tm blog

It is critical that no one works in isolation when pursuing innovation, perhaps no more so than in the property industry. With intertwined people and processes at the heart of every property chain, working together is a daily necessity to progress sales to completion.  

With almost 20 years’ experience in building strong working relationships with conveyancers, data providers and Local Authorities alike, tmgroup is the epitome of what it means to work in the property industry. By sharing our insight and expertise, we’re proud to say our partnerships continue to deliver solutions that make processes across the industry easier and more efficient. 

The launch of mio – a new sales progression and communication tool for Estate Agents – is a great example of this, taking silos of data to create a shared view of the property chain and improving progression for everyone involved. 

Complementing the suite of tmgroup technology, alongside tmconnect and tmconvey, we can join up the dots and make even more time for parties working across the property transaction. 

Lending our support and expertise helps the industry move forward together 

Beyond developing our own time-saving services, such as our integrated SDLT & AP1 submission and New Build Managed Service, tmgroup are proud to lend support to new and evolving industry initiatives. 

Recent examples of this include; being part of the Welsh Government’s workshop group as they develop online submission for Land Transaction Tax (LTT), as well as integrating with HM Land Registry as they launch their new digital register. 

Paul Albone, Chief Operating Officer at tmgroup comments:

“HM Land Registry launched their new digital Local Land Charges Register back in July – with the digitisation of Warwick District Council’s local land charges (LLC) data. This marked an exciting step forward for the property industry and improving turnaround times for searches. We’re pleased to be supporting this new service on tmconvey as it continues to evolve.”

Integrating with CMS providers helps conveyancers save even more time

By broadening our relationships across the industry, we continue to be at the forefront of delivering innovative solutions that enable simplification and automation across the breadth of the property transaction. 

Integrating with Case Management Systems (CMS) is another key example of where we’ve proactively engaged with other businesses to make even more time for our customers. Our integration partnerships combine the time-saving capabilities of tmconvey and Case Management Systems (CMS), whilst also reducing the need to rekey information.

What Case Management System (CMS) are you using? Get in touch to find out how we could save your team even more time. 

The Law Society is making some important new changes with respect to Mining and Natural Ground Perils which will be covered in the soon to be released 25th Edition of its Conveyancing Handbook. 

Mining and ground report specialist, Terrafirma, is launching a three-part coffee-break webinar series to ensure that you have all of the relevant information at your fingertips. 

Starting on Tuesday 11th September and led by Terrafirma CEO, Tom Backhouse, they will be no more than 15 minutes in length and are designed to give you all of the necessary information including what the changes are, how they impact you and what the benefits are to you and your clients.  

Please register your interest and attendance for each webinar via the following links. A download of the webinar will be made available to pre-registered attendees following each event.

Part 1 : Important Changes to The Law Society Conveyancing Law Handbook

Time : 11am (BST) 

Date : Tuesday 11th September 2018

Click here to register

2. Introducing the Ground Report 

Time : 11am (BST)

Date : Thursday 13th September 2018

Click here to register

3. The Ground Report, a Step-by-Step Overview 

Time : 11am BST

Date : Tuesday 18 September 2018

Click here to register

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please note you can also include this webinar attendance in your Annual Compliance Declaration to the SRA.

Reapit, the leading cloud platform for estate agents, has announced a partnership with mio, tmgroup’s new sales progression and communication tool that offers a smarter way to manage the home buying process. The integration of mio into the Reapit RPS cloud platform enables Reapit and mio customers to bring all their data involved in the home selling process into one place, keeping agents and the clients across the chain updated at all times. 

Powered by tmgroup, a PropTech company with almost 20 years’ experience in streamlining the property transaction, the mio tool creates transparency for estate agents and consumers by joining up the dots when building property chains, fulfilling sales progression and sharing information with other agents and clients involved in the chain.  

