SRA Increase Pressure On Solicitors To Comply With AML Regulations
The Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) is set to write to 400 firms reminding them of their obligations to remain compliant with the 2017 changes to money laundering regulations. Following this, non-compliant firms could face significant sanctions in the future. Approximately 7,000 law firms are required to adhere to money laundering regulations and should have an […]
House Prices And Sales Transactions Continue To Flatten
The most recent UK House Price Index Summary from HM Land Registry has found that as the property market entered the new year, January’s figures showed signs of a subdued market. Even though January is usually a quiet month for housing sales, the average UK property price in January, was £228,147. This is the lowest […]
DP Conveyancing Are Winning More Work With Redbrick Solutions
Founded in 2016 by Dawn Pickett and Peter Effard, DP Conveyancing & Property Law Ltd are a modern, innovative and dedicated firm of licensed conveyancers. Based in the North East, they have grown rapidly over the last couple of years and now have offices in Gateshead and Newcastle (Benton), enabling them to cover the whole […]
LEAP Celebrates 2000 UK Law Firms
The appetite that law firms in the UK have to embrace the cloud and leverage technology to improve their firms is best demonstrated by the fact that more than 2000 law firms in the UK and Ireland have now made the switch to LEAP. First launched in January 2015, this is the fastest uptake of […]
Equity Release Increasingly Bank Rolling First-Time Buyers
The amount of older home owners that have benefited from considerable increases in the value of their homes, are also using this equity to help their younger relatives become first-time buyers. In fact, when the figures, obtained by Canada Life, are compared with 2017, they indicate that 0.3% more equity release customers are using the […]
Report Recommendations Set To Eradicate Leasehold Scourge
The government have made a public declaration that it would be legally possible to introduce legislation to remove onerous and unfair ground rents in existing leases. The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s ‘Leasehold Report’ indicates that the legislation could be compliant with human rights law and although it would be difficult to adapt current […]
Secret Owners Have Purchased Over 95,000 UK Homes
Despite increased attempts to crack down on money laundering, the opaque and murky reality of UK property ownership was made clear this weekend with the announcement that more than £56 billion (taken from Land Registry statistics in 2017) worth is secretly owned. Based on current property prices, this secret haul could be worth more than […]
Over 25% Of SMEs Fail To Implement Any Cyber Security Measures
Only 8% of small to medium sized law firms have failed to implement any cyber security measures last year. In comparison, over a quarter of the UK’s small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have no cyber security measures or strategies in place. However, according to the ‘Would you be Ready for a Cyber Attack’ survey, commissioned […]
Brexit Uncertainty Continues To Stifle Housing Market
The usual buoyant residential spring market has failed to spring into action. Instead, continued uncertainty around the UK’s future in Europe is stifling the property market and subduing transaction figures. According to the most recent housing index, by Rightmove, property prices crept up nationally by only 0.4%. This figure is 0.3% below the five-year average […]
First-Time Buyer Mortgages Decrease In February
According to the latest mortgage report from e.surv, in the month to February the number of loans approved has increased by 3.8%. Although the mortgage market continued to grow in February, there are indications that political uncertainty is having an affect on confidence in purchasing property at this moment in time. The report found that […]
Legal Eye Director Completes Lead Auditor Course
Legal Eye’s Director of Business Development, Jody Evans, has completed the ISO27001 Lead Auditor course. The achievement comes hot on the heels of Jody’s recent success in passing the stringent Lead Implementer course for the information security standard. Jody’s qualification strengthens Legal Eye’s ability to support law firms across the UK in setting up, maintaining […]
Terrafirma speed up the Conveyancing process with their enhanced CON29M
Terrafirma is delighted to reveal the most advanced CON29M yet, available from the 2nd April 2019. In July 2018, Terrafirma became the first non-public body to be licensed to produce an official CON29M and over the past year, our experts have been working hard to push the boundaries of what is possible within a CON29M […]
Brexit Storm Clouds Continue To Dent Consumer Confidence
With the door locked on a no-deal Brexit, at least for the time being, and an EU extension until May very likely, it is unsurprising that Brexit is viewed as the biggest challenge facing the housing market in 2019. According to February’s Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey, 77% of respondents cite […]
Sellers Deprived Of £1,945 With Every Failed Housing Transaction
A recent report has claimed that one in six UK housing transactions are currently falling through and failing to complete. Although these figures are more conservative than government estimates that speculate somewhere between a quarter to a third of housing transactions fail each year, it highlights a clear and persistent problem with the home buying […]
Zero Prosecutions Made Using Stricter AML Rules
The UK National Crime Agency and the Home Office have been under immense scrutiny in recent months regarding their perceived inaction concerning new anti-money laundering regulations that were introduced in June 2017. Since that time, there have been no prosecutions made, according to a recent Freedom of Information request (FoI). The FoI request, made by […]
Making Tax Digital
InTouch Conveyancing Software is ready for Making Tax Digital, are you? Making Tax Digital is HMRC’s compulsory initiative aimed at making filing tax simpler for businesses. The scheme requires online tax filing and payment, as well as digital record keeping. All business taxes will be part of the scheme, but so far, only Making Tax […]
The Society Of Licensed Conveyancers Is Celebrating Its 30th Anniversary!
Free drinks and canapes to celebrate! The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) which was incorporated on 15th March 1989 and today marks its 30th Anniversary! To celebrate the Society will be providing free drinks and canapes at its spring roadshows in May and June. The Society was established to act as the professional body representing […]
Avenue Coking Works Remediation: Making The Impossible Possible
In its heyday, the Avenue Coking Works in Chesterfield produced about 1,400 tonnes of coke and 765,000 m3 of manufactured gas per day. When the 98 ha industrial plant closed after 36 years in operation, the legacy it left behind was one of the most polluted pieces of land in Europe. We examine the complex […]
Celebrating Legal Success Manchester
Landmark Information was delighted to be a sponsor of this year’s Manchester Legal Awards, which is organised by the Manchester Law Society. Sponsoring the ‘Barrister of the Year’, regional manager Tony Rollason was delighted to present the winning trophy to Kate Blackwell QC, Lincoln House Chambers. The Manchester Legal Awards 2019 are firmly established on […]
Mortgage Lenders Fearful Of Commonhold Property
Following the Law Commission’s ‘Commonhold: A Call for Evidence’ request, the report has found that mortgage lenders are anxious about lending money to commonhold properties amidst fears over increased insolvency risks. The nightmare that leasehold properties are creating has been a long-term priority for Parliament. In a bid to hand the power back to leaseholders, […]
