The latest Today’s Conveyancer Podcast welcomes two of the property industry’s most outspoken voices: Peter Ambrose, Managing Director of The Partnership, and Russell Quirk, co‑founder and director of Proper PR. Both are known for their forthright views and are regular contributors to property discourse. Both have been on the podcast before and arrive ready to dissect the challenges facing home buying and selling in early 2026.
In a lively and combative discussion they trade blows on conveyancing, estate agency, risk, reform and changing client expectations.
Interestingly both conveyancing and estate agency share similar challenges; they both need to retain good staff, with the rise of the consultancy model quietly removing capacity from the system. They both need to deal better with pressure from clients, delays, and rising levels of frustration.
How then to tackle the issue? Typically radical, Quirk suggests a model whereby estate agents take on more of the legal work, like the Florida model where agents handle contracts and insurance replaces much of the legal process. Ambrose pushes back, pointing to the UK’s unique land ownership structure and the central role of mortgage lenders. Insurance, he says, can help, but it cannot replace due diligence.
There is also a widening gap between perception and reality. Social media may be full of doom, he says, but the data shows a functioning market – albeit one split between a sluggish top end and a buoyant sub‑£1.5m segment. His criticism is sharp: too many agents overvalue, under‑deliver, and lack the skills older generations took for granted.
What they do agree on is this: the system is slow, expectations are rising, and change is overdue. But whether that change comes from technology, insurance, regulation or cultural shift remains a live debate.
An entertaining and hugely insightful episode from two of the property sector’s most knowledgeable voices.
The Today’s Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views.
Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software, Moneypenny and Compass.
3 responses
An interesting, if at times frustrating, podcast that raises lots of questions. Set aside 40 minutes and listen in.
• Should we do away with searches and insure, as the participants suggest?
• Do transactions take, on average, 176 days?
• Do we have a capacity problem because conveyancers are leaving in their droves, or is the consultancy model to blame?
• Their used to be better collaboration between agents and conveyancers, why not now?
• Should agents draft contacts?
• Could/should we move towards the American system of Title Insurance?
• Will technology solve almost everything, as is suggested?
• Is our home buying and selling process really the slowest in the world?
• Is information up front and material information going to help?
• Is the Government consultation (we are awaiting the findings) going to achieve anything?
No mention of continued mission creep for conveyancers, or the regulation of estate agents, or instructing conveyancers when a property is first marketed.
• Should we do away with searches and insure, as the participants suggest? A question for the Lenders.
• Do transactions take, on average, 176 days? They seem to take longer nowadays for whatever reason.
• Do we have a capacity problem because conveyancers are leaving in their droves, or is the consultancy model to blame? A bit of both but the consultancy model is definitely the elephant in the room that needs to be approached and discussed.
• Their used to be better collaboration between agents and conveyancers, why not now? Speaking personally I have always seen the sense in collaborating with Agents. It is all down to experience and lack of training these days.
• Should agents draft contacts? Most definitely not.
• Could/should we move towards the American system of Title Insurance? No – a radical suggestion but why not just train conveyancers on the job now to do things properly.
• Will technology solve almost everything, as is suggested? Most definitely not. As Mr Ambrose should be well aware having bells and whistles technology is pointless when the staff using it do not know basic law. Radicial again but train staff doing conveyancing do not try and cut corners it just delays transactions and frustrates conveyancers on the other side.
• Is our home buying and selling process really the slowest in the world? Who knows but it certainly requires an overhaul.
• Is information up front and material information going to help? Unlikely all comes down to the expertise and experience of conveyancers which is sadly lacking these days for all sorts of reasons.
• Is the Government consultation (we are awaiting the findings) going to achieve anything? What, this government?
• Should we do away with searches and insure, as the participants suggest? No way, that would lead to future problems on re-sales where a decent conveyancer would see a problem and require a solution, not a sticking plaster.
• Do transactions take, on average, 176 days? Some do, some don’t, depends on the chain, the titles within, and a lot depends on the attitude of the selling conveyancer when endeavouring to resolve an issue!
• Do we have a capacity problem because conveyancers are leaving in their droves, or is the consultancy model to blame? Yes, there is a capacity problem. Many mature conveyancers have left the profession, totally disillusioned and disheartened. Most firms I know are looking to recruit and having major problems employing good conveyancers. I have heard the phrase “Dutch Auction” in relation to staff recruitment recently.
• Their used to be better collaboration between agents and conveyancers, why not now? There still is but unfortunately there are still agents overstepping their remit, telling our clients we are asking stupid questions (! and they are qualified to know that how?), endeavouring to be “helpful” and provide information direct from seller to buyer – buyer is then astonished when we point out we cannot rely on that and point them to the contract terms advising that only information from the seller’s conveyancer to the buyer’s conveyancer can be relied upon. Too many Agents also chase too hard/too frequently.
• Should agents draft contacts? Only if they are open to being sued for it LOL. In reality, No Way.
• Could/should we move towards the American system of Title Insurance? Why should we? The American system has it’s own issues!
• Will technology solve almost everything, as is suggested? Nope – because no matter what people think, there is nothing better than a mature truly experienced conveyancer.
• Is our home buying and selling process really the slowest in the world? No, idea.
• Is information up front and material information going to help? In some instances, probably, but not every time.
• Is the Government consultation (we are awaiting the findings) going to achieve anything? Ha ha ha – this is a joke question surely? When did any Govt ever bring something useful to the conveyancing table?