Suspicious activity reporting – updates from the NCA
The UK Financial Intelligence Unit has recently published the 2019 National Crime Agency Report on SARS with details on the reporting regime for the past year.
Property Natter: let’s talk about conveyancing (EAT)
It’s one of the most crucial aspects of the homebuying and selling process but is too often bogged down by frustrating delays and complications.
Airbnb is not a letting agency, court rules in landmark case (TN)
Case taken to the European Court of Justice ends with judges agreeing that Airbnb is a platform and information service but not an agency.
Details of 30% discounts for ‘First Home’ local buyers revealed (EAT)
The government has given details of a scheme allowing 30 per cent reductions for what it calls ‘local first time buyers’ and ‘key workers’.
Heartbreak for first-time buyers as their money vanishes into fraud bank account (PIE)
A chain collapsed this week and two young first-time buyers lost £94,000 when they were defrauded of funds they thought they had safely transferred to their solicitor.
New advertising rule “not a complete ban”, says SRA (LF)
The new rule that prohibits solicitors from making unsolicited approaches to members of the public is not a blanket ban on all advertising, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has clarified.
Mortgage ‘prisoners’ commence group action (LSG)
A commercial litigation firm that has acted in high-profile disputes including a shareholder action against Lloyds Banking Group has been instructed to bring a claim on behalf of more than […]
Section 21 WILL be scrapped – it’s in Thursday’s Queen’s Speech (EAT)
Number 10 briefings to the national media suggest that the scrapping of Section 21 – long talked about by the previous Conservative government – will be one of four key […]
Public unaware of Build to Rent (PW)
Some 59% of the general public have not heard of the term Build to Rent, research from platform Love to Rent has found.
Estate Agency Price-Fixing Cartel Fined (TC)
Three Berkshire based estate agencies were found guilty of fixing the minimum commission rates they charged their customers for over seven years.
SRA writes to 6,500 firms over AML assessments (LF)
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has written to 6,500 law firms asking them to make a declaration that they have a firm-wide risk assessment complying with the anti-money laundering regulations.
Reservation Agreements: two key problems that must be overcome (EAT)
A law firm has spoken out about two possible problems in the government’s much-publicised idea of considering Reservation Agreements as a weak of reducing fall-throughs in the house buying process.