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The Christmas opening hours for Property Searches Scotland, based in Glasgow, are as follows:

>> Thursday 24th December: 8am - 1pm

>> Friday 25th December: Closed

>> Monday 28th December: Closed

>> Tuesday 29th December: 10am - 4pm

>> Wednesday 30th December: 10am - 4pm

>> Thursday 31st December: 10am - 4pm

>> Friday 1st January: Closed

>> Tuesday 4th January: Closed

>> Wednesday 5th January: 8am - 6pm

Any questions, please get in touch with our Property Searches Scotland team here.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of some of the other benefits provided to customers of Property Searches Scotland.

• No Sale No Fee on manufactured reports to qualifying customers. Manufactured reports include Property Enquiry Certificates, Legal Reports, Charges Searches and Company Searches. This enables these reports to be ordered before missives are concluded at no risk to the conveyancer or your customer, and provides time to deal with any issues highlighted in the search results.

• Multiple free updates on manufactured reports to qualifying customers – this includes multiple Continuation Legal Reports, and also extends to Property Enquiry Certificates that may be required if the transaction has been delayed beyond three months from the date the PEC was published. 

• A unique integration with Coal Authority data providing search alerts to identify if a property may be impacted by coal mining, with completed reports ordered through our online platform typically returned in less than 15 minutes.

We continue to receive positive feedback from users of our online ordering platform who appreciate the functionality and ease of use of this platform. The website enables users to create and manage cases, instruct searches, track the progress of these instructions and access all completed searches. The platform includes an archiving facility that stores all completed reports for up to 12 months.

We believe a number of features of the platform are worth highlighting.

• Each user has their own unique Login credentials to enable them to access their personal cases and associated instructions. The platform also allows users to toggle between their own personal cases and all cases of the firm using the My Cases/All Cases functionality.

• Our platform includes a unique integration with the Coal Authority. When a case is instructed using the postcode look up feature, the system automatically creates a case plan of the property and compares this plan against the Coal Authority’s mapping layer. The platform will provide a search alert if this Coal Authority data identifies that the property is in a historic coal mining area.

• All reports including Continuation Legal Reports may be ordered in advance of their required date using the intuitive calendar function. Customer feedback indicates that this enables settlement workflow to be organised in the most time-efficient manner.

• When instructing searches for a case, the platform includes a Distribution List functionality that enables users to specify that completed searches should be emailed to up to six individuals. This is a helpful feature when multiple staff may be involved in a transaction – including for absence cover.

• The platform allows users to specify if they wish to receive individual search results as they become available, or to receive all results at the same time in a single “bundle” email.

A relatively new function within Property Searches Scotland – some would say one of our best kept secrets – is our Plans department.

Customer feedback provided through recent surveys indicated that an extension to our service to provide assistance to customers when dealing with complex plans matters would be very welcome.

We are nothing if not responsive to customer feedback, and we quickly identified and recruited an experienced Senior Plans Officer from Registers of Scotland with the remit to create a new team to provide customers with this service.

Since joining the business in 2019, our new Plans department led by Gavin Glover have assisted many customers with a variety of complex enquiries relating to interpretation and submission of plans.

A typical case for our Plans department will be a query in respect of a plan to be submitted to the Keeper. Who better to provide advice on the criteria that will be applied than an experienced individual that used to perform that role at Registers of Scotland?

When an instruction is received, it is allocated to a member of the team who will provide a bespoke and personalised service according to your specific requirements. The team will provide advice on the suitability of a plan or description for registration purposes – identifying and resolving any risks or concerns, including any conflicts with the cadastral map.

The team are also skilled in the preparation of Deed Plans and can assist with a variety of general enquiries relating to Plans Reports, Deed Plans, mapping and other registration matters.

This service continues to receive outstanding feedback from customers:

Elaine McKinnon, O'Hares Solicitors:

"I have required to use the Plans Service offered by Property Searches Scotland on numerous occasions and have found Gavin Glover to be nothing short of exceptional in his knowledge, understanding of Registers of Scotland’s requirements and also his attention to detail.  I recently had to use the Plans Service for the sale of a property in a rural location which was still recorded on the Sasine Register.  The actual property formed part of a larger estate title and there had been numerous parts sold off over the years and Gavin helped me piece together a plan like a jigsaw, ultimately ending up with a plan that accurately reflected the occupied extent, including common areas, garden ground, driveway and a random drying green situated nowhere near the actual property, with necessary servitude rights of access shown on the plan.  The end result was that the buyers obtained good title to a property with a deed plan that was spot on (the other only registered title on the land has a plan that does not even closely resemble the layout).  Great job done and happy clients!"

