Author: Simon Seaton
-
Demystifying Mortgage Rules: Why “Onerous” and the “Renters’ Rights Act” Both Matter
When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in the UK, your conveyancing solicitor will inevitably encounter Part 2 (P2) of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook. Tucked away in these instructions is a single, heavily loaded sentence: “Ground Rent must not be onerous and must adhere to the Renters’ Rights Act.” At first glance, this feels…
-
Conveyancing Regulator Slammed Over Referral Fee “Blind Spot”
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is under fire again, this time from the panel that’s supposed to represent consumers within legal services regulation. A year after BBC Panorama caught Connells managers pushing buyers toward preferred conveyancers regardless of quality, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has published a position paper reopening the whole affair. Its argument…
-
Leeds Building Society Approved Solicitor & Conveyancing Panel
The Leeds Building Society mandates that solicitors must be on its approved conveyancing panel to avoid delays and extra costs when buying or remortgaging. This guide outlines how to check a solicitor’s status, the implications of unapproved firms, and steps to ensure compliance with lender requirements throughout the transaction.
-
Is Your Solicitor on the Coventry Building Society Panel?
Homebuyers and remortgagors must ensure their solicitor is on the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel to avoid delays and additional costs. This guide explains the panel’s importance, offers a quick verification method via LenderPanel.com, and outlines options if a solicitor is not approved. Always confirm panel status in writing.
-
HMLR’s Avoidable Requisitions Data: A Tale of Two Numbers
HM Land Registry recently announced a 7% decrease in fully avoidable requisitions, but data reveals an increase from 4.6% to 4.9% across two periods. HMLR discourages comparisons, raising transparency concerns. Despite positive initiatives, clear methodology and consistent metrics are essential for credibility and accountability in monitoring requisition rates.
-
The Hidden AML Shake-Up in the King’s Speech
When the King’s Speech was delivered last Wednesday, many AML experts and legal compliance officers scanned the text and sighed. On the face of it there was no explicit mention of the long-promised, highly controversial overhaul of AML supervision. Many assumed the government had kicked the can down the road. But as it turns out,…
-
Redefining AML Risk: Why Law Firms Must Embrace AI-Driven Compliance
The regulatory ground is shifting beneath law firms’ feet. Conveyancing transactions are growing more complex, data volumes are expanding at pace, and the methods used by modern criminals, from deepfakes to layered shell structures, are becoming increasingly difficult to detect through traditional means. For many firms, especially high street practices where there the compliance officers…
-
Independent AML Audit Should Be Your First Move – Here is Why
AML compliance has moved firmly to the front of the agenda for UK law firms. With the Solicitors Regulation Authority taking a more assertive stance and the courts broadening the scope of what constitutes money laundering an independent AML audit is the most important step they can take right now. The Regulatory Mood Has Changed…
-
The SRA’s AML Questionnaire Is About to Get Much Harder to Bluff
For the last few years, the SRA’s annual AML data collection has been treated by many firms as a compliance formality. Fill in the numbers, hit the deadline, move on. That approach is now genuinely risky. Here’s why 2026 is different. The AI Cross-Check The SRA is deploying AI analytics this year to cross-reference AML…
-
HMRC Tax Adviser Registration: What Conveyancers Need to Know for 2026
If your firm handles conveyancing, the definition of a “Tax Adviser” just got a lot broader. HMRC has confirmed that new mandatory registration rules will encompass almost all conveyancing professionals. With significant penalties for non-compliance, understanding these HMRC Agent Services Account (ASA) updates is critical for your firm’s survival. Is My Conveyancing Firm a “Tax…