Property
Platform eyes ABS licence in bid to plug advice gap for renters
An online platform that provides free legal advice and assessments for renters has applied to the SRA to become an alternative business structure.
Strike-off for solicitor who exploited vulnerable investors
A solicitor who “exploited and misled” the Zimbabwean women she claimed to be empowering has been struck off.
SDT clears conveyancer of taking instructions from client’s son
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has cleared a conveyancer of taking instructions from a client’s son and of manifest incompetence in a property transaction.
Strike-off for conveyancer who repeatedly lied to client
A veteran solicitor who repeatedly lied to a client, giving her false assurances over a period of two years about the registration of her property, has been struck off.
Big rise in home-buyers complaining about “unexpected costs”
The proportion of home-buyers saying they experienced “unexpected costs” in their transactions has gone up by more than 50% this year, new research has found.
Big spike in conveyancing complaints to Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Ombudsman has reported a 41% increase in the number of complaints about conveyancing, driven by delays, poor communication and post-completion problems.
CLC rebukes Legal Services Consumer Panel for “inaccuracies”
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has issued a sharp rebuke to the Legal Services Consumer Panel for its “inaccurate representation” of the regulator last week.
Private equity takes stake in property management law firm
A 50-person law firm that specialises in property management work has taken investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group.
Home movers “more confident” about digital information sharing
Confidence among home movers about sharing information digitally – and indeed in the home-buying process improving – is growing strongly, research has found.
Partner transferred £700,000 to client “to avoid negligence claim”
A former partner in a London law firm transferred almost £700,000 of his own money to a client company to avoid a negligence claim.
Conveyancers create new initiative to speed up homebuying
A group of conveyancers have joined forces to create a new initiative aimed at solving practical issues that “clog” the conveyancing process.
Rebuke for law firm that failed to perform undertaking for years
A South London law firm that failed to perform an undertaking given during a property transaction for nearly two and a half years has been rebuked by the SRA.
Government pledges to “simplify” conveyancing
The government has promised to “simplify” conveyancing as part of its home-buying reforms, recognising that the role of conveyancers has “expanded significantly”.
Sales packs on way as government commits to home-buying reform
The government is pressing ahead with reforms to the home-buying process, which it says will cut transaction times by around four weeks.
CLC warns of “regulatory blind spots” on referral fees
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has warned of the risk of “regulatory blind spots” after a review of referral fees revealed shortcomings in firms documenting arrangements.
Blog
Don’t be fooled by the civil court statistics
The latest civil justice figures look deceptively upbeat, with faster claims. But these numbers mask a deeper truth: people are still waiting more than a year for justice.
SEO is changing: Are you measuring the right things?
AI means firms may see falling organic traffic and wonder if SEO is still working. The more interesting question is whether traffic is still the right measure of success.
Forms are evolving – and more interesting than you might think
I have spent much of my working life thinking about something most people would probably prefer not to think about at all: legal forms.
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