Gary Somers, MacPhee & Partners:

"I really appreciate the service provided by Gavin Glover of Property Searches Scotland.  His knowledge and experience of Land Registration and how the Land Register itself operates has been absolutely crucial in assisting me recently with a case involving relatively complex titles.  Gavin is very personable and has provided a high quality of service to my Firm, coming back to us on complex points quickly and with very detailed responses.  I would have absolutely no hesitation to recommend Gavin to any of my colleagues if they were dealing with similar issues."

Tracy Milligan, McCusker Cochrane & Gunn Solicitors: 

"I used Gavin Glover at Property Searches Scotland when, what I thought was going to be a standard Plans Enquiry, turned out to be problematic. The plans to the sasine deeds were of such poor quality that it was doubtful a clear plans report could be obtained. Gavin identified the problem before the request was submitted and provided a number of suggestions on how to solve matters and get the sale over the line. He was very helpful and obliging and, very importantly, pro-active in meeting the needs of the case. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him or his department."

A key element of our award-winning service is a willingness on the part of all members of the Property Searches Scotland team to do whatever it takes to ensure that customer requirements are fully satisfied.

As everyone operating in the Scottish property market will recognise, the second half of 2020 has been an incredibly busy period. The residential market has been particularly buoyant, with the latest data from Registers of Scotland indicating an increase of 17.8% in residential registrations in October 2020 against the previous year.

As you will all recognise, a significant number of consumers have a strong preference to move home at the end of a month – once monthly salaries have been received. In addition, October month end is a key date for these transactions to complete and householders to settle into their new home in time for the Christmas holidays – whether these are traditional, limited or even “digital” celebrations. 

We thought it would be interesting to share some statistics around activity levels at this time, together with the steps taken by our Titles team to ensure reports were returned promptly to enable transactions to complete as smoothly as possible.

• In the final week of October, week ending 30/10/2020, our Titles team published 50.1% more Continuation Legal Reports than in the corresponding week in 2019.

• On the final Thursday of October, i.e. 29/10/2020, our team published 62.7% more Continuation Legal Reports than on the corresponding day in 2019. This figure included circa. 50 urgent reports that were ordered on a same day basis.

• To support these exceptional order volumes, our entire Titles team had commenced working by 6am. All reports had been returned to customers by 1pm or within 30 minutes of our instruction for same day reports.

• On Friday 30/10/2020, when all Continuation Legal Reports are urgent and there really is no wriggle room, due to same day settlement, our Titles team published an incredible 93.8% more Continuation Legal Reports than on the corresponding day in 2019. Again, around 50 urgent reports were ordered.

• The entire Titles team had once again started working by 6am, and all reports had been published by 11am or within 30 minutes of our instruction for same day reports.

We could not be prouder of our entire team and the steps they are prepared to take to ensure our customers receive an unrivalled service. 

Here, Michael Tolland, Commercial Director- Scotland, reflects on the highs and lows of 2020 and what’s on the horizon for 2021: 

With 2020 drawing to a close and thoughts turning towards a very well-deserved festive break for all involved in the Scottish property market, the team at Property Searches Scotland thought it might be worth reflecting on this most challenging of years.

2020 started with a relative bang, with UK House Price Index Scotland data suggesting that the residential property market increased by 5.2% in January/February 2020 compared with the previous year.

And then along came Covid…

The entire country entered lockdown on 23rd March, with the residential property market effectively mothballed for a period of three months due to restrictions on completing transactions unless deemed ‘reasonably necessary’.

Turning again to UK House Price Index Scotland data for residential properties, this indicates that completions in 2020 as a proportion of the figures for 2019 were March – 74.9%; April – 34.2%; May 34.4% and June 42.9%.

Of course, another feature of the spring lockdown was the requirement for all businesses to migrate to home working. This was not without its challenges, however it is our assessment that most firms transitioned through this stage relatively successfully with home working, at least on a part-time basis. Although, for those staff that would prefer it, it’s likely to be a feature of working practices in the future. 

