Access Legal from Shoosmiths secures Law Society CQS status

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:03:08 GMT

Access Legal from Shoosmiths has secured the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS), making it the largest law firm in England and Wales to do so.

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) requires practices to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-reporting, random audits and annual reviews in order to maintain CQS status. It is open only to members of the Law Society who meet the demanding standards set by the scheme, and has the support of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Building Societies' Association, Legal Ombudsman, and the Association of British Insurers.

Desmond Hudson, Chief Executive at the Law Society said: "Access Legal from Shoosmiths' accreditation illustrates that CQS is an initiative that is suitable for firms of all sizes.

"Firms that have gone through the CQS application and assessment process have gained the quality mark in recognition of the high standards they have met in residential conveyancing. CQS is the benchmark for the conveyancing sector, and Access Legal from Shoosmiths' commitment to securing it is further acknowledgement of the high standards the scheme embodies.”

David Parton, partner at Access Legal from Shoosmiths added: "We're delighted to have secured CQS accreditation, which is recognition that this particular consumer service meets the benchmark for conveyancing set by the Law Society.

"It enables our current and future residential conveyancing clients to identify the excellent service level we provide, at what is often a stressful time for many people.

"Our clients receive a reliable, efficient service, which is at the heart of our ethos and the CQS standard."

Access Legal from Shoosmiths assists clients in preparing to move house and provide legal advice for whatever issues they may encounter. Its solicitors are experts in the conveyancing process and its services are available on a no-move no-fee basis.

About Access Legal from Shoosmiths:
Access Legal from Shoosmiths is the new consumer brand of top 30 national law firm Shoosmiths. From offices in Basingstoke, Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Nottingham, Reading and Southampton, Access Legal from Shoosmiths offers more than 100 legal services to individuals and their families, whether they are buying a house, claiming compensation for an injury or writing a will. Services have been grouped under seven headings: conveyancing; legal disputes; medical negligence; motoring law; personal injury; and wills, family and wealth. Access Legal from Shoosmiths makes it easier for people to get specialist advice from legal professionals. Shoosmiths has more than 150 years’ experience and advises household name corporate clients.

Kirstie and Phil launch House Hunter app

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:17:54 GMT

Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, the TV property gurus, have launched new research revealing UK home hunters overspent their combined budgets by a staggering £3.7 billion last year, despite falling house prices and what should be a buyers’ market.

The survey of 2,000 home buyers, announced to coincide with the launch of the new iPhone app 'Kirstie & Phil's House Hunter', has revealed that almost half (49 per cent) blow their budget on average to the tune of over £10,000.

For one in ten home buyers (10 per cent) the situation is even more extreme, with finances stretched to cover an additional spend of up to £50,000, whilst for a frivolous few (2 per cent) it topped the scales at more than £100,000.

One in five buyers (20 per cent) admit to getting caught up in the excitement of the moment, letting their heart overrule their head, whilst one in ten (10 per cent) don't factor in the cosmetic work required to make their new house a home. A similar number (11 per cent) are caught out by the level of legal and estate agent fees they need to build into their buying budget.

Stamp duty is another major issue, with more than half of house hunters (58 per cent) saying they are clueless as to the level they are required to pay when shopping and budgeting for their new home.

The House Hunter iPhone App is packed with videos and audio tip guides from Kirstie and Phil and contains a definitive guide to finance, mortgages, dealing with agents and legal processes.

Kirstie Allsopp said: "Going over your intended budget isn't always a bad thing if it means getting your dream home for a price you can still afford. However with house prices as low as they are at present it should be a buyers' market, and so it's worrying to hear how many people are spending too much either because they're not striking a deal or because they're not on top of their finances."

Phil Spencer added: "We know from helping hundreds of people through the buying process that the same problems and pitfalls arise time and time again and that's why we've created the app. It's the first to combine an extensive property search function with great tools to help buyers manage their individual search."

Kirstie & Phil's House Hunter app is available from the iTunes store now and integrates the Zoopla search engine to enable users to search for properties anywhere in the UK.

House Hunter is packed with Kirstie and Phil videos as well as house buying tips and guides from Kirstie and Phil providing a comprehensive guide to buying a home.

The app has been jointly developed and produced by The Talent and Brand Ventures team at BBC Worldwide and Raise The Roof Productions.

Further details about the app can also be found on Kirstie and Phil's website, the Kirstie and Phil Facebook and YouTube Channel which features an exclusive introduction to the app from Kirstie and Phil.

Notes to Editors:
The survey of 2,000 UK home buyers was undertaken by One Poll in February 2011.

About BBC Worldwide:
BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to maximise the value of the BBC's assets for the benefit of the licence fee payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has six core businesses: Channels, Content & Production, Sales & Distribution, BBC Magazines, Consumer Products (including DVD publisher 2 entertain) and Brands, Consumers & New Ventures, with digital ventures incorporated into each business area. In 2009/10, BBC Worldwide generated profits of £145 million (operating profit before specific items) on sales of £1074 million (including Group revenue and the Group's share of joint-ventures' revenue).

Lettingweb iPhone app included in world's top 500

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:08:52 GMT

Lettingweb has revealed its iPhone App has been recognised as one of the world's top 500 apps.

The Sunday Times recently published the second part of its definitive App List. The Lettingweb iPhone app was selected as one of the world's best apps, featuring in the top 500.

After a conclusive tour around the world's best apps from Apple to Symbian, Angry Birds to Zagat; The Sunday Times short-listed the best performing apps to produce the world's best 500 apps List.

The App List covers all devices and formats, with 40 different top app categories and expert reviews.

The guide was compiled by experts in the relevant fields and regular Sunday Times app reviewers. Some apps were included for their practicality and usefulness whilst others were selected because they were fun and addictive.

