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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 0844 249 9200 or helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

Groundsure are pleased to announce that they have updated their Groundsure Avista report with a new Transportation section – including the proposed Crossrail2 route. 

Groundsure offer the only environmental reports in the searches market to feature this data – and this report will be available to order on tmconvey from Thursday 5th July. 

Highlights of the new Transportation section include:

• HS2 Noise and visual impact*

• Proposed Crossrail2 route, stations/headhouses, worksites, safeguarding areas*

• HS2 safeguarding, rural support and homeowner payment zones*

• Historical railways and tunnels

• London Underground and DLR* (also including Tyne and Wear Metro and Glasgow Subway)

* Groundsure offer the only environmental reports in the searches market to feature this data. Data available for Phase 1 of HS2 only.

Groundsure Avista is a a clear and comprehensive risk report 

This latest addition to Groundsure Avista builds on a number of key features, which launched as part of the clear and concise environmental report back in June 2017:

• Improved accuracy and pass rates: Avista reports are based on Land Registry polygon data as standard for the highest level of accuracy, with 106 million data points being analysed to significantly improve pass rates. 

• Clear and concise recommendations: Clearly signposted data with unambiguous recommendations leaves customers better informed, without being overwhelmed by confusing jargon. 

• The average report is less than 20 pages long: The average Avista report is less than 20 pages long, making it simple for conveyancers to hone in on what’s important. 

• Review next steps with a quick glance: The Avista Action Alert saves transaction time and trouble by providing a simple visual guide to the complexity of the environmental factors associated with a property. 

The new and updated Groundsure Avista report is available to order now on tmconvey. Click here to see a sample report.

As anyone involved in the home buying and selling process knows, a lot can go wrong as the chain progresses towards completion – and the picture only gets worse, the longer the chain gets. 

When some chains inevitably do collapse, visibility and lack of communication are often blamed. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The majority of movers enter the home buying and selling process with high expectations of a quick turnaround – often with the hope of getting into their new home before Christmas, or before the new term starts at school. 

Whatever the reason, there normally is one, and homemovers can quickly get “cold feet” when things don’t look like they are progressing. Or suddenly find out they are part of a chain of eight, instead of a chain of three. Even not hearing from their solicitor or estate agent for several days can be enough to push a homemover “over the edge”. 

As if that wasn’t enough to contend with, most buyers typically register with several agents, so even once a sale is agreed, they are still being enticed by other agents with new listings. The longer the transaction takes, the more risk there is of the buyer finding another “dream home” and jeopardising their original decision.

But what if homemovers could see what was happening across the chain? Knew what was supposed to be happening next? Or could see the latest progress without having to pester their estate agent? What if transactions were completed faster, so there was simply less opportunity for people to change their minds? 

How different could everything be?

By harnessing the power of technology to improve visibility and communication across the length of the property chain, homemovers could be empowered with a better understanding of the process – significantly reducing the risk of them “getting cold feet” and triggering the collapse of the chain. 

Prop tech company tmgroup are already working on making this a reality with mio - a new sales progression and communication tool that helps Estate Agents speed transactions forward, reduce fall-through rates, and help win more business.

Created by property experts for property experts, mio brings convenience to the buying and selling process, including chat messaging and milestone reminders that result in fewer calls for all parties involved – without compromising on information. 

With improved visibility, alongside free educational content about the home buying and selling process, mio can also help to better manage homemovers’ expectations – and reduce confusion and create clarity about roles and responsibilities in completing the transaction.

Jon Horton, Product Director - mio comments:

“Our consumer research reported that 49% of homebuyers would like to receive a daily update on their transaction. Communication and transparency are key, and complaints around this area are the most common type escalated to The Property Ombudsman. 

We recognise that there will always be uncontrollable variables in a property chain, such as a buyer withdrawing from a transaction because their situation changes and they are no longer able to raise the finance. Yet the majority of homemovers connected in the property chain are willing and financially able to move. 

By harnessing the power of PropTech, estate agents and conveyancers can increase visibility across the property chain and proactively manage the more controllable risks associated with the home buying and selling process – and significantly reduce the chance of people pulling out and collapsing the chain.”

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

The first round of Property Hubs took place in Liverpool, Leeds and Nottingham across May 2018, bringing property professionals together to discuss hot topics – including the impact of ‘The Bank of Mum and Dad’.  

Conveyancers are seeing gifted deposits “more often than not” 

Conversations kicked off at 8am sharp, with attendees in all locations jumping straight into heated debates about how ‘The Bank of Mum and Dad’ is skewing the property market in favour of more privileged First-Time Buyers. 

While not a new concept, it has become an increasingly common way for First-Time Buyers to get onto the property ladder, as one conveyancer working in Nottingham claimed: “We see gifted deposits more often than not when managing transactions for First-Time Buyers”. 

