The SRA have reported that in the first half of 2020, nearly £2.5m of money held by firms had been stolen by cybercriminals, over three times the amount reported in the first half of 2019.
Remote working has created an extra layer of vulnerability for any business. With this, we would like to invite you to our free webinar, in association with Lawyer Checker, to discuss the latest updates on risk.
Combating Conveyancing Fraud – Update on risk
Thursday, February 25th 2021 @ 11:00AM GMT
In this webinar hosted by Tom Lyes from Lawyer Checker, we will be looking at the current threat level of fraudulent activity in the sector and why Lawyer Checker is more than just a bank account checker.
Tom will share some of the reasons behind the significant growth of firms ordering Lawyer Checker over the last 12 months and discuss how Lawyer Checker, in collaboration with OneSearch Direct, can help you and your conveyancing team to ensure you are working in the most compliant and safest way possible.
Sign up for this webinar here.
If you can’t make this date, but would like a recording afterwards, please click here.
The top 5 questions to ask yourself about the dangers of cyber crime
With many staff still unable to come into the office, here are 5 questions to help you consider where your business is now in terms of ongoing cyber security:
- How up to date are your current cyber security policies?
- Do these policies take increased home working into account?
- Do you know if the home network of your employees is secure?
- Are there any new or emerging cyber threats to be aware of?
- Do you have the expertise in-house to deal with cyber security or do you need to outsource to experts?
Learn more in our article: Does your firm have a basic cyber security strategy in place? Click here to read and find out how we can help you and your firm.
Is cyber crime getting worse? Read our Industry Interview with Tom Lyes from Lawyer Checker here.
Nobody wants to buy a property only to find soon afterwards that there is going to be a development or change in infrastructure.
The impact of nearby development can sometimes be overlooked, but could severely affect the use and enjoyment of a property as well as its value.
Free Webinar on Landmark Planning
Tuesday, February 16th at 11:00 AM
We would like to invite you to our latest webinar, which will provide conveyancers with examples of how nearby development can impact a property and how the ‘Landmark Planning’ report can help purchasers make more informed decisions. Paul Addison of DevAssist will also discuss real life examples, and the benefit of their interpretive planning assessment, DevAssess.
Please click here to register your place on this webinar.
The Landmark Planning report will give your clients details on whether there are nearby planning applications that may impact the property as well as any types of development that are currently being carried out in the area.
Please click here to view a sample report.
Please click here to view a product card.
To find out more about Landmark Planning, please call our Service Introduction Team on 01782 433 270 or email intro@onesearchdirect.co.uk.
Right now, the industry is awash with predictions, petitions, and panic surrounding the SDLT holiday deadline.
The reality is that many homebuyers have already missed out on this tax break, and this number will undoubtedly increase. Hackney is the first council to advise residents to take out indemnity insurance if they want to complete before March 31st, 2021 and, unless there’s an extension to the SDLT holiday, we believe other councils will follow suit.
Whilst no-search insurance will certainly allow transactions to complete, an increasing number of conveyancers are opting for our data-rich alternative, OneSearch Express. We understand completing without obtaining full searches carries an element of risk, however, we believe Express (along with the TA6 Property Information form) is the best alternative to searches, as Express provides over 70% of the data normally obtained from local authorities. This includes over 80 data points such as notices and traffic schemes, drawn from our unique, Triple Quality Checked datasets.
Download a sample report to see what’s included.
Indemnity insurance has been protecting transactions from collapse with great success for many years. Indeed, our own claims record for Express insurance is exemplary, at 0% since its inception in 2015.
Your duty of care
We appreciate your obligation to practice due diligence and act responsibly when recommending any product. To limit your exposure to risk, we have created two fact sheets to ensure you and your client are fully aware of the risks and can make an informed decision.
Some conveyancers have suggested they may ask their client to sign the fact sheet as a disclaimer; this is entirely at your discretion.
We really hope this will help you deal with those cases which you have grave concerns about completing before the stamp duty deadline. For more information, please email intro@onesearchdirect.co.uk or call 01782 433270.
We’re delighted to invite you to our upcoming webinar in association with Stewart Title, where we will look at the dangers for property buyers from Chancel Repair Liability, Manorial Rights and Reservation of Mines and Minerals.
Medieval Pain = Modern Problems
Thursday 14th January at 11am
In this talk with Robert Kelly and Stephen Smith of Stewart Title, we will discuss the following topics:
- Is Chancel still a problem?
- Position since 2013
- Land Registry problems
- Why are manorial rights still being registered?
- Trespass on Reserved Minerals
- Not just coal
- How to avoid delays and problems for buyers and lenders
Click here to register for this webinar
With increasing delays at local authorities, it’s no surprise there’s been a spike in usage of Quick Quote, our integrated quote calculator for all Stewart Title indemnity policies. Available on our online portal, Quick Quote could not be easier to use. All you have to do is fill in a few short details, select your policy (you can also have multiple policies in one quote) and select “Get Quote” – your results are returned immediately on the same page, and you also have the option to print your results.
