2016: Year in review from Thames Water


It’s been a turbulent twelve months. Having a reliable, industry-leading search provider has never been more important.

Few would deny that 2016 has been full of twists and turns. From the shock Brexit referendum result to Donald Trump’s recent victory in the US presidential elections, safe to say it’s been an eventful year.

Some things you can’t predict but most things you can. At Thames Water Property Searches we are always up to speed on all industry changes and government policy – keeping you, our customers, fully informed and fully in control.

Flood risk is a prime example. Once The Law Society issued an updated practice note in February – ahead of the introduction of Flood Re – we knew it was important to remind customers that there is a simple solution to the complex issue of flood risk. We offer Landmark’s standalone Homecheck Flood report, as well as the all-encompassing Riskview environmental search, both of which include a practice note compliant flood risk assessment that can be ordered at the click of a button via our online ordering platform.

The introduction of the updated residential CON29DW and CommercialDW Drainage Enquiries was a key talking point of 2016. We find that there is confusion about Drainage and Water searches since changes were made to legislation in 2011, so our fantastic customer services team has spent a great deal of time this year going out to clients’ offices and running free CPD training sessions. They include a presentation on the importance of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS), which has been added recently as one of the questions to the CON29DW.

At TWPS, we always keep a close eye on government policy. Housing and planning have been top of the government’s agenda with both Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Philip Hammond announcing a raft of new measures and further investment aimed at increasing supply. With the trend in favour of granting planning applications, the implications for potential homeowners are can be serious.

In response, our customer service team has been raising awareness of two essential products that highlight future planning applications outside of a property’s boundaries: DevAssist’s unique DevAssess report is a bespoke location audit that exposes any potential threat (or opportunity) from development within a 75m radius of the property in question, while Landmark’s Plansearch Plus alerts potential homebuyers to issues such as planning applications, land use designations, housing and neighbourhood demographics, radio and telephone masts, as well as rights of way.

We have a full programme planned of CPD events and webinars planned for this year. Our aim is to ensure that the content is relevant and topical for your needs, whether practicing in residential or commercial conveyancing. With the new SRA requirements you will be able to show how the information we pass onto you can be used to support your firms’ requirements.

Feedback from last year’s CPD events was extremely positive. “The quality of the content and the materials provided surpassed that of paid-for courses,” said Pritpal Singh Manku, a solicitor from The Law House Solicitors. “Many of the recommendations suggested by the experienced presenters will be incorporated into our daily practice.”

Who knows what next year will bring. One thing is certain though: we’ll be keeping our customers covered – no matter what.

To find out more call: 0845 070 9148 or visit: www.thameswater-propertysearches.co.uk

 

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