Developed specifically to address the challenge of high fall-through rates of property transactions across England and Wales, mio brings data from multiple parties together to create a shared view of the property chain and improve the experience for everyone involved. Initially, Reapit’s RPS cloud platform will feed information from property transactions including details of the seller, buyer and solicitors of both parties into mio using an API, saving agents the time and hassle of manually entering them. mio is already proving to be an effective tool for all sizes of agents from small independents up to corporates that are involved in a chain and invested in keeping it together. Greater information sharing reduces the time between sold status and the exchange of contracts and payment, helping lessen the chance of a deal falling through from a break or delay in the chain.  

Joe Pepper, CEO at tmgroup, the PropTech company that has recently launched mio to market, said “The mio product is a hugely exciting development for the industry, and the agents that have been using the platform over the past 12-months have all reported a significantly improved sales progression experience, with fall-through rate averages down by over 30 per cent. By integrating with the Reapit platform we will make it easy for estate agents to start to use and get the benefits of mio seamlessly, and it will help agents level the playing field in the current climate where online agents get paid in advance of selling the property. The combination of Reapit and mio is an ideal proptech solution for estate agents.” 

Jon Horton, Product Director for mio said “Reapit has an enviable reputation in the market for its agency software and services and I’m delighted that we are now working together and helping to improve the home buying and selling process for everyone involved.” Reapit’s RPS platform has a proven track record with estate agents, helping them expand and operate to their full potential. Its customer base includes many leading property brands with 1 in 5 UK property listings managed through the platform.     

Gary Barker, CEO of Reapit, said: “In today’s rapidly progressive property market, it is important that our partners do not feel technologically limited when adapting their business models to suit demand and changing customer expectation. Our platform allows them to explore various models, without having to compromise their existing operations. We are looking forward to working closely with our partners at tmgroup to advance the proptech market and provide continuous innovation to support chains.”     

Reapit’s partner programme not only enables technology companies to integrate into the RPS platform, but also become part of an agent’s workflow from within the platform.

About mio

Powered by tmgroup, mio is a sales progression and communication tool created by property experts for property experts. It speeds transactions forward, reduces fall-through rates, and helps estate agents win more business. 

For more information, visit www.mio.co.uk   

About The Reapit Group  

Founded in 1997, The Reapit Group is a CRM and Client Accounting software provider specialising in the residential real estate sector. Bringing 20 years of innovation to the property market, the award winning RPS cloud platform provides everything estate agents need to run and grow their businesses, from sales to lettings, front office to back office, and everything in between. The driving force behind Reapit’s ethos is a commitment to bring all an agencies data together for a single customer view and its strong service and training model, which has helped to grow leading brands such as Savills, Knight Frank, Romans, Marsh & Parsons, CBRE, Countrywide and Winkworth. The Reapit open platform partner program is at the hub of a proptech ecosystem delivering tested solutions and increasing choice of tools for agents.    Together, the group provides software solutions to over 20,000 users worldwide and employs 150 people across its five offices in the UK and Australia.

For more information, please visit www.reapit.com.

Here are just some of the conversations conveyancers, lenders and other property professionals have been having at our tmpropertyhub events in Liverpool across 2018…

1. “Second-time buyers are the ones really disrupting the housing market”

“I think it’s the people on their second moves that pose the real challenge to the housing market. They want to move up to get into the next location, but the differential cost is sometimes prohibitive. 

Many of them are at a time in life where they’ve got children and high outgoings, which makes it harder to move up the ladder. For the most part they don’t get any assistance – but if they don’t move, the first-time buyers can’t move either.” 

2. “Help to Buy is being used by a lot of wealthy people – not those it was really intended for”

“We’ve had some clients with exceptionally wealthy parents who are still going down the Help to Buy scheme route. I’ve also seen wealthy clients buying up new builds, not because they need to, but because they get to take advantage of Help to Buy, as well as Help to Buy ISAs to a certain extent.

I do find myself thinking that it really wasn’t designed for them – yet they are the ones able to take advantage of it.”

3. “Landlords are selling up due to tax and regulation changes – and adding to the housing supply”

“We’re seeing a lot of landlords selling up due to tax changes and new regulation coming in. It’s not for the amateur anymore. It’s just too expensive, and you can’t cover costs – so they are getting out.  

There are some positives to this. Now’s probably the right time for Landlords to get out, as they’ve made their capital return, so they aren’t losing out. This is also adding to the housing supply and helping the property market.” 

