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News

Conveyancers optimistic about property market but see little progress in speeding up the process

27 March, 2025

Over a half of conveyancers (55%) are confident in the current stability of the property market, but report little sign of the process speeding up. The results form part of a new quarterly Confidence Tracker launched by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) to gauge the views of the profession on the current state of [Read more]

Stamp Duty Land Tax Threshold Change 1st April 2025

21 March, 2025

The CLC has been made aware of attempts by some conveyancers representing buyers to amend agreed conditions of sale so that, in the event that a transaction does not complete by 31st March, either: The CLC urges conveyancers to exercise extreme caution before agreeing changes to the standard conditions of sale. If parties are content [Read more]

Ongoing Competence to replace CPD – have your say

18 March, 2025

Since publishing our response to the 2022 Public Consultation on principles of CPD proposals and undertaking additional workshops in 2023, we have developed a new Ongoing Competence Code which incorporates those high-level principles and feedback received. This proposed Code is intended to replace the current CPD Code and CPD Framework.  We want to ensure that our proposals are easy to [Read more]

Datalaw now offers CLC qualifications leading to registration as a Licensed Conveyancer or Conveyancing Technician

18 March, 2025

The CLC has today announced that Datalaw is now one of the providers of education leading to CLC qualifications. The provider of distance learning has joined others that offer CLC qualifications, which are regulated by the SQA. Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC are Authorised Persons in terms of the Legal Services Act 2007, and [Read more]

Independent Adjudication Panel of the CLC announces new Chair

11 March, 2025

The independent Adjudication Panel of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers has today announced its next Chair. Nick Hawkins will take up the role with effect from 24th March, when current Chair, Victoria Goodfellow, steps down to take on a judicial role. Mr Hawkins is a barrister by profession, with a background of a long and [Read more]

Keeping the CLC updated just got easier

11 March, 2025

Individuals and practices need to keep the CLC updated on changes to circumstances. To make that easier, we have added some online forms to our website For CLC Lawyers: For CLC Regulated Practices:

Get your applications to HM Land Registry right

11 March, 2025

Following the success of the training sessions for CLC lawyers by HM Land Registry in January, we have two more sessions coming. They are bite-sized one-hour sessions online. They will be most useful for anyone who did not take part before. You will find it most useful to attend both sessions, but you will need [Read more]

LSB Consults on Professional Ethics

6 March, 2025

The LSB has today launched a consultation on a draft Policy Statement setting out principles for legal services regulators in relation to securing adherence to professional ethics. The CLC is pleased to have been involved in the LSB’s work to develop these proposals through the Professional Ethics and Rule of Law project. The CLC puts [Read more]

AML: Changes to the list of high risk countries

24 February, 2025

The international Financial Action Task Force (FATF) met from 19 – 21 February 2025 and made changes to the countries which are on the “grey list” (those subject to increased monitoring): There are more details on the FATF website. Remember that the UK list of high risk countries (HRTC) now mirrors the FATF lists so [Read more]

Money Laundering Risks: the Sheikh Hasina government of Bangladesh

12 February, 2025

IMPORTANT MONEY LAUNDERING RISK UPDATE FOR MLROs We are alerting you to an increased risk of potential money laundering connected with former members of the Sheikh Hasina government of Bangladesh. In August 2024 Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, was deposed after mass protests. Key figures from her former regime are now under [Read more]

Government Announcement on Digitising Homebuying and Selling

10 February, 2025

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers welcomed the government’s commitment, in an announcement on Sunday, 9th November, to work with the Digital Property Market Steering Group to ensure that all the excellent work done so far to plan the modernisation of homebuying can be implemented. The CLC hopes that the government will be able to remove [Read more]

Survey: Technology and Innovation

4 February, 2025

The CLC has established a Technology and Innovation Working Group.   Guided by three principles, improving efficiency and transparency, protecting consumers and improving the consumer experience, the Working Group will collaborate to help shape new CLC guidance on the responsible and ethical use of technology and innovation in practice. You can help shape future CLC Guidance [Read more]

SDLT – Not suitable for use as a dwelling claims

16 January, 2025

HMRC has seen a spike in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) repayment requests where it’s claimed a property is not suitable for use (NSFU) as a dwelling so the lower, non-residential rates of SDLT apply. HMRC found over 95% of NSFU claims are incorrect and fell well below the required threshold. Conveyancers and their clients [Read more]

CLC and HM Land Registry FREE Workshop – Complete and Correct Applications

10 January, 2025

In the 2024 Risk Agenda we highlighted our concerns about the variable quality of title registration applications across the regulated community. It is very important that practices that see high levels of avoidable requisitions (i.e. avoidable requisitions in anything above 5% of applications) take urgent steps to improve the accuracy of their applications. As we [Read more]

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]

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]

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