Richard Matthews, marketing manager at Lettingweb said: "As a technology business we are focused on providing the most innovative and practical solutions for our letting agent customers and home hunter users. We are delighted that the Lettingweb iPhone app has been recognised and selected for inclusion on this prestigious list, amongst many other great apps."

Lettingweb was the first UK letting only property website to introduce an iPhone application with a Global Positioning System to identify the user's current location in relation to available properties to rent in that area.

Users of the Lettingweb iPhone app can also view a photo slideshow and the property's particulars on their iPhone, call the agent with an enquiry, forward details to friends or e-mail immediately from their phone so there's nothing for them to remember later. For the letting agent, the chances of receiving an enquiry are greatly improved as it all happens instantly.

- ENDS-

About Lettingweb:
Based in Edinburgh, Lettingweb.com was established in 1999 and is now the largest marketplace for private rented property in Scotland with over 6,000 properties to rent posted live per month through the majority of Scottish Letting agents (circa 400 member firms). Lettingweb has one of the widest selection of flats to rent in Edinburgh, flats to rent in Aberdeen, flats to rent in Glasgow, flats to rent in Dundee and flats to rent in Inverness in Scotland. Lettingweb also represents over 500 agents in the UK as a whole with a great selection of flats to rent in Manchester, flats to rent in Newcastle and flats to rent in Leeds.

The website attracts more than 160,000 visitors per month and growing. To date for 2011, tenant enquiry numbers are up by over 30% against the same time, the previous year.

Lettingwebs primary website www.Lettingweb.com is a letting only property portal which brings together tenants looking for properties and agents renting properties on behalf of landlords.

Letting Web Business Leads the Way with iPad Technology

Thu, 06 May 2010 11:42:49 GMT

Lettingweb.com is the first UK property website to announce the development of an iPad application; to add to its property search offering.

After the success of the iPhone and great buzz surrounding Apple's newest creation - the iPad, Lettingweb has decided to embrace this new technology which is certain to take the UK by storm.

Apple delivered over 500,000 iPads during its first week in the US and has experienced an overwhelming demand for the newest must-have Multi-Touch screen tablet computer.

The Lettingweb iPad App will allow users to search for available UK rental properties in their chosen area with a few quick actions. The unique app will let property seekers to view the property's particulars, Google map location and see an album of photos for the property before deciding to enquire directly with the agent. Users can also forward details to friends or add the property to a shortlist so there's nothing for them to try to remember either. For the agent, the chances of receiving an enquiry are also greatly improved as it all happens instantly.

Lettingweb.com's, Marketing Manager, Mr Richard Matthews, said:

"As a technology business we are focused on providing the most innovative and practical solutions for our letting agent customers. As many home hunters currently use our iPhone App to search for properties to rent we decided to invest in the technology to make searching for a property even easier and faster with the release of the iPad. This should translate to even higher enquiries for our member firms."

"The Lettingweb iPad App is due for release on the App store very soon. So far from our usability testing days we've had excellent feedback from several groups of home hunters who have tested the application. This technology is sure to be the next big thing in the property industry."

Lettingweb's statistics for 2008 and 2009 based on over 7,000 properties every month, show supply of rented accommodation in the first half of both years outstripped demand making it a tenants market. 2010 has seen the reverse happen with demand outstripping supply and as a result rental prices have increased suggesting a landlord market for beginning of the year, which would go against the trend for the past two years.

Mr Matthews added:

"If demand continues to outstrips supply and the market gets competitive for the best properties, home hunters with our iPad and iPhone applications will be able to access details of rented properties on location quicker which gives them an edge over others using more traditional methods."

Mr Trotter, senior property manager at DJ Alexander, said: "Accessing websites and property details via handhelds is the way forward. People expect to see property details in a user friendly format and this is what this application delivers. This technology is not a passing phase and those businesses that embrace it and deliver what customers want will be more competitive in the marketplace."

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About Lettingweb
Based in Edinburgh, Lettingweb.com was established in 1999 and is now the largest marketplace for private rented property in Scotland with circa 6,000 properties to rent posted live per month through the majority of Scottish Letting agents (circa 300 member firms). Lettingweb has one of the widest selection of flats to rent in Edinburgh, flats to rent in Aberdeen, flats to rent in Glasgow, serviced office space alongside nine floors of conventional office space and ground floor meeting rooms.

Andrew Butterworth, Bruntwood’s Sales Director commented; “Demand for our serviced offices has always been strong. Our fully integrated office buildings where our serviced and conventional office customers work side by side have proven very successful, particularly in the current climate. This is because we can offer customers the ability to take short term serviced office space and then move into longer term conventional offices within the same building.”

The new serviced office suites will be available for occupation from May and the suites will be available to view from April.

Bruntwood currently proactively own and manage 90 properties across the cities of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham, which are home to over 1,000 companies.

ENDS

About Bruntwood
Bruntwood is a privately owned commercial property company with over 30 years experience of providing great offices. Bruntwood owns over 90 office buildings in Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham. They provide office space, serviced offices, virtual offices, from one desk for one month, to entire office buildings for 25 years. Bruntwood also offers retail space and meeting rooms to hire within its buildings. The essential elements of the Bruntwood promise are to provide a wide choice of offices, commercial flexibility, world class customer service and long-term value for money.

Each year Bruntwood donates over 10% of its annual profits to arts, civic and charitable causes and takes every opportunity to involve its customers.

Top Articles Tagged with property

Access Legal from Shoosmiths secures Law Society CQS status

Kirstie and Phil launch House Hunter app

Lettingweb iPhone app included in world's top 500

Letting Web Business Leads the Way with iPad Technology