Finalists Announced For National Paralegal Awards
The Professional Paralegal Register have announced the finalists for the prestigious National Paralegal Awards, which will be taking place on Friday 27th March 2020. Karen Babington, Director at the Practical Vision Network, was selected as a judge for the awards, and helped whittle down the nominees list. The finalists are from 16 individual and business […]
New Home Developer Reports Strong First Half
Barratt Developments PLC, Britain’s largest housebuilder, completed their highest half year completion rate in 12 years during the final six months of 2019. The developer’s 8,314 completions between June and December 2019 reflected 9.1% growth on 2018’s completion figures. The company has further speculated that their 2020 completion growth is set to rise by an […]
2019 UK Home Registrations Highest Since 2007
The number of new registered homes being built per annum has increased by 80% over the last decade. According to the National House Building Council’s ‘Annual New Home Statistics,’ 161,022 homes were registered with NHBC in 2019, the strongest year for new home registrations since 2007/08. The figures also indicate an 81% increase on the […]
Could Legal Services Be On Comparison Sites?
Whenever we’re searching for products, whether it be insurance, credit cards or new appliances, somehow, we always end up on comparison sites to get the best deal and to find out what other users think of the product or service. The Legal Services Board (LSB) has floated the idea that law firms, chambers and other […]
10 Biggest Frauds Of The 2010s – Part 1
Now that we’re all embedded into a new decade, January has finally come to an end and spring is hopefully just around the corner. I thought it would be interesting to take a look back, and take stock if you like, of the top 10 frauds that occurred between 2010-2019, to see if we’ve learnt […]
Conveyancers Concerned By Cyber Crime And Compliance
Accuracy of search data, the threat of cyber crime and changes to money laundering compliance have been deemed as some of the most pressing concerns for conveyancers in the modern climate. According to OneSearch Direct’s ‘Conveyancing Industry 2020’ survey, 61% of all respondents were very concerned by the growth and power of cyber criminals and […]
Threemo Teams Up With Hoowla To Make Remortgaging Quick And Easy
From automating case management to building a thriving referral network, Hoowla’s software has helped Threemo to achieve amazing things in its first year of business When Threemo launched as a law firm specialising in remortgaging, the company needed efficient and effective ways to attract new clients and manage ongoing cases. A professional, easy-to-use website would […]
Residential Stamp Duty Falls In Q4
Residential stamp duty receipts decreased in the final quarter of 2019 whilst first-time buyers (FTB) enjoyed record levels of FTB relief. Despite market uncertainty in the property last year, the fourth quarter receipts indicated a marginal increase from £3.291 billion in 2018 to £3.299 billion at the end of last year, according to the quarter […]
HMLR Changing Email Address Domains For DMARC Implementation
HM Land Registry (HMLR) are warning property stakeholders that their email address is set to change. From March 2nd, HMLR email domains will change from @landregistry.gov.uk to @mail.landregistry.gov.uk. The address is changing so HMLR are able to use Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) – a system which helps prevent email spoofing and impersonation. […]
HMLR Requisitions Fall For Second Consecutive Quarter
HM Land Registry (HMLR) requisitions fell for the second consecutive quarter at the end of 2019. Between September and December 2019, 12.8% of all applications made to HM Land Registry resulted in a requisition. This represented an almost 2% improvement from the 14.75% return rate experienced in the opening quarter of 2019. Quarter on quarter, […]
Construction Workloads Fall But Confidence Increases
Workloads for the building and construction sector fell into negative territory in the final quarter of 2019 with a fifth (21%) of firms reporting lower workloads. However, the report suggests that respondents now feel positive about the new decade. Overall, 37% more respondents are predicting higher workloads over the opening quarter of 2020. The report […]
More Homeowners Accessing Property Wealth Via Equity Release
The Equity Release Council confirms significant members increase following a demand from older homeowners seeking advice in accessing property wealth via equity release. The later life financial planning market has significantly grown in recent years as more and more Brits are using their homes to unlock money to fund themselves in their older years. Late […]
Onesearch Survey Reveals Data Accuracy And Speed Trumps Cost For Conveyancing Searches
OneSearch Direct, one of the largest local search data company in the UK, has today released findings from its industry-wide survey of conveyancers. The survey looks at attitudes towards search providers and perception of value added services. It also explores continuing competency behaviours and gauged sentiment towards industry hot topics, such as cybercrime, anti-money laundering […]
Fire Results In Closure Of 114 Chancery Lane
On Saturday 1st February 2020, a fire broke out at the Law Society of England and Wales’s headquarters on 113 and 114 Chancery Lane in central London. 25 fire engines and around 150 firefighters were called to deal with the fire which saw the building’s roof and parts of the third, fourth and fifth floors, […]
Mortgage Approvals Exceed Six Month Average
Both net mortgage borrowing and mortgage approvals for house purchases were above the six month averages in December last year. Net mortgage borrowing reached £4.6 billion in the final month of the decade, £400 million above the six-month average of £4.2 billion, according to the Bank of England’s ‘Bank of England Money & Credit’ data […]
Eighth Local Authority Digitises Land Charges
Peterborough became the 8th local authority to migrate and digitise their local land charges (LLC) with HM Land Registry (HMLR). Peterborough now join Warwick District Council, Liverpool, City of London, Blackpool, Isles of Scilly, Norwich and Lambeth. However, HMLR have learnt extensive lessons throughout the opening year with an emphasis on pre-migration becoming a priority […]
Law Society Issue Flood Risk Practice Note Update
The Law Society has published the first revised Practice Note on Flood Risk in four years over the weekend. Concerned with the recent changes to the climate, the Practice Note’s main changes concern the prevalence of flood risk, insurance for both residential and commercial properties and related changes to the Law Society’s Conveyancing Protocol. The […]
