Hinckley & Rugby Launch Digital Mortgage Platform
Hinckley & Rugby Building Society have launched a new online digital mortgage platform designed to speed up mortgage applications. The lender worked with Danish fintech company Festina Finance to develop the system which is capable of producing an electronic decision in principle (DIP) and a fact find summary for residential properties. As well as the […]
Housebuilders Call For Urgent Planning Reform
The National Audit Office has released a report stating that the government’s planning system is under performing and cannot demonstrate that it is meeting housing demand effectively. Several housebuilders have added their voices to the criticism, saying that the planning process needs to be reformed and become much quicker to use. They want the government […]
HS2: Valuations And Compensations Going Off The Rails?
HS2 Ltd has come under stinging criticism for undervaluing property scheduled for demolition as well as delaying compensation payments. As the project gets underway, these issues underline the uncertainties and financial risks that lie ahead in its path. It sustains the misery for affected residents and sends a clear signal to potential homebuyers looking in […]
National Paralegal Day Is launched
The National Association of Licensed Paralegals has announced the first National Paralegal Day. The Association wants to recognise the vital work that paralegals carry out and the contribution they make to the legal system. There are an estimated 100,000 paralegals in the UK and it is currently the fastest growing legal sector. Paralegals work not […]
SDLT Filing Period Piles Pressure On Conveyancers
In just over two weeks time, conveyancers will have just half the amount of time that they currently have to file a Stamp Duty Land Tax Return and pay the tax. From 1st March, the period allowed in England and Northern Ireland will be reduced from 30 days to 14 days. Failure to meet the […]
Buy-to-let remortgaging remains buoyant
As conveyancers face potential reductions in workloads due to factors such as economic uncertainty; volumes of remortgage work remain high. Towards the end of 2018, average buy-to-let mortgage payments were the lowest on record, with buy-to-let remortgaging at an all-time high. However it may be that remortgaging work is coming at the cost of outright […]
Legal Cashier Jailed for Theft of £320K
Yesterday, conveyancing legal cashier, Sian Mclear-Dyer (29), was jailed for 2 years and 8 months by Chester Crown Court for stealing £320,000 from her licensed conveyancer employer in hundreds of smaller value thefts from the office account. Sian Mclear-Dyer, who had worked at the firm for a number of years before committing the thefts, allegedly […]
Finalists Announced For The National Paralegals Awards 2019
The finalists for the inaugural National Paralegal Awards have been announced. These brand-new awards are specifically aimed at recognising the achievements of Paralegals across the UK, law firms that develop Paralegals and recruitment companies who recruit Paralegals. The response to the awards was phenomenal, giving the judges a tough task deciding the finalists and winners. […]
Massive Mumsnet Data Breach Could Put Conveyancers At Risk
Mumsnet, the UK’s biggest network for parents, has been a victim of a severe data breach which could put conveyancing firms at risk. Do any of your employees at your firm have a Mumsnet account? If your staff have an account with the website there is a possibility, they may have used the same password […]
E-signatures: A Sign Of The Times
These days, using the internet or a smartphone app to book a taxi, check-in for a flight or manage your personal finances has become second nature to most of us and handling legal transactions digitally should be no different. In fact, the emergence of eSignatures is making this an ever-growing reality. In an increasingly competitive […]
Professionals 2019 Hot Topic Predictions for Conveyancing
2019 is underway and is set to be a very busy year due to the uncertainties surrounding Brexit and the impact it will have on the industry as a whole. But what will be the main topics of conversations this year? As price transparency has firmly embedded itself in the legal sector, the way consumers […]
Equity Release Sector Potentially Facing Declining Workforce
A recent report has highlighted a potentially worrying decline in the amount of equity release advisers within the next five years. Currently, there are approximately 33,000 equity release registered advisers in the UK. However, this figure is set to decrease by 7,000 as more people are leaving the profession. As 700,000 people reach retirement age […]
SRA Becoming Increasingly Forceful With Price Transparency Compliance
Following a recent LexisNexis report claiming that over a third of solicitors have rejected the transparency rules in their entirety and only 29% of firms have fully complied with regulatory requirements, the SRA have released an amended enforcement strategy. The strategy looks at changes to reporting misconduct as well as making clear that it will […]
House Stock Exponentially Increases In January
As the NAEA Propertymark data for December suggested that available stock had increased by 20% from November’s figures, a recent property index from online estate agents HouseSimple suggests that the number of available properties coming to the market is over three times December’s stock levels. The index, that focused on over 100 large UK towns […]
Just Over One Third Of Adults Under 35 Own A Property
In the past ten years the number of younger home owners has decreased by a third according to a recent report published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Nowadays, only 38% of people under the age of 35-years owns their own property. However, this figure has shrunk from 55% a decade […]
Stamp Duty Land Tax Receipts Reduce Along With Buy-To-Let Sector
Recent analysis of HM Revenue and Customs’ Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) statistics suggest the housing market is struggling with reduced transactions which is having a huge impact on the tax accrued by the government. According to NAEA Propertymark and their subsidiary firm LCP, tax receipts for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have plummeted considerably […]
Groundsure Launching Three New Search Reports
Groundsure continues to move the searches market forward with an ongoing dedication to customer focused reports and is delighted to reveal three new products all launching on Monday 11th February. All of the new products incorporate the Avista report standards in terms of design, layout and navigation – helping conveyancers get to the information they […]
Industry Experts To Reveal The Ins And Outs Of Conveyancing Risk And Legislations
Geodesys – part of Anglian Water and a leading provider of conveyancing searches for residential and commercial properties throughout England and Wales – is announcing its first Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seminar of the year. The event will focus on the threats modern conveyancers are exposed to and the best tools they can employ to […]
Japanese Knotweed Will Be Brought Under Control By 2040
Turnover of property and strict rules imposed by mortgage lenders will mean most cases are professionally treated within 22 years. Strict lending criteria applied to residential properties affected by invasive Japanese knotweed will help bring the problem under control within 22 years, if the turnover of property being sold remains at around 4.5%, according to […]
Consultation Released By Law Commission On Right To Manage Legislation
The government requested that the Law Commission review the Right to Manage (RTM) legislation in July last year. The consultation paper has now been released with a number of amendments suggested to the current legislation. James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Communities asked the government’s independent legal advisers to conduct a broad review of […]
