How can the consumer’s home purchase/sale experience be improved?
Eddie Goldsmith discusses issues within the home buying and selling process, following a roundtable hosted by the Conveyancing Association attended by many industry stakeholders.
Not just telling clients what they want to hear the key to great service according to ESTAS winner
Providing a great service through being easily contactable but also not just telling clients what they want to hear is one of the keys to success according to ESTAs winning firm Mander Cruikshank. Shani Box, the QualitySolicitors networked firm’s Head Conveyancer said winning the award was a great validation of how they do business as […]
How safe is your home
The ability to access the title to any property and the increased incidence of property fraud, has opened a whole new can of worms. However, Gary Score from law firm Hart Brown, says there are safeguards that can be put in place to protect your property. Anyone can obtain a copy of the title to […]
If privatisation helps deliver Land Registry services better it has to be considered
Kris Clark, Head of Product at SearchFlow and has called on the conveyancing profession to make it’s voice heard and to lead the debate on privatisation of Land Registry. Kris has been working in searches for nearly 15 years and also believes that if privatising Land Registry, in the same way water boards, Royal Mail or […]
How Consumer Protection Regulations affect environmental searches
Location Intelligence experts Groundsure are committed to assisting solicitors with their training especially in light of the new Law Society Practice Note on Consumer Protection Regulations. The Consumer Protection Regulations apply to any ‘business to consumer’ commercial practice, which in our field would be solicitor / conveyancer to home owner (client). These practices apply to […]
A quarter of law firms are targeted by scammers…don’t let your firm be one of them – Searches UK can help!
Last month The Law Society revealed that nearly a quarter of law firms have been targeted by scammers looking to steel client funds. The research comes from The Law Society’s PII survey, which also disclosed that fewer than 10% of the attempts resulted in fraudsters successfully obtaining the client’s money. Whilst the majority of law […]
Fraud and more fraud
Once again conveyancers are being assailed by a whirlwind of reports (scare stories if you wish) about fraud. Most recently, on April 29th we were warned: ‘PII costs fall – but attempted fraud is rampant, Law Society reveals’. Apparently “Almost a quarter of firms reported being targeted by scammers in the last year”. You have […]
Are you in control of your data?
With law firms’ profitability being squeezed by alternative entrants to the market and consumer demands for fixed fee work, the benefits of powerful business intelligence solutions in delivering key strategies and measuring success in order to sustain profitability are more essential than ever. Quality of data is key to mining meaningful business intelligence. And meaningful […]
Search Acumen comments on the ONS House Price Index, March 2016
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the ONS House Price Index, March 2016 “Fears of Brexit appear to be hitting the wealthier, higher-end of the property market, while having no noticeable impact on slowing down house prices for the mainstream market – particularly in areas of high demand like London and the Southeast. Prices […]
Editorial: Advancing legal tech and anti-fraud measures the main take homes from Legalex
Making the legal industry better centred around service for clients through improved technology, as well as safeguarding your firm against fraud, were two of the main topics of discussion at Legalex. With dozens of technology firms exhibiting and hosting talks about using their products to improve your offering, enhance your customer due diligence and potentially […]
Search Acumen comments on the RICS residential market survey, April 2016
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the RICS residential market survey, April 2016: “Whether or not a Brexit will unfold remains to be seen, but the uncertainty is definitely creating an environment of caution in the property sector, as seen in the drop in interest from buyers for the first time in over […]
Two new reasons why mapping properties needn’t be a challenge for conveyancers
Fresh from the release of an update to their new commercial property portfolio tool, tmgroup have announced the launch of two new time-saving mapping features to help conveyancers streamline their property transactions. The two property mapping services have been developed in close collaboration with conveyancers from across the industry and integrate with the Land Registry […]
Mining searches could be an easy way to add value to your client’s home says Tom Backhouse of Terrafirma
Performing mining searches can have real financial benefits to a client according to Tom Backhouse of Terrafirma Mining Searches – even outside of traditional mining areas. A sinkhole recently swallowed up a car on the streets of Greenwich in London, and while not traditionally associated with mining in the same way as areas like Cornwall, […]
Anti Money Laundering: Tweak your systems for 4MLD
Changes under the 4th Money Laundering Directive will provide new opportunities to identify beneficial owners, but the other main requirements seem likely to stay the same, says Katie Jackson of Honne Ltd – Risk and Compliance Consultants. The 4th Money Laundering Directive from the European Union is due for implementation soon. Barring a Brexit, and […]
CLC statement in response to the LSB’s report on the CLC’s Regulatory Standards 2015/16
The Legal Services Board has published individual reports on the regulatory standards of the front line regulators as well as a thematic report drawing on all of the individual reports. The CLC is pleased that LSB recognises the ‘real improvement against all of the standards since 2012/13’. The LSB agrees with the CLC’s own assessment […]
Working to combat conveyancing fraud
Fraudsters attacking the conveyancing sector, successfully stealing large sums of money from homebuyers, are making national headlines at a depressing rate. As criminals deploy ever more sophisticated methods to intercept the money, Greg Bryce, managing director of SearchFlow, property intelligence specialists, takes a look at how the conveyancing sector can best protect themselves. Recently, the […]
95% of independent lawyers and mid-sized firms braced for rough times
Almost all independent and mid-sized firms say they are bracing for hard times according to a report commissioned by LexisNexis. The software company’s 2016 Bellwether report states that 57% of the firms they spoke to strongly agree that “there are still rough times ahead for law firms” whilst 38% slightly agree. Just 1% disagreed, with […]
Ten Easy Steps to Conveyancing Success
The legal market is currently changing at an unprecedented rate and according to the ‘2016 Report on the state of the legal marketplace’, law firms need to make proactive changes to how they provide legal services. This change represents a wonderful opportunity for the legal profession to prosper and excel both in the UK and […]
Fraud up 20% in one year, SearchFlow comments on Experian’s latest Fraud index
The latest Fraud Index released by Experian has revealed that the fraud rate increased by 20% in the year from Q1 2015, until Q1 2016. The research has also revealed an increase in ID theft relating to mortgage applications. Historically, ID fraud accounted for around 4% of all mortgage application fraud, however this figure has […]
What happens when a notice to complete expires?
Paul Butt analyses the case of Hakimzay Ltd v Robin Swailes [2015] EWHC B14 (Ch) Hakimzay Ltd v Robin Swailes [2015] EWHC B14 (Ch) Introduction We all know that serving a notice to complete makes time of the essence- meaning that failure to perform by the date fixed amounts to a repudiatory breach of contract. […]
