October 2018 Newsletter

Informed Choice

We have published our guidance to support the new rules coming into effect on 6 December.

The aim of the new rules is to help consumers make an informed decision about which legal services provider to choose. We have recently published the Informed Choice toolkit which contains guidance and templates to support you in implementing the new requirements.

The roadshows will be an opportunity to hear more about the changes and for you to ask CLC staff any questions you may have about your plans for implementation.

The attendance of your firm at one of the roadshows is strongly advised to ensure you are fully compliant with the new rules when they go live on 6 December.

Dates and venues can be found below – click on the location to register for the event. There’s still time to register for today’s roadshows!

23 October 15.00-17.00:

London

Newcastle

25 October 15.00-17.00:

Bristol

30 October 15.00-17.00:

Leicester

6 November 15.00-17.00:

Birmingham

8 November 15.00-17.00:

Manchester

HM Land Registry webinar: avoid common registration pitfalls

HMLR are running free one-hour webinar sessions, to help you avoid common application enquiries (known as requisitions) on your applications. Did you know that most of the application enquiries they send are avoidable?

Three sessions offer practical guidance on how you:

• avoid requisitions
• submit first registrations including copy deeds
• submit quality applications through the portal

Will we see you in Liverpool?

In the first of a series of events with regional law societies, we’ll be presenting an afternoon seminar at Liverpool Law Society on Wednesday 7^th November on the future of conveyancing.

The event, led by CLC’s Chief Executive, Sheila Kumar, will examine the developments all conveyancing practices need to be preparing for. There is charge for the event, but places are limited so please register now here.

Anti-money laundering

Are you doing what you need to spot the signs of Money Laundering? Keep your eyes peeled for a new campaign coming soon!

Regulation of Property Agents: Working Group

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced the establishment of a working group tasked with advising government on a new regulatory framework for property agents.

They have been with developing:

• advice to government on a model for an independent property agent regulator, including how it will operate and how it will enforce compliance
• a single, mandatory and legally-enforceable Code of Practice for property agents;
• a system of minimum entry requirements and continuing professional development for property agents
• fees, charges and ability to choose a managing agent for leaseholders and freeholders

Regulation of property agents is a task which requires due care during implementation and development and many respondents to the call for evidence highlighted the need to allow time for agents to adapt to new requirements.

The working group will submit its final report in summer 2019 after which it will announce next steps.

Consultations on leasehold change

The Government have published their consultation paper on implementing reforms to the leasehold system in England. Specifically, it seeks views on:

• How to implement a ban on the unjustified use of leasehold for new houses;
• How to implement the reduction of future ground rents to a nominal value;
• How to implement measures to ensure that the charges that freeholders must pay towards the maintenance of communal areas are fairer and more transparent; and
• How to implement measures to improve how leasehold properties are sold.

Quick guide to Acting as Ancillary Insurance Intermediaries

The new changes to implement dealing with the new Insurance Distribution Directive are now live. Firms carrying on insurance distribution activities will need to change the way they work. We have published a quick guide to the Acting as Ancillary Insurance Intermediaries (AAIIC) which is intended only as an introduction to AAIIC and to help you understand the nature of the changes.

Digital Local Land Charges Register goes live for City of London Corporation

HM Land Registry continues the digital transformation of home buying through its online Local Land Charges Register. From 8 October 2018, anyone requiring Local Land Charges searches for the Square Mile will need to get them from HM Land Registry rather than going directly to the City of London Corporation.

New style newsletter

From next month we will be moving over to a new newsletter platform (MailChimp). The email address the newsletter comes from will change.

Twitter

If you or your firm are on twitter we would encourage you to follow us @CLConveyancers where we post useful information supporting compliance, amongst other things from us and trusted partners.

We hope that you find this newsletter useful and we would welcome feedback. Just write to us at clc@clc-uk.org