Search Acumen Comments On HMRC’s Monthly Property Transactions For January
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments: “The start of the year saw a slight uplift in the property market as the backlog of transactions that were put on hold at the end of 2019 start to be unleashed given the improved political climate at the very end of last year. “Our own research into […]
Conveyancers To Launch Bespoke Client Mobile App
A northern legal firm has claimed that they are the first law firm to launch a bespoke mobile conveyancing app for their residential property clients in England and Wales. The app, which has been designed for their clients, allows vendors and buyers to access key documents and information on their transaction and check on progress […]
Land For A Million Homes Unused Despite Planning Permission
Data indicates that land for over a million homes remains dormant and unused despite being granted planning permission over the past ten years. Having researched government data relating the number of planning permissions granted for new homes since 2009/10, the Local Government Association (LGA) found that only 1,530,680 of the 2,564,600 units had been completed […]
Increased January Transactions Indicate Continued Recovery
The UK’s housing market recovery continued in January with HM Revenue and Customs data highlighting significant transnational increases at the start of the calendar year. The 102,810 residential seasonally adjusted transactions in January 2020 appear to be 5.2 per cent higher than a year ago and have increased by 4.1 per cent in the past […]
Convey Choice To Open Doors For First-Time Buyers
Convey Choice, a leading provider of expert conveyancing services and part of CLS group, recognises the need to support and help first-time buyers to successfully get on to the property ladder. With no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on properties worth up to £300,000 for first-time buyers, combined with a wider variety of mortgages which […]
Webinar: Maximising Your Conveyancing Enquiries
Ever wonder what your customers really experience when they contact your offices? The way a member of your team answers and subsequently handles a phone call can make or break a relationship with your prospective client. In a busy conveyancing office, it might be forgiven if the odd phone call goes to voicemail. But firms […]
Conveyancing Market Suffers Worst Conditions Since 2009
The conveyancing sector suffered its worse quarterly performance since 2009 in the final quarter of 2019. According to Search Acumen’s ‘Conveyancing Market Tracker’, the 226,444 quarterly transactions between October and December represented the lowest levels since 2009. The figures also indicated a 15 per cent fall on the 267,438 final quarter transactions from 2018 and […]
Building Blunder For 34% Of Local Authorities
Over a third of UK local authorities failed to reach their housing delivery targets in 2019. In total, 34% of local authorities fell short of meeting their housing targets for 2019 with some struggling to get anywhere near, according to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government’s ‘Housing Delivery Targets 2019’ data set. Of […]
Retired Homeowners Property Wealth Bounces Back
Retirees have experienced a property wealth increase of thousands in the past 12 months. An analysis of the UK’s leading independent equity release adviser, Key’s data revealed that older homeowners have enjoyed an increase of more than £3,150 in the past year. According to Key’s Pensioner Property Equity Index, the over-65s cohort total property wealth, […]
Conveyancing Market Nose-Dives In Q4
Coveyancing Market Nose-Dives in Q4 As Policitcal Uncertainty Quashes Transaction Volumes And Active Firms Search Acumen Conveyancing Market Tracker – Q4 2019 edition Quarterly transactions down by 8% in Q4 to the lowest level since Q2 2017 Number of active firms now at 3,920 – a record low and 5% down in the last 12 […]
March Budget Should Address Property Tax
The Spring budget needs to consider stamp duty and address the tax placed on additional dwellings according to a number of property experts. The Spring budget is still just around the corner despite the recent resignation of Sajid Javid as Chancellor and the appointment of his successor, Rishi Sunak. The new Chancellor confirmed that the […]
Law Society And Bar Council Find LeO Budget Increase Unacceptable
Following the announcement from the Legal Ombudsmen (LeO), that there would be a 20% rise in the budget, increasing it from £12.3 million to £14.8 million, the Bar Council has launched an ‘outspoken attack’. The LeO has stated that the increase in budget in the next financial year will “radically” improve the time to deal with complaints and “eliminate […]
Help To Buy Vulnerable To Negative Equity
A financial services regulator has warned that Help To Buy users are extremely vulnerable to changing economic conditions and negative equity. Up to June 2019, 236,313 properties were bought with a Help to Buy Equity Loan. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) claim that 211,000 consumers had used Help to Buy to purchase their home by […]
Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence 2020 Finalists Revealed!
Land Data, the National Land Information Service (NLIS) regulator, is delighted to reveal the shortlist of finalists for their upcoming 2020 Land Data Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence. After weeks of deliberation involving judges from HMLR, the Law Society, The Coal Authority, the Local Land Charges Institute, NLIS and Land Data, the shortlist is […]
Conveyancing Sector Enters Price Comparison Market
MoneySuperMarket are set to launch a price and service comparison for the conveyancing sector. Optimus, the conveyancing panel management business for mortgage brokers, recently announced the collaboration with the price comparison giants. The partnership will allow MoneySuperMarket access to the panel management service which will enable consumers to view the best rated conveyancers and property […]
Government Tax Changes Contradict Housing Plans
Two authoritative organisations in the privately rented sector (PRS) have released a joint statement calling on the government to use the next budget to overhaul the current tax system which ‘contradicts policy objectives’ on housing. The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and National Landlords Association (NLA) are pleading with the government to consider relinquishing the perceived […]
Government Urged To Consider Commonhold
The Government have been urged to make commonhold ownership compulsory on all new-build flats. The Leasehold Solutions Group claim the current leasehold system is damaging to leasehold property owners and their suggested changes will ‘eradicate leasehold ownership within 50 years.’ Onerous leasehold conditions and onerous ground rents have dominated the property sector in recent years, […]
Mortgages And Remortgages Increase In December
The mortgage market improved again in December as the market responded to political certainty following the General Election. The 29,490 new buyer mortgages completed in December represented a marginal 0.3% rise in completions from the same month a year earlier, according to UK Finance’s ‘Mortgage Trend’ report. More homemovers felt confident enough to take a […]
Cladding Nightmare Causes Reducing Saleable Housing Stock
Up to 200,000 homes have been left unsaleable because of unsafe cladding. As the Government scramble to rectify the cladding nightmare enveloping the nation, homeowners have been left stranded in their dangerous homes as stakeholders in the property sector argue over who should take accountability and responsibility for the issue. The latest release from the […]
Conveyancing Heavyweights Set To Merge
Two major high street conveyancing providers are exploring a potential merger, according to the Gazette. Sources close to the legal publication believe McMillan Williams and Taylor Rose TTKW are considering joining forces to create ‘a conveyancing powerhouse.’ It is thought negotiations started over the weekend and are likely to be ongoing all week. The deal […]
