By: Tim Champney, Director, Property Risk & GeoData
On the 12th May 2025, the Law Society of England and Wales issued a new Practice Note (PN) on Climate Risk and Property.
The note arrives just over two years since the publication of the Law Society’s initial guidance, The Impact of Climate Change on Solicitors, which was met with requests from the membership for more detailed, sector-specific guidance on how to address climate risks in practice, due to widespread uncertainty. The recent publication of the note is a welcome development, offering support to members and giving some much-needed clarity to the sector.
This customer update is intended as a short summary of the new practice note. It is not intended to replace a thorough review of the note itself, but it is hoped that this gives you a flavour of some of the content and brings out some of the core underlying principles.
In addition, this customer update builds on the note to further explain how you and your firm may wish to consider introducing Climate Risk guidance when dealing with residential property transactions by leveraging the availability of appropriate ‘Climate Risk Searches’, equipping you with sufficient detail to make informed decisions which will empower your practice to stay ahead of this emerging and evolving consideration.
Thank you for reading this customer update – I hope you find it useful. I’d also encourage you to read the practice note itself in full and consider exploring the range of climate-risk and non-climate risk environmental search products offered by Dye & Durham which are available to help you align with the now-clarified best practice guidance, regardless of which path you choose to take in terms of reporting on climate related risk.
About Tim ChampneyTim is a Chartered Environmental professional, an associate member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and a legal technology services expert. His focus is on managing risks and providing solutions for the sale, acquisition, management and development of land and property. Tim’s background is in environmental consultancy with expertise in risk assessments for property transactions and developments. He has worked on projects from small sites to multimillion-pound developments and has regulatory experience as a Local Authority practitioner. He also has a background in environmental insurance as both a broker and underwriter. |
Related Article: Why Climate Risk Matters Now – and What to Do About It
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