Call for Chancellor to ditch Stamp Duty and transfer tax from buyer to seller (PIE)
Stamp Duty should be replaced by a seller’s tax – effectively meaning that it would transfer transaction tax costs from buyer to vendor.
Law Society survey finds 20% pay gap between male and female solicitors (LF)
A gender gap in salaries continues to dog the solicitors’ profession, with men earning on average almost a fifth more than women, according to an earnings survey conducted by the […]
City lays in to SRA over handbook changes (LSG)
City lawyers have published a scathing critique of the SRA’s plans to overhaul practising rules – while a respected compliance expert claims the proposals would open the door to criminals.
Estate agency fees contribute to higher average moving costs, says Lloyds (EAT)
Rising estate agency fees account for more almost half of the increase in average moving costs in the past year, according to new research.
Solicitors who “completely failed to carry out money laundering checks” is suspended (LF)
A former sole practitioner who “completely failed to carry out money laundering checks or prevent his client bank accounts from being misused”, and as a result saw hundreds of thousands […]
Tiuta International Ltd v De Villiers Surveyors Ltd [2016] EWCA Civ 661 (01 July 2016) (TC)
The professional indemnity insurance (PII) challenges facing valuers between 2008 and 2014 have largely been overcome and most property consultants should now be benefitting from stable, if not reducing, PI […]
“Lawyers turn to us anyway” – accountants lay claim to probate work (LF)
It would be less stressful and less expensive for clients to use their accountants for probate work than solicitors, one of the leading accountancy bodies has claimed.
‘Time to rethink’ on SRA handbook, says Chancery Lane (LSG)
Proposals to overhaul the SRA handbook are likely to be widely opposed by the public, an Ipsos-Mori survey commissioned by the Law Society suggests.
Buyers changing their minds at last minute still account for most fall-throughs (PIE)
Mortgage rates may have fallen to record lows, but that doesn’t mean it is any easier to get one, and this could be holding back transactions.
Is AI the future of mortgage advice? (EAT)
This week, tech startup Habito claims to have launched the world’s first artificially intelligent ‘digital mortgage adviser’.
Planning and environmental legislation update (Law Society)
News and updates from the Law Society September 2016.
Firm helped clients avoid £1.3m stamp duty payments (LSG)
A law firm which helped conveyancing clients avoid paying a total of £1.3m in stamp duty land tax has been penalised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.