The failure of electronic conveyancing system Veyo has left a vacuum which needs to be filled in 2016
The failure of electronic conveyancing system Veyo has left a vacuum which needs to be filled in 2016, the Conveyancing Association’s chairman Eddie Goldsmith has said.
He said the association will get behind a venture to develop what Veyo should have been – a national conveyancing portal providing transparency to the house transfer process.
At the same time the association set out a number of aims for 2016, including working with lenders to reduce unnecessary enquiries and launching a cyber security and property fraud protocol.
It also warnedconveyancers to brace themselves for a very busy quarter one as buy-to-let landlords and second home purchasers aim to beat the 31 March deadline when the 3% stamp duty surcharge comes into force.
Goldsmith said: “It is a great shame the Veyo did not move from concept to reality and there remains a vacuum that needs to be filled with regard to establishing a national conveyancing portal which provides greater transparency to the house transfer process.
“The association will certainly be supportive of any further moves to develop this.”
He added: “Much of the CA’s work is on streamlining processes and simplifying, where appropriate, the current workings of the conveyancing sector and ensuring greater levels of communication with the variety of stakeholders who feed into it.
“There’s no doubting in our mind that we have the potential to develop a much more user-friendly conveyancing experience for all and we are working in a number of areas to develop this.
“The Prime Minister recently suggested that 2016 would be a ‘game changer’ for the UK and it is our aim at the CA to ensure the same will be said for the conveyancing industry in the months ahead.”
The Conveyancing Association’s full list of aims are as follows:
• The launch of the second edition of its Conveyancing Protocol, which is intended to streamline the conveyancing process.
• New training courses as part of its Conveyancing Academy for conveyancing paralegals, estate agents, non-conveyancers and the conveyancing industry as a whole.
• On ongoing focus on speeding up the Leasehold process and making it fairer.
• Working with the lender community to reduce the number of unnecessary enquiries, create standardisation and reduce delays in the process.
• The launch of a Cyber Security and Property Fraud Protocol – a very important piece of work as cyber fraud continues to represent a growing risk to conveyancers and their clients.
• Membership growth, both conveyancing firms and affiliate members.
• Further expansion of the CA’s charity work through the highly successful, Conveyancing Foundation.
