Dozens of law firms enabling corruption, report finds (LF)
Dozens of UK law firms are – wittingly or unwittingly – providing corrupt individuals with services that enable them to “move, hide and defend their ill-gotten gains with impunity”, Transparency […]
Reservation Agreements: Agency makes buyers pay £5,000 – and it works (EAT)
A London agency makes some of its buyers pay upwards of £5,000 in Reservation Agreements – well ahead of the likely introduction of a similar scheme by the government.
Time to embrace blockchain, super-regulator tells legal sector (LSG)
‘Blockchain provides significant opportunities to enhance consumers’ access to legal services, particularly once we reach widespread adoption.
Leading agent backs reservation agreements ahead of pilot project (EAT
One of the country’s most prominent estate agents has given renewed backing to a pilot project on reservation agreements, being tested as a way of reducing fall-throughs.
Housing minister calls for proptech revolution to let buyers see if they could get a seat on the train (PIE)
Housing minister Esther McVey has called for a digital revolution in the property sector.
Crackdown on Money Laundering (TC)
Regulators are becoming increasingly stringent on the way law firms comply with anti-money laundering (AML) procedures.
Reservation Agreements: more details emerge of New Year trial (EAT)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has given more details of the trial of reservation agreements likely to take place in the first quarter of 2020.
Huge shake-up of sellers’ information being considered (EAT)
First details have emerged of the information vendors may have to provide up-front In future transactions if government house buying reforms are implemented – and they are nothing less than […]
Technology Drives Modern Buyer Property Preferences (TC)
Technology is driving change in consumer behaviour when buying property with internet quality superseding structural considerations like the quality of insulation and the condition of floors and walls.
Over a year – that’s the average time to sell in parts of the UK (EAT)
Data from an agency comparison website reveals that in the current market it takes well over a year for a home to sell in several parts of the UK.
Named and shamed: local councils with the slowest searches (EAT)
A trade body has sharply criticised HM Land Registry for its slow progress on digitising local searches after a promising start 18 months ago.
Call to scrap stamp duty for so-called ‘last time buyers’ (EAT)
An equity release specialist says the scrapping of stamp duty for so-called last time buyers would lead to more downsizing, freeing up larger properties and allowing more flexibility in the […]