4. “The rise of ‘The bank of mum and dad’ is forcing conveyancers to adapt their process to manage the extra work”

“The bank of mum and dad is not a new phenomenon, but in terms of volumes right now, it’s almost one in two.

We can’t just let the mortgage offer expire because of the extra work either. We just have to adapt our processes and our workforce, so that we can deal with the actual work. 

We don’t charge for it. As far as we’re concerned, you just have to make sure you service the needs of the clients.” 

5. “‘The bank of mum and dad’ is supporting second-time movers too”

“First-time buyers are getting a lot of help right now – from the government with Help to Buy ISAs, as well as their parents with ‘the bank of mum and dad’.

However, we do see second-time buyers also making use of ‘the bank of mum and dad’. Probably not as many, but it does happen. It depends on whether they’ve generated any equity their first house.”

Are you noticing these trends in your local area? 

Want to join the next conversation in Liverpool? Our autumn tmpropertyhub is taking place on 10th October. 

Click here to register and find out more

Not based in Liverpool? Don’t worry! Our tmpropertyhub events are also taking place across a further 10 locations this autumn - from Leeds to Southampton.

Click here to find out if we’re coming to a town or city near you

Source : Liverpool Property Hub : 16th May 2018 : Attended by property professionals – including conveyancers and lenders. 

Here are the latest updated prices for Thames Water Drainage & Water products

From Thursday 2nd August, Future Climate Info’s Essential, Standard and Premium Residential reports, as well as their Standard and Premium Commercial reports will be available to order on tmconvey.

You’ll also be able to order their Flood and Energy reports - for Residential and Commercial. 

You can see a summary of the new product suite, along with sample reports here: 

Flood:

> Flood Residential - less than 25 Ha : Click here to see a sample report

> Flood Commercial less than 25 Ha : Click here to see a sample report

Energy:

> Energy Commercial - less than 30Ha : Click here to see a sample report

> Energy Residential - less than 10Ha : Click here to see a sample report

Residential:

> Essential Residential Report 

Meets the minimum requirements of the Law Society’s guidance on flooding and Contaminated Land.

> Environmental

> Flooding 

> Standard Residential Report 

 Contains all of the information from the Essential report and includes Ground Stability data.

> Environmental

> Flooding

> Ground Stability  

> Premium Residential Report 

You can see a sample report here

Contains all of the information from the Standard report and includes data on Energy & Infrastructure such as wind farms, shale gas exploration, and HS2.

> Environmental

> Flooding

> Ground Stability  

> Energy + Infrastructure

Commercial:

> Standard Commercial Report

Contains information on:

> Environmental

> Ground Stability

> Flooding

> Premium Commercial Report

Click here to see a sample report

Contains all of the information from the Standard report and includes data on Energy & Infrastructure such as wind farms, shale gas exploration, and HS2

> Environmental

> Ground Stability

> Flooding

> Energy + Infrastructure

For more information, please speak to your Account Manager, or get in touch with Helpdesk on 0800 840 5571  or helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

Is Post-Completion work taking up too much of your team’s time? Here Hand Morgan & Owen Solicitors, McDonald’s Restaurants Limited, and Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP share how tmconvey’s integrated SDLT & AP1 submission has made their lives easier…

> “If a colleague is off sick or on holiday, I can continue to progress their SDLT and AP1 submissions”

“We like the tmconvey platform and find it very easy to use. It is colourful and easy to find your way around. I also find it very useful to be able to see everyone’s cases, so if a colleague is off sick or on holiday, I can continue to progress their SDLT and AP1 submissions and meet our tight deadlines. 

Before using tmconvey’s Post-Completion services, we were visiting different websites and logging into HMRC and Land Registry separately. We were also printing off the paper AP1 form, before filling it out, scanning it and uploading it. It was all very time consuming, but now it’s so much easier. 

The support from the tmgroup team is also fantastic and I can’t commend them highly enough. The Helpdesk is great and our Account Manager is superb. Everyone is just so willing to help.”

