Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6th September 2005
e-conveyancing now a reality as Easy Convey
client files first online
Real-time
validation of all data will signal the end of long delays, extra costs, fines and
confusion for solicitors and their clients
Easy Convey Ltd
(www.easyconvey.com), a leading developer of electronic conveyancing
products and services, has today announced that one of its clients, solicitors Layard Horsfall, has filed the
As part of the Government's move
towards e-conveyancing, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
is now allowing Land Transaction Returns to be submitted via the Internet for
the first time. Easy Convey is one of only two external companies that have
been recognised by HMRC to provide conveyancers with
a secure method of sending Land Transaction Returns online.
HMRC has come under fire recently
for replacing what used to be a one-page form for dealing with stamp duty, with
a six page form for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). The SDLT form requires
far more information than the old stamping form, and because of this,
detractors claim that the new form has resulted in increased costs.
"Historically,
a lot of solicitors have absorbed the extra costs caused by the complex nature
of HMRC's paper-based system of Land Transaction
Returns, but that simply cannot go on,"
says Dominic Cullis, Managing Director, Easy Convey Ltd. "The Law Society has hundreds of
examples of printed forms that have been rejected – even though they have been
filled in correctly – because they have been misread by the Revenue’s scanner
system. Everyone in the industry was
demanding a better solution, and so we decided to integrate the Inland
Revenue’s e-Submission into CASA."
With Easy Convey’s
Conveyancing
Administration Software Application (CASA), a Stamp Duty Land Tax return is extremely simple to
process. Not only does CASA allow for
online completion of forms SDLT1, 2, 3 & 4, but it also has the ability to
save partially completed returns. To save even more time, forms are even
pre-populated, where possible, with all of the relevant information required
(using data previously gathered as part of the conveyancing
process), saving the user from having to enter the same data over and over
again.
CASA has been specifically
designed to be both intuitive and 'user friendly', so that users are only
required to complete the minimum amount of information for an online tax
return. CASA will
even automatically calculate the tax liability due on the freehold purchase.
“I am
delighted to be involved with this landmark in e-conveyancing," said David Horsfall, Director at Layard Horsfall solicitors. "The system was easy to use and saved
so much time and effort, with the vast majority of information automatically
inserted by CASA. I recommend this
service to all in the profession.”
In order to make sure that CASA
would present all of the electronic information required by HMRC in exactly the
right format, software developers from Easy Convey received comprehensive
training from HMRC's Software Development Support
Team. As such, Land Transaction Returns
submitted electronically by CASA fully comply with all HMRC standards and
specifications, and Easy Convey has received recognition from HMRC to that
effect.
Real-time validation of all data
will also make sure that any errors are caught immediately. Traditionally, a large number of paper-based
forms have been returned due to basic mistakes, even where all necessary information
has been supplied, leading to delays, extra costs, fines and confusion for
solicitors and their clients.
However, when filing online, the
practice can send a copy of the return to their clients for approval without an
effective date, leaving the practice free to insert the effective date on
submission. Alternatively the client can instruct the practice to act as their
agent. All returns are given a Unique Transaction Reference Number (UTRN),
along with a digital receipt for each return successfully filed. Also, since it is an online transaction,
agents will receive instant notification that the return has been
received. SDLT payments are taken out by
direct debit based on the e-submission.
<<ends>>
About Easy Convey Ltd
EasyConvey was established in April 2000 to
market a range of electronic conveyancing products
and services, all of which were developed in-house. By using this technology, conveyance lawyers
can enjoy 50 percent more completions, without increasing staff levels.
EasyConvey's unique Conveyancing
Administration Software Application (CASA) is at the heart of the
easyconvey.com electronic conveyancing software, and
can significantly reduce conveyancing time for
experts working within the property market.
For more
information please visit www.easyconvey.com
About Layard Horsfall
Layard Horsfall is a small firm of business lawyers based in
For more information, please visit
www.layard.com
Press Contact: Company
Contact (Easy Convey Ltd):
Andrew Ball / Chaz Brooks Dominic
Cullis
Tel: 01483 537 890 Tel:
01483 419 025
email: andrewb@chazb.com email: dominic@easyconvey.com
Company Contact (Layard Horsfall):
David Horsfall
Tel: 01483 416134
email: David@layard.com