The UK’s unsustainable conveyancing system demands coordinated reform

Joe Pepper, UK CEO of conveyancing platform PEXA, explains why the ever-increasing burden on conveyancers is unsustainable without meaningful reform. 

Early projections suggest the UK housing market is poised for a resurgence this year, challenging the prevailing narrative of stagnation. For consumers hoping to enter or progress within the property market, this offers a welcome sense of optimism. A functioning housing market remains fundamental to a healthy economy.

Yet for those tasked with facilitating property transactions, this anticipated uplift also brings a familiar concern. Without meaningful reform, increased activity risks placing further strain on a conveyancing system that is already under significant pressure to the detriment of both conveyancers and consumers.

A system under strain

Despite sustained efforts by conveyancers to improve efficiency, transparency and security, the core conveyancing process in England and Wales remains largely rooted in the twentieth century. Over the past two decades, technology has been introduced to address specific regulatory and compliance requirements, from AML and identity verification to enhanced reporting obligations, but these have largely been layered onto an unchanged underlying process.

The result is an environment where conveyancers are carrying an ever-growing administrative burden, much of it non-specialist work, while still being expected to deliver high levels of accuracy, responsiveness and consumer care. The reality is that the fundamental process cannot be modernised by conveyancers in isolation. Meaningful change requires coordinated, industry-wide reform, supported by government and regulators.

As activity levels rise, the limitations of this approach become increasingly apparent. The reliance on manual interventions, fragmented communications between stakeholders, and outdated practices such as wet signatures continues to create inefficiency and uncertainty at every stage of a transaction.

Conveyancers are voting with their feet

The impact of this antiquated system is no longer theoretical. Many conveyancers are increasingly unwilling to absorb the personal and professional cost of operating within it. The cumulative effect on work-life balance, stress levels and job satisfaction is driving many experienced practitioners to reduce caseloads, leave the sector entirely, or rethink how and whether they continue practising.

This quiet attrition should be a warning signal for the industry. Without change,  we risk losing the expertise the system depends on and indeed creating more delays and bottlenecks just at the point that the government is seeking to encourage more houses to be built and sold.

The consequences are already visible. Research from Santander shows that more than half a million property transactions in England and Wales fall through each year, at a cost of around £950 million to the wider economy. At a time when increased market activity is expected, the current system is simply not designed to handle higher volumes reliably or sustainably.  This impacts on the number of properties marketed as homeowners choose to extend rather than trade up, and older people are discouraged from choosing to downsize.

Security risks in a fragmented process

Alongside inefficiency sits a growing security challenge. Fraud is now one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in the UK, with around 40,000 fraud and cybercrime reports made each month. Property transactions – high-value, time-pressured and involving multiple parties – are particularly exposed.

Data from the National Cyber Security Centre indicates that 65% of UK law firms have experienced a cyber incident, while 30% of homebuyers report being victims of fraud during the purchase process. Even with rigorous checks and professional diligence, a fragmented, manual process increases risk.

Modern digital infrastructure can significantly reduce this exposure by enabling secure movement of funds through verified payment rails, minimising manual handling and ensuring that transactions only proceed once all checks are complete. Technology that links settlement with immediate lodgement of title further reduces the risk of failed registrations and post-completion issues.

Certainty, not just speed

While the average transaction currently takes around 120 days, speed is not the primary source of frustration for most consumers. The real issue is uncertainty. The inability to plan around a reliable completion date creates stress, financial cost and disruption for buyers, sellers and conveyancers alike.

The infrastructure supporting conveyancers today makes certainty difficult to achieve. Disconnected systems, inconsistent data and reliance on outdated practices mean transactions remain unpredictable. This uncertainty discourages movement within the market and constrains housing supply.

International examples demonstrate what is possible when reform is approached holistically. In Australia, where digital adoption has been supported by regulatory change and industry alignment, transactions complete in an average of 40 days. The UK’s legal and regulatory framework differs for good reason, so the lesson is not to replicate but to adapt: make the system fit for modern conveyancers and consumers.

Reform must be collective

Government initiatives to digitalise property data signal an important step forward, but progress must accelerate if the housing market is to support broader economic growth. Investment in the infrastructure that underpins conveyancing is no longer optional.

This is not about replacing conveyancers, a concern still felt across the profession. On the contrary, their expertise has never been more essential. The goal must be to remove unnecessary friction from the process, allowing conveyancers to focus on the complex, judgement-based work that only they can do, while technology handles routine, repeatable tasks.

By committing to coordinated reform, the conveyancing sector can deliver greater security, certainty and transparency and, crucially, a more sustainable working environment for practitioners. Only then can the system support the volume, expectations and resilience required of a modern housing market.

About the author

Joe Pepper is UK CEO of conveyancing platform PEXA. He has over 25 years of business process re-engineering experience across the financial, legal and property sectors – the last 10 years in delivering technology solutions to the UK conveyancing and lending markets. Previously he was chief executive officer of  proptech company TM Group, where he spearheaded the company’s growth. Other key executive roles include managing director of EDM Mortgage Support Services, business development director for RR Donnelley Global Document Solutions, and banking operations and sales executive roles with UBS Investment Bank and ABN Amro.