Self and custom build housing could give home movers “more choice”
Proposals to help more people build their own homes have been ‘warmly welcomed’ by the Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP following the release of a report commissioned to improve the housebuilding industry by giving customers more choice, and to make home building a mainstream, realistic and affordable option for people across the country. […]
Forget the detached house price boom, this is the property type to have performed best in the last decade
The latest research by Birmingham estate and lettings agent, Barrows and Forrester, reveals that terraced houses are the best property investment in the UK after experiencing stronger price growth than any other type of home over the past decade. The UK housing market has boomed. Surging demand has been met by dwindling supply to push […]
Recent sinkhole in Norwich: what could be the cause?
In recent years, the term sinkhole is one that has become ever more common in our media headlines. Defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “a large hole that suddenly appears in the ground when the surface of the ground is no longer supported”1. They are a menacing phenomenon that continue to cause disruption and damage […]
How to ensure your law firm is attractive to the millennial purchaser
Millennials are now aged between 25 and 40. And as this group makes its way up the career ladder, the millennial pound is strengthening as the generation enters its prime spending years. As such, millennials should be a target customer group for most legal businesses. According to recent reports, over 50% of first-time home buyers […]
Treasury pockets record SDLT windfall
Following the release of the ONS figures which showed the impact of the property market recovery on house prices, HMRC have released figures which show it’s highest recorded revenues from Stamp Duty Land Tax in July. Receipts from property purchases hit £1.309 billion in July, the highest month on record and higher than the £1.196 […]
What’s happening with electronic signatures in the property market?
Following the introduction of electronic signatures last year, HM Land Registry provides an update on this revolutionary step in the property market for Today’s Conveyancer. One year ago, we took a revolutionary step that allows deeds signed using an electronic signature to be registered. This was the first time in the history of HM Land Registry (HMLR) that non-mortgage deeds signed using electronic signatures, […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 23rd August 2021
Following on from my words last week about the phrases and words that conveyancing lawyers used, it got me thinking about other things to do with the law and procedure. I have always thought that conveyancing was a specialist area – despite the attempts to streamline the process and make it more time and cost […]
Housing market shows signs of increasing stability
An estate agency membership body has predicted the housing market could stabilise in the coming months, following the surge in activity generated by the SDLT holiday. NAEA Propertymark has released its July Housing Report in which it identifies a slight increase in supply of properties coming to market, and a reduction in the number of […]
Sole practitioner model “dying” according to research
Solicitors operating as sole practitioners and partnerships are a dying breed, according to a new analysis from Arden Partners plc revealing the changing shape of the solicitor market. Analysis of Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) data reveals that the number of sole practitioners operating in England and Wales has decreased by 47% in the past 10 […]
The Conveyancing Foundation donates vital funds to SANDS and the Epilepsy Society
The Conveyancing Foundation has donated funds from its innovative Charity Lotto to help two national charities, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) and the Epilepsy Society. Both charities have received £1000 each after they were nominated by staff at Convey Law, whose clients raised the funds by taking part in the Foundation’s Charity Lotto. […]
As business costs rise, the value of a good conveyancer has never been more important
As the housing market shows no sign of slowing down, Aconveyancing’s founder and director Natalie Moore talks about the importance of keeping fees up to meet rising costs and tackle under-cutting. “With the boom in residential sales and purchases over the last year thanks to the stamp duty freeze, the value of a good […]
LSB confirm practice fee and Compensation Fund contributions to fall
The Legal Services Board (LSB) have confirmed that individual practising fees will be £266 in 2021/22… a £12 reduction from 2020/21 and a 17% reduction over the last 6 years. Despite an increase in the SRA’s funding requirement he continued rise in the number of practising solicitors means that individual fees will be less than […]
Legal services sector recovering well according to ONS
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Index of Services for June reveals that the legal sector is recovering well following the pandemic. Although figures show that the services sector grew by only 1.5% between May and June this year, which is still below the 2.1% that was recorded in February 2020 and the last month of […]
FREE WEBINAR: Discover powerful digital onboarding with eCOS from InfoTrack
eCOS provides a digital solution for tackling the key onboarding processes within a single, unified platform. Connecting firms with consumers, you gain access to bank-grade digital verification tools, including verification of identity and source of funds, access to Law Society TA forms and onboarding questionnaires, as well as client care letters with electronic signatures through […]
Record number of Help to Buy homes purchased in 2020-21
The number of people purchasing a home through the Help to Buy scheme is at an all-time high, according to figures just released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). The scheme, which helps first-time buyers access the property market by providing a loan to put towards the cost of buying a […]
ONS Figures highlight impact of SDLT holiday
ONS figures have shown average house prices have reached a record £266,000, £1,000 higher than the same time last year. UK average house prices increased by 13.2% over the year to June 2021, up from 9.8% in May 2021, the highest annual growth rate the UK has seen since November 2004. The figures come against […]
A brilliant workflow for your onboarding is just a click away
Protecting against fraud and ensuring your clients are who they say they are can be challenging. But with all solicitors required to carry out proper identity checks, and the Safe Harbour Standard for conveyancers setting a new benchmark for the profession, failing to verify isn’t an option. Nevertheless, authentication takes time, and the process can […]
Equality, diversity and inclusion update 2021
For some firms, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) has taken a back seat as a consequence of the Covid-19 lockdowns, but now that things are getting back to some semblance of normality it is important that all firms ensure their EDI policies and procedures are fit for purpose and operate effectively on a day-to-day basis, […]
Bids for “First Homes” scheme invited by Government
Bidding has opened for home builders across England to deliver 1,500 first time buyer and key worker homes under the First Homes scheme launched in June. Over the next few months house builders will be given the opportunity to bid for their share of a £150 million package by offering plots for sale as First Homes […]
“No jab, no job” could land employers in trouble
Implementing a ‘no jab, no job’ policy brings serious pitfalls for business across England, a leading employment lawyer has warned. While it will be the law in England from November 11 for all staff and volunteers in registered care home settings to show proof they have received both Covid-19 vaccinations to enable them to continue […]
