Update for solicitors on conveyancing changes
Law Society Professional Training is hosting a webinar next week to outline major changes being introduced for solicitors and legal executives involved in conveyancing practice.
The live Zoom event will take practitioners through the new Combined Building Agreement and Contract for Sale document.
The Law Society says that its building agreement with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) was last updated in 2001, since when there have been many significant developments in the law.
Anomalies
The current recommended Law Society practice for the sale of a new dwelling house or apartment in a development is that both the standard Law Society Contract for Sale 2023 (Revised) edition and the 2001 building agreement be used.
The Law Society adds, however, that this practice threw up “certain inconsistencies and anomalies” that the new document aims to address.
Among the notable changes are definitions of terms such as ‘force majeure’, ‘insolvent’, and ‘utility delay’.
A change in the section on the ‘date of practical completion’ reflects changes brought about by the Building Control Regulations, which prohibit the opening, use, or occupation of a dwelling until the Certificate of Compliance on Completion has been validated and uploaded onto the Building Control Management System.
There are also changes to several conditions in the agreement.
Speakers
The Zoom webinar to take practitioners through the agreement will take place on Tuesday 30 September (1pm to 3pm) and attendees will receive two general CPD hours by e-learning.
Majella Egan (McCann FitzGerald LLP) will chair next week’s webinar.
The speakers are:
- Joe Thomas (principal, O Reilly Thomas Solicitors),
- Michael Walsh (chair, Byrne Wallace Shields LLP), and
- Paddy Sweetman (solicitor).