At OneSearch, we believe that exceptional customer service is at the heart of every successful business. As we celebrate National Customer Service Week (NCSW) this week, we are proud to reaffirm our commitment to delivering first-class customer experiences.

Great customer service is more than just a buzzword for us – it’s a core principle that drives everything we do. We are committed to continuously improving our services, processes, and communication to better meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.

As a testament to our dedication to excellence, we are thrilled to share that we are active members of the Institute of Customer Service. This membership reflects our commitment to putting our customers at the centre of our business, as well as staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends, best practices, and customer service innovations. It also connects us with a community of like-minded businesses striving to raise the bar for customer service standards.

Customer Service Manager Carol Dodd said: “National Customer Service Week is a time to celebrate our commitment to excellence; for us, exceptional customer service isn’t limited to one week, it’s a daily commitment. Our team is dedicated to going above and beyond to meet our customers’ needs, and we take immense pride in being members of the Institute of Customer Service.”

As OneSearch celebrate over 30 years in the industry, our company vision remains as resolute as ever: offer reliability, impact, and excellence to our customers and partners within the property industry.

The Q2 2023 edition of Landmark’s Residential Property Trends Report is now live. Within the report, you’ll find the latest insights into the residential property transaction pipeline from listings to SSTC/SSTM, and from searches to completions. 

The report found that whilst supply is relatively strong, demand volumes are struggling to progress through the transactional pipeline.   

Headlines from Q2 include:
•    Supply is up in England and Wales – with listings 12% higher in June ’23 vs June ‘19
•    Completions dropped in England and Wales in Q2 ’23 – 39% lower than Q2 ‘19
•    In Scotland, the picture is marginally better but buyers are similarly constrained  
•    Overall, demand volumes struggle to progress across Great Britain as high interest rates, restricted mortgage availability and squeezed affordability continue to drive an uncertain market.

The latest report from our parent company Landmark’s Market Research analysis focuses on how the residential property sector is embracing automation and deriving benefits from digital transformation. 

It’s clear, being able to surface more insights earlier can speed up transactions and deliver more buyer certainty. Landmark asked over 100 residential conveyancers to share their experiences of going digital and moving to a business model that automates more key systems.

Discover: 

• The percentage of firms committed to automation and increasing their IT budgets
• The biggest challenges to digital transformation – what’s holding business back
• Which aspects of the sales process might benefit most from more automation
• The percentage of businesses that say automation makes them more profitable  

Landmark Information Group collects, manages and delivers data across every part of the property industry’s value chain. The breadth of our work means we can undertake a wide range of surveys just like this one, surfacing key insights on subjects such as automation, Home Movers’ Experiences, and Climate Change.

The guide is available for download now.  

Few people are likely to forget 2022.

It was the year we lost Her Majesty; The Queen and King Charles III took the throne. No 10 had three residents since September, inflation reached its highest level since 1982, and the base interest rate, which sat at under 2% since January 2009, rose to 3.5%. As for residential property prices, house prices fell for the fourth consecutive month in December, the worst run since 2008, according to Nationwide. The lender’s final House Price Index of 2022 showed average prices fell 0.1% on a monthly basis to £262,068.” 

The biggest challenge facing the industry in 2022 was what could be considered the fifth horseman of the apocalypse – uncertainty. Loathed by consumers and businesses alike, uncertainty, especially in the chaotic month of October (remember that career-ending mini-budget) caused Zoopla to report a 40% transaction fall-through rate during the tenth month of the year. 

We sat down with the Managing Director of OneSearch, Elizabeth Jarvis and Robin Wells, the Head of Sales Operations to discuss their thoughts on what lies ahead for the property market in 2023. 

The economic outlook for 2023 – a protracted but shallow recession. 

Although the UK narrowly avoided tipping into a recession in 2022, the latest report by KPMG (Dec 2022) estimates a lengthy downturn throughout 2023, but with the overall drop in economic activity being relatively modest when compared to previous recessions. Unemployment is expected to remain low, and inflation is set to fall to 4% by the end of the year and hit the target of 2% by mid-2024. As for interest rates, the Bank of England’s base rate is predicted to reach 4% by the end of Q1, dropping to 3.25% at the close of 2024.  

What will higher interest rates mean for households? KPMG conclude that although mortgages are the largest component of household debt in the UK, two-thirds of mortgage debts are held by the top half of the wealth distribution, which is also where excess savings accumulated during the pandemic are concentrated: 

“With households paying around £14bn in interest (on mortgages and other debt) every quarter, and the stock of excess savings around £86bn, it would in aggregate be enough to cover a doubling of interest payments over six quarters, effectively getting households through the recession. Unemployment is expected to peak at a relatively lower level during the current recession, meaning more households are likely to retain their main source of income. In addition, households are likely to be less leveraged due to more conservative lending criteria, which saw a fall in the share of high LTV mortgages (at a loan-to-value ratio of 90% and above) to 4.5% by 2022 Q3 compared to a peak of nearly 15% in 2007.” 

Robin Wells added: 

“The energy crisis plays a big part in the decision to move home. For some, it will practically wipe out the prospect of “up-sizing” and with energy bills set to increase again from April the cost of energy is as big a factor as interest rates when it comes to home buying and selling decisions.” 