The hope is that this development will be positive for work life balance and the environment, although what it will mean in the longer run for town and city centres, particularly the hospitality and commercial property sectors, has yet to be realised.

And then the summer months and the second half of the year…

The residential property market effectively reopened on 29th June – who knew this was also the first day of the Scottish autumn, as the unseasonably warm and dry weather enjoyed during much of lockdown came to a rather abrupt end!

Estate agents and surveyors immediately reported a substantial increase in demand in early July and, from our perspective as a leading search company with a residential market share upwards of 30%, this translated to a steep and sustained increase in new multisearch instructions from week 28 commencing 6th July 2020, right through to the current time. 

This unprecedently busy period, particularly following the depressed market during Q2 2020 with many employed in the sector having been furloughed, has placed huge demand on the entire sector. 

Our understanding, and this is informed by conversations with our customers, is that firms are generally coping well with these fresh challenges. Transactions are largely completing on schedule and, again from our perspective, the proportion of cases that result in a request for a second or further Continuation Legal Report or a ‘No Sale No Fee’ credit has reduced significantly compared to earlier in the year.

And so to 2021…

Given everything we have faced during 2020, it is impossible not to look forward to 2021 with a significant degree of optimism.

Recent vaccine news has been very positive, and at the time of writing a vaccination programme has commenced with our most vulnerable fellow citizens starting to be vaccinated.

New working practices have been established, with the daily commute likely to be a thing of the past and work life balance hopefully being enhanced as a result.

Firms generally have embraced technology – willingly or otherwise as a result of the transition to remote working – and will be starting to reap the benefit of this investment through enhanced operating efficiencies and improved sharing of data. This is certainly a theme that Property Searches Scotland will be looking to develop during 2021 through additional case management systems integrations and further enhancements to our online ordering platform.

To close, on behalf of everyone at Property Searches Scotland I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy, safe and healthy new year. Due to continuing travel restrictions we are unfortunately not going to be able to visit customers with our customary Christmas cheer this year, however we have made a generous contribution to the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice on behalf of all staff and customers of the business.

Property Searches Scotland have launched their innovative search ordering platform to save even more time for conveyancers as they continue to strengthen their position in the Scottish property market.  

The new platform has been developed to coincide with Property Searches Scotland’s 5 year anniversary. It draws on a huge amount of experience to deliver practical and efficient solutions to conveyancers. Supported by a simple design, the new platform makes it even easier for customers to order and manage the search products they need to progress their property transactions.

New time-saving features make it even easier to progress property transactions 

Designed by conveyancers for conveyancers, the new search ordering platform offers a range of new time-saving features, including:

• Print a professional summary at any stage of an order 

The improved look and feel of printed forms support conveyancers in printing off professional summaries and adding them to clients’ files at any stage of their order.

• Choose how reports are returned

Everyone has a personal preference for how they like to work. Choose whether reports are returned one-by-one as they are completed, or delivered in one email once they are all ready, with new ‘Search Return Distribution’. Additionally, multiple email addresses can be specified to ensure search results are distributed according to the specific requirements of the case.

• Draft each order with time to make changes

The new draft feature gives conveyancers the time they need to draft each order, print and save a copy of details, and talk with the other party, before making amendments and sending the order.

Brand refresh celebrates success and looks towards an exciting future

The launch of the new search ordering platform is supported by a brand refresh and a new company slogan “we make time for you”, which celebrates Property Searches Scotland’s success of delivering fast, accurate and cost effective search reports with first-class customer service.

It also supports the company’s commitment to innovation and finding even more ways to make time for conveyancers.

Mohammed Desai, Property Clerk at Scullion Law trialled the new platform ahead of the official launch. He comments:

“We find the new PSS convey platform extremely easy to use. The screens are clear and simple to navigate and in only a few clicks we can order our searches.”

Michael Tolland, Commercial Director at Property Searches Scotland comments:

“Our simple but powerful promise is to provide a flexible approach to delivering fast, reliable property information supported by our friendly and approachable customer service.”

“The launch of our search ordering platform marks an exciting new chapter for Property Searches Scotland’s time-saving innovation and we look forward to sharing it with our customers.”