From re-mortgaging the family home, to taking a lump sum out of their pension, parents are rising to the challenge of finding funds to support their children onto the property ladder. Even grandparents are getting involved. Property professionals across the country have also noticed financial providers “jumping on the bandwagon”, by developing new products to help make equity release options quick and simple. 

Yet it quickly became apparent that the situation isn’t fool-proof, as attendees swapped cautionary tales about parents gifting deposits to young couples – only to lose their investment a few years down the line if the couple separates. 

Parents are trying to help their children beat the rise in property prices

Yet for many it is worth the risk. Whilst avoiding inheritance tax is certainly a motivation for some parents, the continuing rise in house prices is also prompting many to help their children out sooner rather than later. This is especially true in areas such as Nottingham, where improved transport links are expected to drive house prices up by around 7% per year.

‘Buy to Let’ investors are also compounding the issue, by directly competing with First-Time Buyers for the more affordable flats and 2-bedroom “starter” homes in the area.

This problem isn’t going away any time soon

With property prices in many areas of the country expected to rise over the coming years, along with pressure on the private rental market, it seems unlikely that ‘Buy to Let’ investment opportunities will lose their appeal any time soon. 

Even a sharp increase in affordable New Builds properties is unlikely to alleviate the pressure, as the next generation of First-Time Buyers come of age with ‘The Bank of Mum and Dad’ in tow. 

And what about those without generous, well-off parents? The latest headlines predict it could take them up to 22 years to save enough for a deposit… 

Want to join the conversation? 

Our Property Hubs are returning to Leeds and Liverpool this July. They will also be making their debut in Northampton, Cardiff, Southampton and Bristol. 

• Liverpool – Tuesday 10th July

7:30am until 9:30am @ Radisson Blu Hotel 

Click here for more information

• Cardiff – Tuesday 10th July 

3:00pm until 5:00pm @ Radisson Blu Hotel 

Click here for more information

• Leeds – Wednesday 11th July

 7:30am until 9:30am @ Radisson Blu Hotel

Click here for more information

• Bristol – Wednesday 11th July

3:00pm until 5:00pm @ Radisson Blu Hotel

Click here for more information

• Northampton – Thursday 12th July 

7:30am until 9:30am @ Marriott 

Click here for more information

• Southampton – Thursday 12th July

3:00pm until 5:00pm @ Grand Harbour Hotel

Click here for more information

tmgroup has teamed up with E3 Compliance Training to help make GDPR compliance training more engaging and effective.

GDPR coming into effect on 25th May 2018 forced businesses across the country to rethink their data handling processes – from Marketing and Customer Service, to Human Resources. 

Yet, with fines of up to €20 million at stake for firms failing to comply, it is equally important that all members of staff understand what GDPR is and the changes they may need to apply to their day-to-day work.  

From 25th May onwards, achieving consistent compliance training across the business is probably one of the biggest challenges firms face – and this is where E3 Compliance Training’s app has the potential to make a real difference. 

Taking an innovative approach to compliance training, with methods more commonly found in mobile games, E3 Compliance Training’s techniques include:

• Use of game mechanics to engage players.

• Automated nudges to encourage course completion.

• Advanced analytics to support a firm’s compliance regime.

• The ability to play the courses anywhere, on multiple devices.

Clare Yates, Senior Business Development Manager at tmgroup comments:

“Compliance training is not something people love to do, and can quickly become a tick box exercise – instead of a thorough educational activity. With something as critical as GDPR, there really is no margin for error.

With GDPR now in effect, many firms are beginning to feel the pressure when it comes to getting their teams ‘up to speed’. This is where a training app can make all the difference, helping to engage and thoroughly train your team before the deadline hits.” 

Want to find out how your compliance training could be more fun and effective? Please get in touch.

As part of their annual product review, Argyll have advised us that they will be increasing prices across 6 of their reports on 11th May 2018. 

They will also be retiring their Estate Solutions Brief report. 

These changes will be implemented automatically on the tmconvey platform, and will be reflected in any new orders from 11th May 2018.

Find details below:

Price changes:

Estate Solutions Brief : Retired as of 11th May 2018:

Argyll will also be retiring ‘Estate Solutions Brief’, so we’ve put together some alternative products, also available to order on tmconvey: 

Argyll Site Solutions Residence

This product can be ordered for:

> Residential properties 
> Landed estates (only <10ha as size limit) 

Argyll Estate Solutions Farm

This product can be ordered for:

> Agricultural land/farms
> Any Landed estates

Groundsure Agricultural 

This product can be ordered for:

> Farming sites

If you have any questions, please contact our Helpdesk on 0844 2499200 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

Groundsure have advised us that they will be increasing the price of their Enviro Insight report on 1st May – with price changes across all bandings. 

These changes will be implemented automatically on the tmconvey platform, and will be reflected in any new orders from 1st May 2018. 

The price changes are as follows:

If you have any questions, please contact our Helpdesk on 0844 2499200 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

Conveyancers will soon be able to reduce the number of requisitions their firm receives with the arrival of Post-Completion services on tmconvey - from 30th April 2018.

