Property


Fine for solicitor who acted for both property developer and investor

4 December 2023

A solicitor who acted for a property investment company and an investor has been fined just over £9,000 for breaking conflict of interest rules.


“Instruct conveyancers early”, Trading Standards tells sellers and agents

1 December 2023

National Trading Standards has encouraged sellers and estate agents to engage conveyancers earlier than now after it made clear all the information that needs to be included in property listings.


Number of conveyancing solicitors slumps as market contracts

28 November 2023

The number of conveyancing firms and particularly solicitors has dropped significantly over the past two years in line with the major downturn suffered by the property market.


Leading firm fined £101,000 for anti-money laundering failures

27 November 2023

A leading South-West law firm has been fined £101,357 for failing to act over money laundering red flags on three property transactions, two of which may have involved a sanctioned entity.


Pre-contract enquiries platform aims to save conveyancers “weeks”

7 November 2023

A pre-contract enquiries platform created by a law firm founder and already used by 230 lawyers, aims to cut “weeks not days” from conveyancing transaction times.


Nearly half of homebuyers say lawyers are too slow in responding

1 November 2023

Slow response time is by far the biggest ‘pain point’ homebuyers have when dealing with conveyancers, according to new research.


Upfront information takes centre stage in conveyancing “roadmap”

11 October 2023

Expanding the amount of mandatory upfront information which must be provided by sellers when a property is marketed is a central part of the “roadmap” for the future of home moving.


PEXA agrees £31m Smoove deal in bid to grow conveyancing presence

5 October 2023

PEXA, the Australian conveyancing technology giant that last year bought a UK law firm, is set to expand significantly after agreeing a £31m deal by buy listed company Smoove.


SRA fines firm that failed to comply with undertaking

4 October 2023

A law firm has been fined by the SRA for a “fundamental and prolonged failure” to comply with an undertaking it had given in a conveyancing transaction.


Digital protocol prepares conveyancers for “huge step forward”

28 September 2023

The Conveyancing Association has launched a future digital conveyancing protocol to help firms prepare for the “huge step forward” that greater use of upfront information and technology will achieve.


Next stage in upfront property information to begin next month

19 September 2023

Rules on the information that must be included in property listings are to be extended next month to cover issues such as restrictive covenants and flood risks, National Trading Standards has said.


Solicitor who changed date of legal charge is struck off

14 September 2023

A solicitor who changed the date on a legal charge having missed the deadline for registration at Companies House has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.


Government “unlikely to mandate” ways to speed up conveyancing

13 September 2023

The government was yesterday told repeatedly of the need to mandate conveyancers and the rest of the home-moving sector to adopt new ways of working – but the calls look set to fall on deaf ears.


SRA told to pay solicitor £75k in costs for failed prosecution

31 August 2023

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been slapped with a £75,000 costs order after making an “essential mistake of law” in a failed prosecution of a solicitor.


Binding offers backed by AI “could end conveyancing uncertainty”

30 August 2023

The introduction of binding offers, backed by widespread use of artificial intelligence, holds the key to improving the conveyancing process, a leading figure has predicted.

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