A precedent Reservation Agreement has been added to the sale and purchase of land guides. The agreement is designed to bind the parties to an agreed pre-exchange time frame in which the seller will not deal with third parties, and the buyer will either exchange the offered contract or withdraw on discovery of serious adverse affectations through the usual investigations, searches and enquiries. By this means the parties are able, immediately following agreement and issue of the contract, to be confident that the transaction will proceed in the absence of unforeseen and unexpected circumstances.

The commentary on the completion of the declaration of trust panel in transfers has been expanded to assist practitioners to correctly complete the panel. Read more...

Following review, a number of precedents were improved to ensure a better user experience. These include: Initial call record, Police station attendance record, Attendance notes and Letters to the client after attending at the police station.

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) almost one quarter of firms do not adequately explain leasehold tenure and the associated issues. Accordingly, By Lawyers have reviewed the precedent Report on title – Leasehold in an effort to provide clients with a much clearer understanding of the implications of purchasing a leasehold estate. Plain language communications, particularly with clients, is a primary focus for By Lawyers.

The Land Registry hopes to release its digital mortgage service in public beta this year. In a recent news update, the Registry’s digital services manager Eddie Davies said that ‘the department is continuing to work with Coventry and Enact on the next phases of the service as well as also working with lenders to get their mortgage deeds approved and templates created. So far, the Registry has approved several deeds from lenders in the remortgage market including Nationwide, HSBC, RBS, NatWest and Santander. ‘Since opening the service to more lenders and conveyancers we have seen an increase in the number of digital mortgages registered showing an appetite in the market to use new technology. Some lenders have started offering online mortgage applications and our service helps to bring the industry one step closer to an end-to-end digital process.’

Interim guidance has been issued to enable an extension of the statutory 26-week deadline in guardianship proceedings. The guidance has been issued by the Family Justice Council and approved by the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane. Read more...

By Lawyers has published a new publication: Trusts. With a comprehensive commentary and precedents, the Trusts publication deals with establishing a new trust, amending an existing trust, and bringing a trust to an end through vesting or termination. Read more...

The library of precedents within the financial settlements publication in family law has been increased in order to assist solicitors when preparing documents for financial settlement proceedings. Read more...

The Family Procedure Rules have been updated to allow all family courts to issue transparency orders.

The By Lawyers Criminal Offences App has been updated to include new sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council for strangulation and suffocation offences. Read more...

The Individual Insolvency guide is now live. The guide provides commentary to take a practitioner through the practical steps involved in advising on individual debt alternatives, including debt respite schemes, individual voluntary arrangements and bankruptcy. Read more...

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at will trusts. Read more...

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at the criteria for eligibility for the Cladding Safety Scheme. Read more...

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at the legal requirements for signing a Lasting Power of Attorney. Read more...

Following user requests, we have published two new precedents: a simple and straightforward Construction Agreement, suitable for use by homeowners and contractors, and a Deed of Release and Grant, which releases existing property easements and grants new ones. Read more...