Designed to diminish the chance of manual error, this newest addition to the tmconvey platform will help conveyancers rise to the increasing pressure from Land Registry and HMRC to submit their SDLT and AP1 forms more efficiently. 

Validation and error checking helps users get it right first time

Easy to navigate, electronic SDLT and AP1 submission forms enable every user to progress quickly by only showing the questions that need to be answered. Whilst the online SDLT calculator makes it easy for even the newest members of a team to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax fees with confidence.

To reduce the chance of mistakes, the SDLT and AP1 submission forms come with built in validation and error checking. Accompanied by clear summary pages, users can also jump to any section that requires their attention.

Prepopulated fields make it quick and easy to submit SDLT and AP1 forms

As tmgroup are an approved software partner of HMRC and Land Registry, the SDLT and AP1 forms are always up to date, and submitted directly to them – without incurring any delays or additional costs.

By being fully integrated with tmconvey, users can process their SDLT and AP1 submissions without wasting timing logging in and out of multiple websites. Users also benefit from shared information and prepopulated fields across their SDLT and AP1 submission forms, as well as their cases – reducing the chore of double entry and saving time.

Automated audit trails provide improved visibility and proof of compliance 

With clear time stamps and status updates within tmconvey, automated audit trails enable Heads of Department to track every SDLT and AP1 submission status across their team – and even multiple offices – for improved visibility and proof of compliance. 

Users can also login and reply to requisitions – without having to check their emails. Whilst ‘impending cancellation date’ reminders prompt to close an unanswered requisition and complete AP1 submissions, so they don’t waste time resubmitting. 

Jane Towner, Customer Experience Director at tmgroup comments: 

“With lenders reviewing AP1 submission times, and the SDLT filing and payment window set to reduce to 14 days later this year, the latest evolution for tmconvey will make it easier for firms to maintain a good reputation in the market. We’re looking forward to launching AP1 submission and offering full post-completion services to our customers.”

Post-Completion services COMING SOON to tmconvey 

Complementing the existing SDLT submission service, new AP1 submission will be available on tmconvey from April 2018.

If you would like to request a demo, please get in touch.

Liverpool, Leeds and Nottingham will be the first cities to host a brand new series of breakfast meetings this May; bringing property professionals together from across the industry to discuss everything from the true impact of the bank of Mum and Dad, to the ongoing challenges posed by increasing house prices. 

Facilitated by tmgroup, these property hub breakfast meetings will each take place from 7.30am to 9.30am; getting the working day off to a fresh and insightful start discussing local challenges from different points of view.

Set to expand across the country in 2018, this new series of property hubs is kicking off with the following dates and locations: 

• 15th May : Liverpool

• 16th May : Leeds

• 17th May : Nottingham

Click here for more information about our property hub breakfast meetings

Adapting to local challenges and opportunities is key to your firm’s success

Why attend a property hub breakfast meeting? Knowing what is happening on your doorstep is key to adapting to the challenges facing the property industry – and making sure your firm not only survives, but thrives.

By bringing local experts together for regular breakfast meetings, property hubs make it easy for you to not only stay up to date, but also grow your network in your local area – so you are first to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. 

Want to join the conversation?

If you would like to get involved in our property hubs and regularly share your voice with your local property community, please get in touch. 

Please note, places are limited and are allocated with care to ensure that every conversation is balanced by representatives from across the industry.

15th May : Liverpool

Find out more about joining the conversation 

16th May : Leeds

Find out more about joining the conversation

17th May : Nottingham

Find out more about joining the conversation

The new and comprehensive residential environmental risk report – Groundsure Homebuyers Plus – is now available to order on tmconvey. 

Homebuyers Plus offers an enhanced version of the existing Homebuyers report and reviews flood, contaminated land and ground stability – alongside screening other environmental risks such as energy, transportation and planning. 

Key features of Homebuyers Plus:

• Each report has fewer pages (up to 70% less) and only includes relevant data, so there are no blank maps or excessive data – and conveyancers benefit from reduced printing and postage costs. 

• Flood risk assessment now includes new JBA 5 metre groundwater data, in addition to all other flooding sources.  

• It uses Land Registry polygons, and so provides a higher level of accuracy. 

Homebuyers Plus also comes with improved layout and design, as well as clearer navigation, to help improve overall workflow. While clear and practical recommendations offer a “jargon free” explanation and make it easier – and up to 10 minutes quicker – for conveyancers to communicate the results of each report to their clients.

The Groundsure Homebuyers Plus report is now available to order on tmconvey. You can view a sample ‘pass’ report here.

About Groundsure

Groundsure is a market leading specialist transforming environmental data into location intelligence for the land and property markets. Utilising the latest digital technologies available to enhance the property buying experience for the end user whilst helping lenders to make informed lending decisions.