After the success of our co-hosted webinars with CLS Property Insight last year, we are delighted to announce we have even more planned across 2022, with the next scheduled for Tuesday 8th February at 11:00 AM.

Understanding Easements and associated indemnities

In this seminar Steve Johnson, Business Development Director at CLS, will explore the different types of Easements and methods of treating them. We’ll review claims case studies from CLS clients who have needed to make a claim under their CLS Absence of Easement indemnity policy.

The webinar will include:

  • What is an Easement and why are they important to a buyer?
  • Types of Easement and how they are created
  • Prescriptive Easements (long-user)
  • Ending an Easement
  • An explanation of the conditions, cover and exclusions for CLS Easement Policies
  • Accessing CLS indemnities via the OneSearch Direct website

Sign up for this webinar here.

If you can’t make this date, but would like a recording afterwards, please click here.

To find out more about CLS PI products via OneSearch, please call the Service Introduction Team on 01782 433 270 or email intro@onesearchdirect.co.uk.

It is safe to say that environmental risk and the types of reporting available has evolved over the years. Hazards such as flood risk, ground stability, new energy sources as well as large infrastructure projects and planning applications can now be identified and dealt with early in the transaction. And whilst some of these may be subjective issues from a conveyancer view, they are nevertheless important for homebuyers to understand in relation to any impact, including the value it may have on the property now or in the future.

Download the Landmark guide to coal reporting HERE

With an ever-increasing need for conveyancers to be compliant, provide as much appropriate, accurate and easily understandable information as possible as well as be cost effective for their clients, how do you ensure that you’re not just reporting on coal risk but that you’ve ‘ticked all the boxes’ on environmental due diligence? 

Now available from OneSearch Direct, Landmark’s recent addition of two new coal reports to its portfolio means we can now deliver a fuller view of key ground hazards information. Landmark Coal Reports follow the Law Society CON29M structure using, alongside the Coal Authority data, Pinpoint’s propriety pre-processed data and risk calculation to deliver analysis in minutes. The specialist support and guidance, as with all Landmark reports, help clients in understanding these important ground-based risks concerning their purchase property.

Landmark has made this a simple solution by offering a report bundle combining its market leading, premium ‘all-in-one’ report, RiskView Residential together with the new Landmark (regulated) Coal report. This will allow you to support clients with best in class data and expert analysis to deliver complete environmental due diligence as an efficient, speedier service.

  • Compliant – Follows all Law Society guidance
  • Reduces Practice Risk – Setting a precedent for client care
  • Data Reliability &Industry Experts – Provides reassurance
  • Full Analysis – Reduces time reviewing multiple reports
  • Online Digital Viewer Tool – Clear and concise insight on risk to guide decisions
  • Consistent Terms & Conditions – Dependable
  • Cost Efficient – Fixed fee price

 

Don’t just take our word for it…

“At DMP we value our reputation for delivering a reliable, thorough and efficient residential conveyancing service.    In our clients’ best interests, we expect no less from our search providers, with accurate, cost-effective search results presented in a clear & understandable format.  

For this reason, we recommend a Landmark Riskview Residential report in every transaction, helping us to ensure our compliance due diligence commitments to our clients. In particular, the unique online viewer mapping tool provides our clients with a better understanding of any key risks, perfect for the digital delivery required in today’s conveyancing.”

Sallie Fenty Partner DexterMontague LLP

To find out more about Landmark’s new Coal and RiskView Residential report bundle, call our Service Introduction Team on 01782 433 270 or email intro@onesearchdirect.co.uk.

After the success of our first CLS Property Insight partnered webinar, ‘Defective Lease Issues in Conveyancing’, we are pleased to share details on the next in the series, which will be taking place on Wednesday 3rd November at 11AM.

Your Guide to Planning and Building Regulations and Associated Indemnities

OneSearch Direct and CLS Property Insight are pleased to provide this informative discussion on Planning and Building Regulations, its effect on the residential conveyancing process and the range of legal indemnity policies available to help conveyancers and their clients progress property transactions.

