Law of Property Bill
Paul Butt answers the question – How will a new Law of Property Act affect conveyancers and what changes will be made?
Conveyancers cleared of negligence over Declaration of Trust
A conveyancing firm have been cleared of negligence over allegations they failed to explain a Declaration of Trust covering a home to a woman who subsequently divorced her husband, as well as having a conflict of interest. Bromets (which subsequently merged to become Bromets Jackson Heath LLP) were instructed to deal with the Declaration of […]
CMA justify stance on Land Registry
The Competition and Markets Authority has published a follow-up on their response to the Land Registry privatisation consultation. The CMA had previously expressed concerns over the government’s favoured option, stating they did not believe it could deliver the benefits the Treasury believed it could. Writing on the CMA blog, Assistant Director for Advocacy Elliott Scanlon […]
BIS ‘Call for evidence’ presents significant opportunity for conveyancing sector
There are certainly moments in life and business which come laden with importance; at the time of writing we are just days away from a political and economic one with the EU Referendum vote set to take place. However, a little closer to home, one definitely has the feeling that, in terms of the future […]
Understand new Guidance to protect your clients, warns leading drainage Barrister
Commercial lawyers gathered in the newly refurbished Salters’ Hall in Central London on 9th June to find about Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), their priority within the latest drainage guidance and the implications for their clients’ redevelopment sites. Chaired by Stuart Pearce, Managing Director of GeoSmart, the seminar was opened by Dr Paul Ellis, our Innovation […]
SearchFlow comments on HMRC’s Property Transaction Data
HMRC transaction data reveals the number of residential property transactions increased by 1.5% between April 2016 and May 2016. The month’s seasonally adjusted figure is 11.9% lower compared with the same month last year. Greg Bryce, Managing Director at SearchFlow, comments: “Despite the modest growth this month and a decline when comparing this time last […]
The CLC’s Stephen Ward on the regulator’s recent review, new probate qualifications and regulation of will writing
The Council for Licensed Conveyancer recently received a positive report from the Legal Services Board over it’s work, and this week had their new PII scheme approved. Today’s Conveyancer’s Jane Common spoke to the regulator’s Director of External Relations Stephen Ward about recent developments, including a review of its Handbook and the introduction of new […]
Workhouse … the story of an institution
Clelia Chelmi of Groundsure discusses the history of workhouses, the laws behind them and what they are now used for in today’s society.
June reflections
National Sales Director at Conveyancing Data Services provides a personal overview on June and why he will be voting to remain.
Anderson Rowntree use The Conveyancing Map to explore new market insights
Anderson Rowntree, a leading law firm in West Sussex is using The Conveyancing Map to explore their competitive position in the region and inform their strategic planning. The reports they commissioned provide the elusive empirical base so often missing from the business planning of law firms. “We were amazed at the richness of detail available […]
Search Acumen comments on the UK House Price Index (HPI), April 2016, combining Land Registry and ONS indices
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the UK House Price Index (HPI), April 2016: “The 8% leap in UK-wide prices from April 2015 to 2016 is much higher than the 5% year-on-year leap seen in April 2014-2015, which shows just how much house prices have shot up in the past year, despite the relatively […]
Problems with prescription (Winterburn v Bennett [2016] EWCA Civ 482)
All conveyancers will be aware that an easement can be acquired by prescription i.e. by simply using the ‘right’ over a long period – basically a minimum of 20 years. But as a recent case reminds us the law surrounding prescription is so complex that it isn’t just a case of proving 20 years’ use. […]
“No reason” for Buy to Let volumes to decrease in the long term
After a tumultuous first quarter of the year, Stephen Sandiford of specialist Buy-to-Let lenders Paragon believes there’s no reason for the number of investments in buy-to-let to decrease in the long term. Speaking at the My Home Move conference, he stated he believed the yield from a Buy-to-Let investment still outstripped those an investor might […]
Scott Bozinis of InfoTrack on the differences between Australian and UK law, the changing search market and starting from scratch all over again
Scott Bozinis is CEO of InfoTrack which, ten months ago, entered the UK market with a pedigree as the largest one stop shop for legal services in Australia – and a massive 65% of the market over there. Today’s Conveyancer’s Jane Common caught up with Scott at Legalex to ask how the UK launch is […]
Search Acumen comments on the RICS residential market survey, May 2016
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the RICS residential market survey, May 2016: “The government must be slightly startled that the possibility of a Brexit is engineering, for a very brief window, what it wanted to achieve along – greater affordability in housing. Fear, whether it’s rational or not, is driving the housing […]
Chancel Searches
Chancel repair liability is an ancient law which benefits around 5,200 pre-Reformation churches (built before 1536) in England and Wales (1). It is a long standing and legally enforceable liability to repair or contribute towards the cost of chancel repair of a parish church (the part of the church containing the altar) (3). During the […]
Andy Crawshaw of Groundsure on historical mapping and the future of Land Registry
At Legalex this year, we interviewed Andy Crawshaw, a Strategic Account Manager at Brighton based environmental search provider Groundsure, who spoke about the importance of historical mapping. Andy spoke of the digitisation of data Groundsure undertook back in 2001 to provide the clearest and most accurate assessment of historical land use. He advised how activities […]
Plans scrapped but majority support equity release qualifications
The recent abandonment of the standalone equity release qualification has split opinions within the equity release market.
£7m of equity released daily
New figures have indicated that the ongoing momentum in the equity release sector is yet to subside.
Lawyers are ten years behind their clients when it comes to service
Jon Whittle of LexisNexis has called on conveyancers to forget about being a legal professional when considering what service their clients need. Speaking to Josh Morris of Today’s Conveyancer at Legalex, Jon Whittle says clients will presume a legal professional understands the legal processes involved in their work, but that understanding the client’s needs is […]