Comments from : 

Victoria Follows, Partner, Property Department, Hand Morgan & Owen Solicitors

> “Information is pulled through from my case and automatically pre-filled in my SDLT and AP1 forms”

“I’ve been using tmgroup’s new Post-Completion service – with SDLT and AP1 submission – for about a month. It’s really user friendly especially as it has all of the features of existing services, and more. I also find it helpful that information is pulled through from my case and automatically pre-filled in my SDLT and AP1 forms, as this definitely saves time. 

I’ve also been very impressed with how quickly the tm team have acted on any suggestions I’ve made for further enhancing their Post-Completion services – with some being implemented within just a few hours! It’s great to feel I’m being listened to.”

Comments from : 

Samuel Hammond, Paralegal at McDonald's Restaurants Limited

> “I like the layout of the SDLT form, as it is easier for our clients to understand and approve the information” 

“Submitting SDLT forms is much easier on tmconvey, as it pulls through information from the case such as the property address, which is good. I like the layout of the SDLT form too, which makes it easier for our fee earners and our clients to understand, so they can approve the information easily. 

It’s also great that the SDLT form is half the size, which is a bonus when we’re working towards becoming paper light, but still need to print SDLT forms off for our records for the time being. 

It’s also good that by the time you get to the AP1 form, and have already completed your searches and your SDLT, it copies across the agent details, property address, and copies across the SDLT5 too – so you don’t have to scan and save.”

Comments from : 

Anna Connett, Legal Secretary (Residential Conveyancing) at Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP

Post-Completion services AVAILABLE NOW on tmconvey 

Complementing the existing SDLT submission service, our new AP1 submission is now available on tmconvey. 

Visit our dedicated webpage to find out more and see a video demo. 

To be switched on today, speak to your Account Manager, or get in touch!

Property Hub Network events are engaging an increasing number of property professionals across the country – with a combination of NEW and returning locations taking the series up to 11 events this autumn.

Facilitated by tmgroup, Property Hub Network events are bite-sized, 2-hour sessions that bring representatives from all parties involved in the property transaction together for roundtable table discussions about their local property market – without compromising their busy schedule. 

Click here to find out more about our autumn Property Hub Network events

‘The bank of mum and dad’ got Property Hubs off to an engaging start

The series has gone from strength to strength since launching back in May 2018. ‘The bank of mum and dad’ took centre stage, as Property Hub Network events made their debut in Leeds, Liverpool and Nottingham. 

A number of key points were raised, from the choices (and compromises) parents are making to fund their children’s dreams of property ownership, to the wider impact and challenges of shared ownership options. All in all, fuelling the appetite for future debate – and demand for future events. 

Improving the home buying process sparked heated debate in July

The July series swiftly followed with heated discussions around improving the home buying and selling process – and the addition of Cardiff, Northampton, Bristol and Southampton locations. 

Key points included; Delays being caused by lenders who continue to use a mix of paper and electronic processes, technology having the potential to deliver time-saving solutions, but not replacing legal expertise or customer service, and overall highlighting the importance of managing home movers expectations throughout the process.

Autumn series adds another 4 NEW Property Hub Network event locations

Property Hub Network events are quickly building momentum and increasing their reach across the country – with 4 NEW locations being added into the autumn series, taking place across September and October 2018. 

Autumn series : Part One : September

• NEW Solihull : 11th September 

Click here to register

• NEW Harrow (London) : 11th September

Click here to register

• NEW Kingston-upon-Thames (London) : 12th September

Click here to register

• NEW Manchester : 12th September 

Click here to register

• Nottingham : 13th September 

Click here to register

Autumn series : Part Two : October 

• Leeds : 9th October 

Click here to register

• Bristol : 9th October 

Click here to register

• Liverpool : 10th October 

Click here to register

• Southampton : 10th October 

Click here to register

• Northampton : 11th October 

Click here to register

• Cardiff : 11th October 

Click here to register

Can’t see your nearest town or city on the list? 

Let us know and we’ll arrange a Property Hub Network event near you! Simply click here to submit your request. 

At tmgroup, we want you to get the very best from our tmconvey platform. That’s why we have a dedicated Helpdesk and experienced team of Account Managers on hand to support you every step of the way.  

