News

Consultation Opens on Changes to the CLC’s Compensation Fund

20 December, 2024

The CLC has a well-established discretionary Compensation Fund (‘the Fund’) of last resort, funded by the regulated community, from which we may make grants or other payments for the purpose of relieving or mitigating losses arising from certain wrongs committed by CLC Practices. Today, we are launching a consultation on draft new rules for the [Read more]

Help trial a pay as you go alternative to client account with Transpact.com and the CLC

9 December, 2024

Third Party Managed Accounts (TPMA) provided by FCA authorised firms offer law practices the chance to de-risk and simplify the handling of client money in conveyancing transactions. Transpact.com (one of two TPMA services that are authorised by the FCA as a Payment Service Provider) are making CLC-regulated firms an offer so that they can assess [Read more]

Help Shape the Future of Digital Conveyancing – industry research conducted by HM Land Registry

21 November, 2024

Digital solutions are set to transform the UK conveyancing market. The CLC is working with other key industry bodies through the Digital Property Market Steering Group to help shape a faster, more certain, more secure and less stressful home buying and selling process.  HM Land Registry has developed a survey to understand the extent of [Read more]

Intervention into Nelson McLean Ltd – 20 November 2024

20 November, 2024

In order to protect the interests of the clients, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has intervened into the following practice which closed on 31 October 2023: Nelson McLean Ltd, trading from: Bells House Bells Lane Tenterden Kent TN30 6ES Find out more

Post-completion: Maintaining standards

7 November, 2024

The quality and timeliness of what is generally referred to as post-completion work should be a key focus for all conveyancers. Submitting an accurate application to update the Land Register and dealing promptly with any requisitions (queries from the Land Registry) that follow are vital to ensuring that your client’s interest in the property is [Read more]

Changes to regulatory fees and the OLC levy for CLC-regulated practices

29 October, 2024

Each year before the beginning of the licence year, and after consulting with the profession, the CLC makes an application to the LSB to approve the regulatory charges payable by the profession for the next licensing year. The LSB has now approved that application and we are writing to all practices to advise them of [Read more]

Help trial an alternative to client account with Shieldpay and the CLC

23 October, 2024

Third Party Managed Accounts (TPMA) offer firms the chance to de-risk and simplify the handling of client money in conveyancing transactions. In fact, working with the CLC in 2018 Shieldpay completed the first ever fully digital mortgage transaction in collaboration with My Home Move. https://todaysconveyancer.co.uk/shieldpay-power-first-digital-property-transaction/ Fast forward 6 years, TPMAs haven’t received the adoption we [Read more]

CLC 2024 Compliance Roadshows

22 October, 2024

The CLC’s 2024 Risk Agenda highlighted a range of key areas of risk for practices that we regulate. They were identified through our close monitoring and inspection of practices over the previous year. To help you manage risk in your work, we have arranged a series of Roadshows around the country (London, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol) [Read more]

LSB approves updated Code of Conduct for Licensed Conveyancers to reflect changing market

21 October, 2024

Proposed changes by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) to its Code of Conduct have been approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB) and will take effect from January 1, 2025. Last reviewed in 2011, the CLC closed a consultation at the beginning of the year on a revised Code of Conduct to improve clarity [Read more]

CLC consumer empowerment efforts having a measurable impact

9 October, 2024

Work by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) to empower consumers is having “a significant, measurable impact,” the Legal Services Board (LSB) has been told. In its report to the LSB, the CLC also outlined its experience of co-operation with HM Land Registry and the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), as well as other legal regulators, that [Read more]

CLC Futures roundtable – hearing from junior lawyers

4 October, 2024

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers recently held its first ever Futures Roundtable, looking at the future of profession with students on the path to qualifying, those recently licensed and people responsible for training the next generation of licensed conveyancers. Chaired by Neil Rose, editor of the website Legal Futures, it featured: So, is becoming a [Read more]

Legal Services Board Prices of Legal Services Survey

10 September, 2024

The Legal Services Board (LSB) is running their Prices of Legal Services Survey, which they last ran in 2020. LSB has Commissioned Pye Tait Consulting to conduct the survey, with telephone survey interviews happening in September and October. If you or your organisation receives a call from a Pye Tait interviewer this is likely to [Read more]

