Associate News

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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.

There’s a really easy way for you to keep up to date with the latest compliance news each month and all it will cost you is half an hour of your lunch break. The first Thursday of each Month, Access Legal’s Regulatory Director, Brian Rogers, holds a Compliance Update Webinar taking you through all of the latest changes in the legal regulatory landscape, picking out the details that you need to know and analysing how these changes will affect you.

Following the return to school on the 8th of March, this week marks another step forward in the lifting of UK Covid restrictions with ‘outside socialising’ now allowed again for 6 people or 2 households. None of us know exactly what is around the corner for the economy, but as this morning’s headlines report that almost 60% of UK adults have now had their first dose vaccinations, many businesses will be feeling more positive, and recognising the important contribution technology has made to their businesses during these challenging times so far.

The next census of England and Wales took place on Sunday 21 March – a survey that happens every ten years and which provides a unique snapshot in time. Every household in England and Wales must fill in the census. The information provided helps organisations make decisions on planning and what is needed to fund local services in different areas of the countries.

At Ackroyd Legal we are delighted to have an abundance of talent both young and old from all different backgrounds. It is this diversity that we celebrate, because of the plethora of different cultures and experiences making Ackroyd Legal a dynamic, accessible, and highly functioning place to work. In the Law, there is significant value placed on the practice experience of lawyers.

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 and repossessions could mean lenders may look to target conveyancers to recoup any loss.

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.

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.