About Property Searches Scotland

Property Searches Scotland are part of the tmgroup family and offer a full range of property searches for residential, commercial and remortgage conveyancing across all of Scotland's 32 council areas. 

Visit their brand new website to find out more:

www.propertysearchesscotland.co.uk

Property Searches Scotland (PSS) have continued to grow their market share and have established new records for activity levels and customers numbers throughout the summer.

The company’s reputation for providing exceptional customer service has been at the heart of this impressive growth

The company has developed an enviable reputation for exceptional customer service, and this is fundamental to its ability to attract and retain new customers. In addition, the company provides a package of unique, innovative solutions including a “No Sale No Fee” commitment, multiple free updates on core products, competitive pricing and attractive loyalty bonus schemes.

As part of the tmgroup family, Property Searches Scotland can also call upon their parent company’s significant technological capabilities to maintain the best search turnaround times in the Scottish market. Coal mining reports are typically returned within one hour of being ordered, while more than 95% of orders for other products are returned within 24 hours of the order being placed.

New developments promise even stronger results in the near future

This announcement follows a series of exciting developments in 2016.

Earlier this year, Property Searches Scotland (PSS) announced that they had achieved 20% market share of the Scottish residential conveyancing search market within just 4 years of being established.

They also achieved a ‘world-class’ Net Promoter Score of 79; making them comparable with just a few elite companies across the globe.

There are no signs of the company slowing down either, with exciting plans in the pipeline to launch a new website and ordering platform in 2017.

Commercial Director, Michael Tolland said of the news:

“I’m delighted that the business has continued to progress at such a rapid pace, and that we have been able to continue to welcome new customers to our core of highly-valued, established customers. 2016 has been an exceptional year for the business with a YOY increase in order volumes approaching 50% alongside a massive increase in regular customer numbers. We look forward to introducing further innovation as the year progresses and to continuing to grow the business. None of this would have been possible without the support of customers old and new, and the hard work, dedication and professionalism of all members of the PSS team, and I would like to thank them all for their part in securing this success.”

About Property Searches Scotland (PSS)

Property Searches Scotland (PSS) provide a full suite of property searches required by conveyancing professionals in Scotland, England & Wales, PSS also offer a range of anti-money laundering products.

For more information about Property Searches Scotland (PSS), visit http://www.propertysearchesscotland.co.uk/

Property Searches Scotland (PSS) has announced that it has achieved 20% market share of the Scottish residential conveyancing search market within just 4 years of being established.

Part of the tmgroup family, Property Searches Scotland was launched in 2012 after commercial director Michael Tolland (pictured right) identified the burgeoning opportunity to provide fast, accurate and cost-effective property searches to the Scottish conveyancing market.

The company is now the fastest growing search company in Scotland with more than a fifth of residential conveyancers ordering searches from them and more than 25% using their services for remortgage work.

Providing the full suite of property searches required by conveyancing professionals in Scotland, England & Wales, PSS also offer a range of anti-money laundering products.

As part of tmgroup, PSS can call upon their parent company’s significant technological capabilities to maintain the best search turnaround times in the Scottish market. Not only that but PSS recently achieved a ‘world-class’ Net Promoter Score of 79, making it comparable with just a few elite companies across the globe.

Net Promoter Score is a universal customer satisfaction metric which measures how likely it is that a customer would recommend a company to a friend or colleague on a scale from -100 to +100. Surveymonkey’s NPS benchmark (an average of 76,147 organisations across 2015 and 2016) was 33, meaning that Property Searches Scotland sits among the top 25% of companies in the world for customer service.

Michael Tolland said of the news:
“I’m really pleased that we have reached this milestone but certainly even happier for the team that their hard work is being rewarded with excellent customer feedback. Everything we do is with our customer firmly in mind and we look forward to introducing even more useful and innovative services soon.”

To learn more about how you can save time and money on your property searches, visit our website or get in touch:
Michael Tolland, Commercial Director | Michael.tolland@propertysearchesscotland.co.uk | 07415 613964
Debi Haren, Business Development Manager | debi.haren@propertysearchesscotland.co.uk | 07943 066314
Alastair Graham, Business Development Manager | alastair.graham@propertysearchesscotland.co.uk | 07943 066315
Mark Welsh, Business Development Manager | mark.welsh@propertysearchesscotland.co.uk | 07484 008686