Equity Release Council following a recent member vote.
VAT on CON29 searches to be delayed again
The addition of VAT to local authority searches has been deferred for a second time. VAT was set to be applied to CON29 searches from 4th July, but the decision has been taken by HMRC to delay implementation again. The 4th July date had previously been picked as it tied in with wider changes to […]
“Fraudsters hacked emails to my solicitor and stole £340,000 from my property sale”
“Fraudsters hacked emails to my solicitor and stole £340,000 from my property sale” What Happened: Paul and Ann Lupton sold the flat they had bought for their daughter for £340,000. Two days before the set completion date, Mr Lupton’s solicitor emailed requesting his bank account details for the sale proceeds to be paid into. Mr […]
TMA re-launch conveyancing panel with BM Solutions, My Home Move and Blacks Connect
TMA have re-launched their conveyancing panel with three providers chosen. After a “rigorous tendering process”, BM Solutions, My Home Move and Blacks Connect all made the cut. Previously, only BM Solutions provided conveyancing services for TMA. Financial advisers can earn a referral fee from recommending the conveyancer to their client or they can choose to […]
MP calls for CML handbook to be reduced to speed up conveyancing
Reducing the size of the Council for Mortgage Lenders Handbook would vastly speed up the conveyancing process according to one former conveyancing MP. The MP for Colchester Will Quince was admitted as a solicitor in 2013 before his election in 2015 was contributing to a Westminster Hall debate on the conveyancing process. Quince also said […]
The Insurance Act 2015
The Insurance Act, which comes into force on 12 August 2016, represents the greatest change to insurance contract law in this country in over a century. The Act will sweep away certain provisions of the Marine Insurance Act 1906 in order to reflect the demands of today’s insurance market. It will mainly influence commercial insurances […]
Equity release lending at new high
There was a surge of popularity in the equity release sector during the first quarter of 2017, with the new customer and lending growth at an all-time annual high.
