1st April Stamp Duty Land Tax changes – no laughing matter
With all the publicity around the ‘stamp duty holiday’ extension and the debate around whether the tapered rates will only create a new cliff edge in Autumn, it might be possible to lose sight of another significant SDLT change coming into effect, as Joanna King, Product Manager at tmgroup explains. From 1st April 2021, a […]
OneSearch Direct urge conveyancers to be extra vigilant with lender handbook requirements
OneSearch Direct, the largest local search data company in the UK, has urged conveyancers to exercise caution when checking updates to Lender Part II enquiries, after it was reported that a significant number of changes were made to Lender requirements in the last year. In light of economic uncertainty, OneSearch believe a rise in unemployment […]
Enquiry handling in lockdown and beyond
Remote working, home schooling, furloughed staff and Local Authority delays are just a few challenges faced by conveyancers during the past year. This is set against a backdrop of growing caseloads, with HMRC figures showing a rise of 24% in property transactions compared with December 2019. On 3 March 2021, the same day as the […]
SearchFlow responds to the Land Registry’s House Price Index
Dr Tom Quirke, managing director of SearchFlow, the UK’s largest provider of legal due diligence data for residential and commercial property transactions, responds to the latest statistics that have been revealed in the UK Land Registry’s House Price Index: “Within the industry, it will come as no surprise to see that residential property transaction volumes increased by almost a quarter (24.1%) in January 2021, […]
Further digitisation of property data in Stockport will cut search times
Property professionals can now access new data on highway extent and tree preservation orders in Stockport Further digitisation of search data will cut search times from 20 days to one Number of residential property transactions in Stockport fell 28% over the last year, down to 2,930 in 2020 from 4,082 in 2019, driven by the […]
Electric vehicle parking should be considered in conveyancing
Law firm Coffin Mew is urging conveyancers to consider the provision of electric vehicle parking and charging as part of the conveyancing process. The lawyers warn that with the sale of new petrol and diesel cars banned from 2030 onwards the impact on property desirability and pricing will start to be seen within the next […]
HMLR Practice Guide update: PG80
Here are the latest practice guide updates issued by HM Land Registry. Coronavirus (COVID-19): useful information for conveyancers (PG80) Page summary: Information about pre-existing and new practice of particular relevance in the current circumstances (practice guide 80). Change made: Section 4.1 has been amended. The automatic filing extension granted by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance […]
LSB rally call to put consumers at heart of legal services
The Legal Services Board (LSB) launched a consumer-focussed strategy for legal services in England and Wales, and called for collaboration to reshape legal services to better meet society’s needs. The ambitious ten-year strategy reflects that the significant challenges facing the legal services sector can only be tackled by people and organisations working together to pursue […]
Lubna Shuja becomes vice president of Law Society
Lubna Shuja has become the Law Society of England and Wales’ vice president raising the prospect for the first time of two consecutive women presidents in the organisation’s history when she steps up to the top job in 2022. With I. Stephanie Boyce now installed as president, it’s also the first time two people of […]
Final full week to enter the British Conveyancing Awards
The deadline to enter the British Conveyancing Awards is fast approaching, with registrations closing on Wednesday 7th April. The awards are presented by Today’s Conveyancer alongside headline sponsor Lawyer Checker, and will be hosted by the BBC’s Samira Ahmed on 25th May, with the virtual ceremony taking centre stage at 3.30pm. Tom Lyes Director of […]
BASPI excitement felt in the property sector
On 15th March, the Home Buying and Selling Group published its Buying and Selling Property Information (BASPI) dataset, which is designed to be the ‘one source of truth’ when it comes to upfront information about a property. Following the announcement of BASPI, Kate Faulkner, Chair of the Home Buying and Selling Group, said: “This is […]
Safe Harbour welcomed as a step forward in the sector
The industry has embraced the new steps that HM Land Registry (HMLR) is taking to enable the use of digital ID verification in the home buying process. Although the standard is optional at the moment, it is thought that it will soon become the ‘norm’ for the industry, as process become more streamlined and the […]
Workington: House Demolitions needed after Coal Mine Shaft Collapses
A whole side of a street is to be demolished in Workington, Cumbria after a mine shaft was discovered under the properties. Tim Champney, Managing Director at Future Climate Info explains the alarming evidence of subsidence which has led to uncertainty and concern over the future, especially for those forced to relocate out of the family […]
Cleanse your content
This week we just wanted to cover the importance of keeping on top of your existing content. If you have a website or social channel you will have content that is already in existence. As content is quite high on the list in terms of recruiting new customers and continuing to build that ever important […]
Firm websites could suffer as a result of new Google Algorithm
Attracting new business is always important, and although we’d like to rely on recommendations of happy clients, more often than not people will choose our business as a result of a searching for the service on a search engine, and then contacting for a quote. With this in mind, the position of a wills and […]
HMRC set to recoup over £8bn in SDLT
Despite the high profile Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday, data from HMRC Tax Receipts and National Insurance Contributions division shows that SDLT receipts were only 6% lower when comparing February 2021 to February 2020. In February of this year, SDLT receipts were £775m. This was only £49m less than the same period the previous […]
Purchases, Packs and Protocol Forms!
Following on from the announcement that the Law Society were piloting upfront information for buyers, and a further piece of work between the Society and Gazeal, Lorraine Richardson, Managing Director of Adapt Law has shared her views on purchases, packs and protocol forms with Today’s Conveyancer. There is lots of talk about the way that […]
Movers and Shakers – 26 Mar 2021
Here at Today’s Conveyancer, we wanted to share with you the good news we’ve had within in the industry of professionals joining firms and those who have moved up the promotional ladder. This week we’ve seen the following announcements with regards to appointments and promotions: Fraser Bell has joined Walker Foster as a Licensed Conveyancer Amanda […]
Are you really as risk compliant as you think you are?
In September 2020, Groundsure launched GeoRisk, a new suite of mining and ground stability search reports . We took inspiration from recent collapse events, in depth customer research and most importantly, guidance from the Law Society in the name of the Conveyancing Handbook. I would forgive anyone who hasn’t perhaps read this cover to cover, […]
The British Conveyancing Awards are just two months away!
In two months time the conveyancing industry will be donning their finest bib and tucker as we all come together to celebrate the inaugural British Conveyancing Awards. The awards aim to recognise the herculean efforts undertaken by the sector over the past 12 months, as everyone has adapted to challenging conditions that a worldwide pandemic […]
