London Cyber Attack Threatens to Hold Up Thousands of Home Sales

A “sophisticated, criminal cyber attack” is threatening to hold up thousands of home sales in two of London’s richest boroughs.

Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have been unable to process local authority searches since November when a cyberattack disrupted their services and forced them to activate emergency plans. Local authority searches — which provide information about a property and its surrounding area including flood risk and new development — are an essential part of the homebuying process, and neither council has so far provided a time frame for resolution.

“If you’re buying with a ...