Lawyer Checker Celebrates Its Re-certification Of ISO 27001
Lawyer Checker is proud to announce its recent re-certification of its ISO 27001 compliant Information Security Management System which provides for improved customer and business partner confidence in the industry. Requiring an intensive assessment of all internal policies and procedures, the attainment of this international standard demonstrates our commitment to compliance and information security, which […]
Mishcon De Reya Invests In MDR LAB Start-Up Thirdfort
Mishcon de Reya has invested in Thirdfort, one of its MDR LAB 2018 legal tech start-ups, which works with lawyers to securely hold money during property transactions. MDR LAB is Mishcon de Reya’s incubator programme for start-ups operating in the legal space. In May 2018, the firm ran the programme for the second consecutive year, […]
Treasury To Help Mortgage Prisoners
Nicky Morgan, Secretary for the Treasury, has claimed that parliament should be doing more to help people that are shackled to their poor mortgage deals. Up to 150,000 home owners are stranded and fettered to with their current mortgages set at extremely high rates. These people are then unable to successfully remortgage their property. Mortgage […]
BSA Report Indicates 100% Mortgages Are Desperately Needed
Throughout the past three years the bank of mum and dad have become a legitimate and authoritative presence in the UK lender market. However, with the Building Societies Association (BSA) highlighting that 87% of its members anticipate the dependence on the bank of mum and dad will only grow in the next ten years, it […]
Five Benefits Of Attending A Conveyancing CPD
Since November 2016, the SRA (Solicitor Regulation Authority) rules around how legal Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is undertaken have been relaxed in order to allow practitioners to tailor their approach to professional development. Although the SRA, CLC (Council for Licensed Conveyancers) and CILEx (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) all expect members to undertake CPD activities, […]
Private Members Bill Could Abolish Unreasonable Freehold Land Charges
A private members bill which aims to ban unacceptable ‘fleecehold’ charges on private estates has been launched in parliament. Currently, charges can be applied to freehold properties on estates where the land is not controlled by the local council. Here, roads, lighting and communal areas are owned by the estate developer who can apply maintenance […]
Preparing Your Firm For 2019 And Beyond
GDPR, Fraud, Price Transparency, Practice Efficiencies – 2018 has generated a number of challenges that law firms need to prepare for. ‘Preparing Your Firm for 2019 and Beyond’ is a series of free seminars that have been put together for firms interested in how employing best practice strategies can help meet the challenges whilst encouraging […]
Complete Upfront Costs Of New Home Could Surpass £38,000
The crippling cost of deposits are enough to ensure that most young people and potential first time buyers are unable to take that envied step onto the property ladder. A new report, by TotallyMoney, has found that the average UK upfront cost associated with buying a property actually surpasses £38,000. In fact, the £38,777 equates […]
When Is A Service Charge Not A Service Charge?
The Anchor Trust v Waby [2018] UKUT 370 (LC) No, this is not a joke with a silly answer, but an important question for those living in properties subject to a service charge. As we all know, tenants are given wide-ranging protection with regard to service charges under sections 18 – 30 of the Landlord […]
More Education Needed For Equity Release Advisers
As the older generation look for ways to fund their retirements, more people have opted to release the equity in their properties. A new report has found that 88% of equity release advisers believed there should be more education and resources available on how to spot the signs of vulnerable adults or those lacking capacity. […]
The Purgatory Politics Of Brexit Draft Withdrawal Agreement
As the March deadline quickly approaches, the UK economy has quivered with uncertainty: the housing market has hit a two year slowdown; the legal sector is facing a skills shortage, as more firms consider the location of their business post Brexit and consumers are more reluctant to use legal services as they become increasingly responsive […]
Dishonest Solicitors Exposed To Poor Working Conditions Struck Off By High Court
A High Court ruling has found that adverse work pressures cannot be a legitimate excuse for solicitors making dishonest decisions. Lord Justice Flaux said: “Pressure of work or of working conditions cannot ever justify dishonesty by a solicitor.” “It may be that pressure of work or an aggressive, uncaring workplace could excuse carelessness by a […]
ONS UK Price Index Suggests Marginal Improvement In Property Market
The latest Office of National Statistics UK House Price Index Report has confirmed the market’s slowing growth. In the year to September, average house prices have increased by 3.5%, this is an increase of 0.4% from the 3.1% growth a month earlier. However, the report indicates a significant slowdown in house price growth over the […]
Land Data Awards NLIS Channel License to PoweredbyPIE (PIE)
PIE becomes the fifth live NLIS Channel alongside SearchFlow, Thames Water Property Searches, Index and Big Property Data Land Data, the NLIS regulator has awarded a NLIS channel license to PoweredbyPIE (PIE), which recently merged with PSG Connect Ltd (PSG) to create a leading provider of legal services for the conveyancing sector. The new license […]
Annual Law Firms’ Survey Suggests Four Clear Concerns For 2019
The Annual Law Firms’ Survey 2018 seems to show optimism and success in spite of problems that were seemingly guaranteed to disrupt any growth in the legal sector. 89% of UK law firms have seen substantial income growth in 2018. Although the figures suggest short-term gains, the report highlighted four risks to the legal sector […]
Legal Sector Increasing Despite Skills Shortage
Despite a legal skills shortage and Brexit concerns shrouding the industry in a cloud of uncertainty, a recent report, by Clayton Legal, has found that the legal sector overall is increasing its demand for law professionals and cities outside of London have grown their presence in the legal sector. The main headline suggests that law […]
St Albans Sinkhole Insight – November 2018
Early on the 6th November a ‘sinkhole’ appeared adjacent to a block of flats in a residential area of St Albans. Early reports of the collapse noted an approximately six metre wide hole located next to an exterior wall of an apartment building at Cedar Court, n. Cedarwood Drive. The location of the ‘sinkhole’ so […]
SLC Calls For Standardised Lender Requirements On Lease Terms
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has called on mortgage lenders to standardise the unexpired lease terms on which they will lend. This call has been made to halt a trend of requiring ever longer lease terms as a condition for granting a mortgage. Whilst there are still a good number of lenders that require […]
Fraudster Jailed For Exploiting Families Using Fake Rent-To-Buy Scheme
A property fraudster that unjustly conned many trusting people out of their property deposits, worth thousands, has been jailed. The 63-year-old con artist, Jonathan Mark Turner-Miller, pleaded guilty to the offence of fraud at Teesdie Crown Court. Turner-Miller had set up a fake rent-to-buy scheme between 2011 and 2014, whilst he was a director of […]
Home Owners Struggling To Make Second Step
The vast majority of people have found the property market fairly hostile in recent months. According to a recent report by Lloyds Banking Group, a third of home owners looking to take a second step up the housing market feel as though current conditions are making it a lot more difficult than 12 months ago. […]