Including:

  • Overview of the key issues and the impact on homeowners.
  • Case studies featuring issues that resulted in enforcement action.
  • Overview of CLS’ insurance solution to help you navigate the potential issues which may arise.

Sign up for this webinar here.

If you can’t make this date, but would like a recording afterwards, please click here.

To find out more about CLS PI products via OneSearch, please call the Service Introduction Team on 01782 433 270 or email intro@onesearchdirect.co.uk.

We’re delighted to present the latest in our Spotlight series with Caroline, our Group Financial Controller. Caroline has been with the company for an incredible 15 YEARS and plays an instrumental role within our Accounts department. Take it away Caroline…

What does a typical working day look like for you?

My days are a whirlwind of activity! Most days you will find me knee deep in spreadsheets, and the colour coding needs to be seen to be believed! Depending on what time of the year/month it is, I will either be preparing management accounts, reviewing variances to budget, preparing quarterly forecasts or annual budgets, dealing with audit queries, preparing VAT returns or authorising numerous bank payments to suppliers. No day is the same and I enjoy the variation my role brings.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Without doubt it’s the people I work with. They really are a great bunch, and I consider myself very lucky to have such supportive colleagues, many of whom have become real friends over the years. There is always someone on hand to discuss things with, should I need to get another perspective on something. I 100% value that support network and it’s one of the things that has kept me at OSD for so long. I think it’s quite rare to find this in a company.

JUST FOR FUN

When not in the office, you can usually find me here:

In the shops!

Three things I would struggle to live without are:

Music, chocolate and lip gloss ¿

My last meal on earth would be… 

My Dad’s Sunday Roast with a dessert of hot chocolate fudge cake.

Thank you, Caroline – we’d like a slice of cake too! blush

To see the rest of our Spotlight Series, click here.

Ensuring your firm is cyber secure is an ongoing commitment

PriceWaterhouseCooper, among others, has recently highlighted the rise in cyber security incidents. They have given a number of reasons why this could be, including:

  • Organised crime groups likely see this as an opportunity to target organisations in desperate situations
  • Opportunistic reconnaissance identifying vulnerabilities, possibly related to rapidly stood up remote working practices

As law firms handle both large amounts of personal data and client monies, they are an attractive target for cyber criminals. There is evidence to suggest cyber-attacks against law firms are rising with 73 of UK top 100 targeted.

In fact, the WHO reports “a dramatic increase in the number of cyber-attacks directed at its staff, and email scams targeting the public at large.”

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:

  1. How up to date are your current cyber security policies?
  2. Do these policies take increased home working into account?
  3. Do you know if the home network of your employees is secure?
  4. Are there any new or emerging cyber threats to be aware of?
  5. Do you have the expertise in-house to deal with cyber security or do you need to outsource to experts?

Cyber crime exploits uncertainty and lack of knowledge

The best way to be prepared is to be aware of the risks and plan accordingly. For example, you could choose to put together a strategy based on the suggestions listed below:

  • Plan as if you were going to be attacked. Cyber criminals are looking for easy or lucrative targets, regardless of size or turnover
  • Look at your firm’s password creation policy. You’d be surprised how many people still use names of children and their date of birth as a password. Insist your passwords follow a particular structure, dictating length, use of capital letters, numbers and special characters
  • Ensure you have a robust system in place that backs up your data frequently
  • Back up your data in different locations, both on and offline, to make you less vulnerable to a ransomware attack
  • Ensure the safety of personal information of staff and customers is protected
  • Invest in staff training. Make staff aware of different types of cyber attacks, including phishing, and know the procedure to report a suspected attack
  • Get expert advice. It’s worth outsourcing to experts if you don’t have your own cyber security staff

For more information, the National Cyber Security Centre have put together some resources to help companies protect themselves from cyber-crime. Click here to view.

How can we help?

OneSearch Direct can help prevent identity theft through our Lawyer Checker products. These reports provide peace of mind that you are sending client monies to the intended parties. All searches are conducted in real time and offer an enhancement to your due diligence and cyber risk management.

Lawyer Checker Account Entity Screen

Lawyer Checker is a simple but effective online service that allows you to check the vendor conveyancer that you are sending money to. When account and firm details are submitted, Lawyer Checker will identify if there is a track record of previous use associated with that account. 