Quick Quote offers the complete and extensive range of Stewart Title indemnity policies, including:
- Lack of Building Regulation Consent (Inc. FENSA)
- No Local Search (Lender only)
- Freehold Restrictive Covenant(s)
- Chancel Repair (No Search)
- (Fully assignable) FENSA and other installation certificates only
We can also arrange bespoke policies. Get in touch if this is something you require.
Download our free Indemnities guide
At OneSearch, we’re longing for the day we can go on holiday again. To whet the appetite, we’d like you to meet a very well travelled member of the OSD family. Read on for the adventures of Steve, one of our Search Agents, in this week’s Spotlight Series. Take it away Steve…
I’m Steve and I’ve been a roadie with OneSearch for 6 years. My working day now involves collecting land charges, planning, and water pipe positions, all online. When not working I volunteer for the A.O.N.B. in Constable Country, waymarking walks, planting trees and cutting back, lopping and pollarding them in the nature reserves. Additionally, I also act as a river warden for the River Stour. A favourite activity, apart from those, is felling dead trees and collecting, sawing and logging the wood for the home fire, which I’ve done since the age of 6 (so my Dad wrote).
Three of our children live abroad: a son in California, son in Singapore, and a daughter who owns a cattle station and large pub in North Queensland. This means each year we travel around the world visiting them. Not this year! In fact, we travel extensively anyway; my tally is about 50 countries visited. I’ve never taken a package holiday, choosing instead to always to plan our routes & accommodation.
In 2011 my wife & I left our jobs and bought a Land Cruiser in Namibia. I fitted a roof tent on it, and also kitted out the inside with a bed on top of the storage and a fridge. Besides bush camping we stayed in many backpacker hostels, meeting likeminded travellers. We drove across Africa for 6 months, shipped the Land Cruiser to Australia and circumnavigated the country before returning to Africa, taking almost 2 years. I’ve now been to Africa 6-7 times, driving 4×4’s and taking friends on safaris, bush camping, and staying in a few small lodges.
We should be in Botswana & Zambia this Autumn with a party of 7, but the virus has stopped us. Hopefully our travels can recommence again in 2021. If any of my party can’t make it next year… I may be looking for others!
Top row
- Washing day, Sipi Falls Uganda
- Market day, Mbale Uganda
- Market day, Mbale Uganda
Middle row
- Colour choice, Kampala, Uganda
- Slave pit, Zanzibar
Bottom row
- German deserted diamond mine village, Kolmanskop, Namibia
- Village hut, low door to keep animals out, southern Botswana
Top row
- Across the Nullabor Plain, South Australia
- Bush fire, Queensland
- Cafe sign, Namibia
Middle row
- Deep in bush, Northern Territory, Australia
- Crossing into Mamili swamp, Namibia
Bottom row
- Crossing the Limpopo River from Botswana into South Africa
- One of many shipwrecks on Skeleton coast, Namibia
- Our home for two years
Thank you Steve!
To see the rest of our Spotlight Series, click here.
This week’s spotlight shines on our Area Network Manager, Helen. Covering the North East and London, Helen has been with OneSearch for over three years. Take it away Helen…
What does a typical working day look like for you?
I usually log in to work at 8am when my daughter leaves for school and while my son is eating his breakfast. This gives me a chance to catch up on any emails and request appointments before the councils start sending searches back to me. At 8:30am, I take my son and dog on the school run and usually get back shortly after 9am, ready to start uploading returned requests for information. Before lockdown, I would spend mornings driving to councils to get the necessary information but for now everything is being emailed, which means I can enjoy a nice cup of tea while I work!
Most of the morning is spent uploading and chasing searches while my dog sleeps under my desk/dining room table. In the afternoon, I usually request more appointments and catch up with emails, or take part in Teams calls with my line manager until 3, when it is time for the school run again! I get home around 3:30pm, then pick up any late search returns.
Do you feel you get a good work/life balance with OneSearch?
I find that I have an excellent work life balance. Working remotely means that I am always able to do the school run, which means a lot to me. I am also able to attend school events and enjoy time off knowing that my team are able to help out with covering my areas.
What do you like best about your job?
I love the fact that I am trusted to get on with things. While I have regular contact with my manager, I feel that I can work independently to get everything done. I also find the land charges really interesting, particularly with new developments. Sometimes the entries can spark old memories from when a development site was a quarry, hospital or wildlife park.
JUST FOR FUN
When not “in the office”, you can usually find me:
Outdoors. With 2 kids and a very large and energetic dog I’m usually tramping through the local woods or parks regardless of weather, or camping in our bell tent during the warmer months. I also enjoy vintage events, particularly 1940’s re-enactments where I covet all of the wonderful outfits!
Three things I would struggle to live without are:
- My morning cup of tea
- Red lipstick
- Flat shoes
My last meal on earth would be…
If I had a choice then probably a vindaloo from our local Indian restaurant. I love all things spicy!
And finally… meet Louie! He is a Lurcher/German Shepherd cross that we rescued in January. The picture doesn’t do him justice, he looks a lot smaller than he actually is.
To see the rest of our Spotlight Series, click here.