With the predictions for the overall economy set out above, let us examine what all this means for the property sector and Conveyancers. 

A year of real estate market stability and confidence? – It is looking positive 

The fact that despite 2022 being so traumatic in terms of uncertainty, as evidenced above, house prices still rose by 5.6% on the previous year. This confirms that there remains an appetite to buy and sell property. And according to our Residential Property Trends Report for Q4 2022, the market sat in a holding pattern at the end of last year whilst buyers and sellers waited to see what the New Year would bring in terms of interest rates and new mortgage products. 

With interest rates peaking in the first quarter of 2023 and then stabilising, affordable mortgages will begin to return. In conjunction, house prices should continue to fall levelling up the playing field and bringing confidence to first-time buyers. 

Commenting on how stakeholders in the property sector can successfully navigate the first few months of the year, Elizabeth Jarvis said: 

“The biggest factor stalling the housing market right now is uncertainty.  Interest rates must stabilise, and lenders must be clear about their intentions and lending strategies.  Mortgage products need to be open to a wider range of the market and mortgage rates need to settle. House prices are consistently reducing and with all these factors I have no doubt the housing economy will become reinvigorated as the year progresses.” 

Tips for successfully navigating a complex 2023 property market 

Due to an ageing population and the post-pandemic trend of early retirement, almost every country in the developed world is suffering from severe skill shortages. Combine this with low birth rates and there is no escaping the fact that to compete effectively, law firms, along with many other industries, will need to continue to embrace technology. Research recently conducted and released by OneSearch’s parent company Landmark shows over 65% of senior property solicitors and conveyancers acknowledge task automation has made their business more profitable. 

For Conveyancers and legal professionals, affordable and supported technology provides a path to speeding up the conveyancing process and thereby acquiring market share from competing practices. In addition, technology can mitigate risks associated with particular elements of the conveyancing transaction, for example, creating manual reports on title. In today’s marketplace, where dissatisfied clients are usually more than happy to leave harsh Google/Trustpilot reviews, ensuring your conveyancing department has access to the technology-based solutions it needs to provide swift, accurate, responsive client service must be a priority for all law firm managers in 2023. 

Japanese Knotweed has become something of a legend in UK property; part horticulture, part horror story. Its roots can disrupt paving and outbuildings, but the real power of knotweed is the fear it strikes in buyers, lenders and valuers.

And with recent changes to the TA6 Property Information Form and updated RICS guidance, this is one red flag every property professional needs to understand clearly.
Let’s get you up to speed in five minutes.

Why knotweed still matters

Knotweed spreads quickly through tiny fragments of rhizome – a piece the size of your little fingernail can create a whole new plant. While it rarely damages homes directly, it can affect outbuildings, hard landscaping, retaining walls and drainage.

More importantly: it affects lender confidence.

Most banks don’t want to finance a property where the risk hasn’t been assessed properly or managed professionally.

So yes – it’s a plant. But in conveyancing terms, it behaves more like a compliance issue.

The TA6 Trap (and what’s changed)

For years, sellers avoided giving a straight answer by ticking “Not Known” on the TA6, but that’s now over. The updated TA6 form now expects clearer disclosure around Japanese Knotweed – not speculation, but an honest statement based on what the seller reasonably knows.

Meaning:

• “Not Known” is no longer the easy escape route.
• A false declaration can expose sellers to misrepresentation claims.

If a seller has had knotweed in the past, had treatment, or knows of an infestation nearby, this is the moment it needs declaring.

The 7‑Metre Myth is gone

For years, we all lived by the “7‑metre rule” – if knotweed was within seven metres of a structure, lenders panicked. Then RICS rewrote the guidance. Now valuers are expected to look at:

• The extent and location of the knotweed
• Whether it’s managed or unmanaged
• Whether it presents a material risk to the property
• Whether it affects use, enjoyment or value

In short: the distance matters far less than the context.

Management is the new eradication

A decade ago, everything was about “total eradication.” The industry now recognises that knotweed can be managed effectively through long-term treatment plans. A good management plan usually includes:

• A site survey
• A multi‑year herbicide programme
• A guarantee
• Photographic records
• Insurance backing

Lenders want to see commitment and structure, not wishful thinking.

So, what do buyers actually need to know?

• Knotweed isn’t the catastrophe many tabloids painted it to be – if managed well.
• Professional treatment stabilises value and unlocks lending.
• Buyers shouldn’t panic, but they should insist on paperwork.
• Indemnity insurance can help, but only if the seller hasn’t contacted neighbours or raised awareness prematurely (easy mistake, costly consequence).
• Future liability sits with whoever owns the land now, not who planted it 20 years ago.

Handled early and transparently, knotweed becomes a manageable risk, not a deal‑breaker.

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Japanese Knotweed is only a nightmare when it’s ignored. When it’s managed properly – with a clear plan, good documentation and open communication – most sales can progress smoothly.

Think of it as the conveyancing equivalent of seeing a warning light on a dashboard: Scary at first… but often an easy fix once you know what’s going on under the hood.