Conveyancing fraud: BBC Morning Live

30 August, 2024

It’s not just the large sums of money that make property purchases attractive to criminals, the sense of urgency many feel as transactions come close to exchange and completion can also lead people to overlook small details that may indicate a fraudulent telephone call or email. BBC’s Morning Live programme recently covered the issue and [Read more]

Upcoming changes to the CLC’s Code of Conduct and secondary Codes 

14 August, 2024

The CLC’s application for approval of proposed changes to the Code of Conduct and 18 secondary, topic-specific Codes is currently under consideration by the LSB.  The extended decision period the LSB is working to will end on 17 September 2024 and we hope to receive approval by this date.    The application and draft, revised Code [Read more]

The New Economic Crime Regulatory Objective – an update 

14 August, 2024

On 26 June 2024, the Legal Services Board (‘LSB’) held a roundtable to discuss legal services regulation as it relates to the new economic crime Regulatory Objective and proposed new guidance on the implementation of Economic Crime Regulatory Objective which the LSB is proposing to publish.    The new Regulatory Objective, ‘promoting the prevention and detection [Read more]

More insurers enter the PII market for CLC regulated practices, who pay lower premiums

26 July, 2024

CLC hails successful PII renewal round as more insurers enter the market All of the CLC’s regulated firms, across both conveyancing and probate, have successfully secured professional indemnity insurance (PII) coverage for the year ahead. The announcement coincides with the release of new research from law firm Browne Jacobson and the International Underwriting Association, which [Read more]

Consultation on Licence And Practice Fee Arrangements

12 July, 2024

  Download the Consultation Paper   Find out more and respond online   The CLC’s Practice Fee contribution rates, together with the Individual Licence fees and other administration charges are reviewed annually to ensure that revenue collected through these charges is sufficient to cover the forecast expenditure for the next financial year. Each year in [Read more]

Update: Countries requiring Enhanced Due Diligence

5 July, 2024

The international Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has made some changes to the countries which are on the “grey list” (those subject to increased monitoring) Bear in mind that the UK list of high risk jurisdictions now mirrors the FATF lists so CLC practices will now need to ensure that Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) is [Read more]

Risk Agenda 2024 Published

4 July, 2024

The annual publication brings together a list of the biggest risks faced by the CLC’s regulated community, which emerge during the regulator’s monitoring and inspection work throughout the year, along with advice to help practices stay on the right side of compliance. Areas covered in the 2024 edition include anti-money laundering, sanctions, conflicts of interest, [Read more]

New Compliance Notice: Source of Funds and Source of Wealth

12 June, 2024

Given the nature and focus of the services which CLC practices offer and their risk profiles, as well as events such as the war in Ukraine which has highlighted the flow of suspicious money from high-risk jurisdictions into the UK property market, there is a heightened scrutiny in relation to the measures CLC practices implement [Read more]

Complaints Survey of All CLC-Regulated Practices

7 June, 2024

We are writing today to the designated complaints contact in each CLC-regulated firm asking them to provide information about complaints handling in their firms. Below you will find the text of the full survey so that you can gather the information that you need before you begin completing the questionnaire online.   CLC Complaints Handling [Read more]

Charities Selling, Leasing or Disposing of Property: Implementation of the Charities Act 2022

23 April, 2024

This article highlights important legislative changes that CLC practices working with charity clients need to be aware of.  On 7 March 2024, a tranche of new Regulations were brought into effect by The Charities Act 2022 (Commencement No. 3, Consequential, Saving and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024 (legislation.gov.uk). Among other changes, these Regulations bring into effect [Read more]

Breaches of Undertaking: New Advisory Note

23 April, 2024

The CLC has issued a new Advisory Note on Breaches of Undertakings in response to increased referrals of breaches. Find out more

Intervention into Spencer Lockwood Conveyancing Ltd

17 April, 2024

Find out more

Intervention into Rosemary Handley

11 April, 2024

11th April 2024. Find out more

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