Agreed sales last month were up 57 per cent compared with April 2019, with many estate agents now immediately asking prospective buyers for their best and final offer to ward off gazumping.
By Monidipa Fouzder2021-02-11T12:17:00+00:00
The government has unveiled draft rules governing the future use of digital identities to help ‘revolutionise’ the conveyancing process.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said digital identity products allow people to prove who they are, where they live or how old they are. ‘They are set to revolutionise transactions such as buying a house, when people are often required to prove their identity multiple times to a bank, conveyancer or estate agent, and buying age-restricted goods online or in person,’ the department said.
The ‘
trust framework’ comprises specific standards and frameworks for organisations that provide or use digital identity services. Organisations will be required to publish a yearly report explaining which demographics have been, or are likely to have been, excluded from their service and why.
BBC News
By Kevin Peachey
Published
image captionSimon Ashley and his twin boys - Ralph and Henry - need more room
Speculation is rife about a possible extension of the stamp duty holiday in England. Tens of thousands of property buyers have urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to offer help. Earlier this month the BBC spoke to some of them.
With twin boys approaching the age of two, Simon Ashley and his wife Katie soon realised they needed more space at home.
So the family decided to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday and move to a bigger property just outside Harrogate.
David Westgate, of Andrews Pro-perty Group, said: “We’re facing a potential cliff-edge scenario for activity and prices at the end of March.
“Any property transactions that aren’t well under way by now will probably not complete before the stamp duty deadline.
“And with no sign that the Treasury is going to extend the deadline or taper the tax break, it’s important that buyers who haven’t offered yet are fully aware of that likely outcome.”
In July, Chancellor Rishi Sunak raised the threshold for paying the levy in England and Northern Ireland from £125,000 to £500,000, meaning nearly 90 percent of property purchases are currently tax free. He is now facing calls to extend the holiday in his March Budget.
By Monidipa Fouzder2021-01-13T11:43:00+00:00
Conveyancing solicitors have signed an open letter urging housing secretary Robert Jenrick to speed up the home buying and selling process by encouraging the widespread adoption of unique property reference numbers (UPRN).
Signatories to the letter, published on the Institute of Residential Property Management’s website, include the Conveyancing Association, a trade body, JMW Solicitors and Bold Legal Group.
Every unit of land and property is allocated a UPRN and geographic coordinates to ensure there is one true record for each address. Local authorities are required to maintain address registers. The address registers, including UPRNs, are submitted to GeoPlace, a central address database. GeoPlace is a limited liability partnership owned by the Local Government Association and Ordnance Survey.