We listen to you and your team to get your firm off to the best possible start 

We don’t make assumptions; we listen. From initial set-up and preferences, to enabling specific mapping options and non-standard products, we work closely with your team to adapt our platform around your firm’s needs. We also share best practice ideas and offer informed, practical suggestions to help you maximise efficiency. It’s how we make time for you. 

We know there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to getting your team up and running, so we also take the time to design a training programme that is right for your firm. From creating tailored training sessions to suit different roles across the business, to accommodating the most convenient times for your team to attend. 

Responding to feedback and evolving our services is part of who we are

From customer satisfaction surveys and feedback forms, to involving customers in pilot programmes as we develop new services, we are committed to creating opportunities for listening to and responding to our customers’ needs. We’re also replacing our 0844 phone number with a free 0800 number very soon to make it even easier for you to share your thoughts. 

We’re also interested in hearing your views on the property market. That’s why we’ve launched our new series of Property Hubs, to bring property experts together to discuss the challenges and opportunities in their local area. Events have already taken place across Leeds, Liverpool, Northampton, Southampton, Nottingham, Cardiff and Bristol, and the series is continuing to build momentum – with new locations Harrow, Kingston upon Thames and Manchester making their debut this September. 

Our friendly Helpdesk team and Account Managers offer ongoing support 

It doesn’t stop there. As you continue on your tm journey, your dedicated Account Manager will be on hand to answer any questions or queries, as well as introduce you to our latest time-saving services as and when they are added to our tmconvey platform. Recent examples include our New Build Managed Service, as well as integrated SDLT & AP1 submission. Our friendly Helpdesk team will also be on hand to assist you, whenever you need them. 

Don’t just take our word for it! Take a look at what some of our customers have been saying about our wonderful team… 

• “The support from the tmgroup team is fantastic and I can’t commend them highly enough. The Helpdesk is great and our Account Manager is superb. Everyone is just so willing to help.”

- Victoria Follows, Partner, Property Department, Hand Morgan & Owen Solicitors

• “We all think that the tmgroup team are very responsive, as there is always someone happy to help, from Helpdesk to our Account Manager.”

- Ruby Jennings, Legal Assistant at Ashtons Legal 

See for yourself how easy it is to get started…

Simply call our Helpdesk on 0800 840 5571 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

tmgroup are proud to announce that they are fully integrated with the new digital Local Land Charges Register, which launched on Wednesday 11th July with the digitisation of Warwick District Council’s Local Land Charges (LLC) data. 

It was a momentous occasion when the first LR Business Gateway order was placed at 9.22am on launch day, and a successful response was sent from HM Land Registry to the customer almost instantly. The tm team were pleased to share this historic moment with Brethertons LLP, who placed the order for their LLC1 that morning.

Tom Ansell, Head of Practice Area – Conveyancing at Brethertons LLP comments:

“Brethertons have worked with tmgroup for some time and were pleased to be part of the consultation group involved in getting this new digital LR LLC1 service ready for release.  

We are thrilled to be the first conveyancing team to use the LR LLC1 service and couldn’t believe how quickly the documents were returned and the quality of the reports therein.  

We can already see how this service will be such a benefit to our customers; speeding up transaction times and furthering their overall positive conveyancing experience.”

Paul Albone, Chief Operating Officer at tmgroup comments:

“This is an exciting step forward for the property industry, and we’re pleased to be supporting this new service on tmconvey. tm has a track record of working closely with HMLR on integrated solutions and this is yet another first for the business.  We look forward to continuing to work together to deliver further improvements in the future which will help to streamline the conveyancing process even more, making time for all those involved in it.”  

tmgroup will continue to support the rollout of the new digital register 

Warwick District Council is one of around 350 Local Authorities who will have their Local Land Charges (LLC) data digitised across 2018 and beyond, and tmgroup will continue working closely with HM Land Registry throughout the rollout of their new digital Local Land Charges Register. 

Click here to find out more about how tmgroup are supporting the new digital Local Land Charges Register – and stay tuned for further updates.