Lawyer Checker Consumer Bank Account Checker

When you send or receive client funds, can you be sure you know whose account it is? Whether sending or receiving client monies, Consumer Bank Account Checker validates the source or destination of funds.

It’s almost impossible to assess the damage a cyber attack could do to your firm, so being pro-active is vital.

Is cyber crime getting worse? Read our Industry Interview with Tom Lyes from Lawyer Checker here.

We’re delighted to report that we have reached our highest peak quarter since the abolishment of HIPs in 2010. In September 2020, we processed 93% more regulated local authority searches and an astonishing 127% more drainage & water reports than in September 2019.

Celebrating another milestone, we also recently surpassed 5 million local, drainage & water, and environmental searches.

Following the re-opening of the housing market, transaction volumes have come back at an exponential pace. To absorb this capacity and support organic company growth, we have invested in extra staff and IT infrastructure.

Lidia Quinlan, Head of Sales, OneSearch Direct, comments: 

“Whilst we’re extremely grateful for these high volumes, we’re being pragmatic and don’t anticipate this to be the “new normal”. Presently, many of our clients are overwhelmed with a backlog of casework, compounded with logjams at various stages from lending to completion. It’s a frustrating time for many, not least anxious homebuyers and sellers.

“There’s a real focus in our industry at the moment around obtaining property data at an earlier stage of the property transaction. This is in line with our ethos and we offer two products specifically to support this: OneSearch Express, an insurance policy (with cover of £1m for residential, £2m for commercial) supplemented by a real-time data report containing over 80 data points on a selected property, typically returned in just 2-5 working days. Available in all council areas, Express provides a vital alternative to local searches during these difficult times as it is lender friendly and allows conveyancers to transact quickly.

“We also offer OneSearch Duo: a Regulated Local Authority search which is split into two parts, returning the majority of CON29 enquiries within 24 hours. Our data methodology means conveyancers can investigate potential red flags from the outset, not after an already potentially long wait due to search delays, which can put transactions at further risk of collapse. If you are a time-stretched conveyancer currently drowning in work or suffering from search delays, I strongly recommend Express or Duo. These reports allow you to complete with more confidence, and tie matters up quickly to get on with your next case.”

What is the OneSearch Data Methodology?
OneSearch are able to populate the Express and Duo Part A data reports due to a Triple Quality Checked Data Methodology. An in-house data team captures local enquiries data at every stage, from initial proposals, public consultations, and committee hearings, to advertisement. By the time any action is authorised, OneSearch has a comprehensive backstory in their unrivalled database. And it truly is unrivalled – OneSearch Direct are the only company to hold a national database of most of the available local authority data on every property in England and Wales. No other company has this unique dataset.

Liz Jarvis, Managing Director, OneSearch Direct, comments: 

“The reality is that Covid annihilated the housing market during lockdown. When restrictions finally eased, many sectors within our industry struggled – and they are still struggling – to recover. At OneSearch, we’re fortunate to be in a position to weather this storm, due to the robustbusiness contingency plan we have in place. Not only have all staff remained working from the safety of their homes, they are doing so at full capacity. Productivity is at an all-time high and we’ve even bolstered teams with additional staff to deliver the high standard of service our clients have come to expect. 

“Since joining the Landmark Information Group, we now have access to market intelligence on a much wider context in the property transaction cycle. This has been instrumental in scaling up to meet the capacity we’ve come to experience, and I’m proud to say we’ve absorbed this extra volume due to our highly efficient teams. The leadership within each department has been testament to our success, and our customer satisfaction scores further reflect this.”

Liz Jarvis joins other experts from government and industry on Tuesday 6th October to discuss proposed reforms to the planning system across England. The Planning for the Future virtual event will examine the impact of the proposed changes and discuss potential opportunities and risks to the industry. Click here to register for this free event.

To find out more about OneSearch Express or OneSearch Duo, call our Service Introduction Team on 01782 433 270 or email intro@onesearchdirect.co.uk. You can request sample reports here.