Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – Before telling the chain I’m holding it up, please undertake to learn the process
Enquiries are the thing that really irritate me – despite courses and articles on which enquiries should not be asked, we continue to get questions about plans and identity. And one thing that infuriates me is the number of times I ask for the buyers’ full names for the contract in my initial letter, and […]
Conveyancing paralegal banned from legal work, fee earner supervisor cleared
A conveyancing paralegal has been barred from working in legal practice, with her “deliberate dishonesty” cited as the aggravating feature, whilst her fee earner line manager has been cleared of any wrongdoing. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard that solicitor Joanne Elizabeth Tappin and paralegal Ria Lakhani, then at Mackrell Solicitors, were alleged to have made […]
Profile: Peter Ambrose, managing director of The Partnership
Peter Ambrose is the managing director of The Partnership, a company modernising the conveyancing process. With a legal background and strong technology expertise, he founded the firm to transform traditional residential transactions. Over the past decade, he has built the company into a respected brand with offices in London and Guildford, a team of over […]
Only one use of QES for HMLR in three months
HM Land Registry (HMLR) has recorded the use of only one e-signature in the three months since it launched the technology for conveyancers, according to a report from Novus Strategy. The home buying and selling consultancy discovered the take-up rate following a freedom of information requestion to HMLR, which invited conveyancers to start using Qualified […]
January conveyancing registrations up 74% since last year
Data from the home moving comparison website reallymoving reveals a 74% increase in conveyancing registrations for the first two weeks in January compared to the same period last year. Combined registrations for conveyancing, survey and removals quotes between 1-15 January increased by 58% between 1-15 January, the company added, indicating that home moving activity is […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – When a dream home comes with a £10,000 reservation fee
There was quite a lot I wanted to write about today – the world of conveyancing is forever changing and no two days are the same. But then something came across my desk late on Friday afternoon which I believe deserves a mention. A lovely young couple are clients of mine who have agreed to […]
Houzecheck survey volumes up 75% in 12 months
Houzecheck, the property technology platform that uses cloud, digital and AI technologies to provide RICS Level 2 Homebuyer Surveys, RICS Level 3 Building Surveys, and property valuations through a network of accredited RICS-registered surveyors, says its surveying volumes have grown by 75% over the course of 2025. The company attributes the increase to the investment […]
Profile: John Coulter, consultant solicitor and founder, ClearPath Consultants
With over 20 years of experience in residential conveyancing, consultant solicitor John Coulter has worked across high-volume firms, boutique practices, and leadership roles. Alongside his legal practice, he advises law firms on operational efficiency, capacity management and sustainable growth, with a particular focus on improving workflow design, client communication and team wellbeing – without increasing […]
CLC seeks views on market confidence in first tracker survey of 2026
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has launched its first Quarterly Confidence Tracker for 2026 and is seeking views from the sector. The regulator is running the survey to gauge the current state of the market for home buyers and sellers and establish how it’s changing over time. The CLC is particularly keen to hear view […]
Compliance doesn’t end with onboarding
The entire client relationship is a minefield of potential risk, so diligent conveyancers need to keep an eye out for red flags throughout the entire transaction. That’s why ongoing monitoring is so important. It’s also an obligation: to meet FCA standards, conveyancers must continually check clients against PEPs, sanctions, mortality, and adverse media lists. Checkboard […]
Conveyancing sector responds to home buying reforms
With the government’s consultations on home buying reform and material information coming to an end, organisations within the conveyancing sector have shared their responses. The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) backs plans to regulate estate agents, and says failure to do so risks undermining the reforms. All key players within the conveyancing process must “have […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – Taking away client account interest could freeze us out of the high street
This week, I was going to write about moving house and the weather. As I always say to my clients, the only thing completely out of my control on the day of completion (and the control of everyone else involved in the move) is the weather. Other things that can happen on completion days tend […]
Lessons from the market: How home buying really works
With a career spanning 25 years in various roles in the property sector, most recently as commercial director at Conveyancer Insights and Property Search Direct, Mike Stainsby shares the lessons he’s learned about home buying during the last seven years in a business on the frontline of the home buying process. The home buying […]
Conveyancing Association ‘has made clear its support’ for home buying reform – with key safeguards
The Conveyancing Association (CA) says it has “made clear its support” for home buying and selling reform in its responses to the government’s consultations, but warns key safeguards are essential to protect consumers and ensure conveyancing firms can operate sustainably. Safeguards include the need for clearer and earlier provision of property information, but with firm […]
Conveyancer calls for caution around AI usage
A Cheshire-based residential conveyancing specialist is calling for caution as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly prominent in property law. Chris Illingworth, partner and head of the conveyancing department at Watsons Solicitors in Warrington (pictured), admits the technology can produce instant results and support efficiency, but says its accuracy is questionable and should not replace professional […]
Fraud risk remains a constant in the property process
Beth Rudolf, director of delivery at The Conveyancing Association, examines the constant risks of fraud faced by conveyancers during the transaction process. I was shocked to hear on Radio 4 the other day that a US administration official reportedly said about 50% of North Korea’s foreign-currency income comes from cyber-attacks (especially crypto heists and […]
Estate agents must be held to same high standards as conveyancers or reforms will fail, warns CLC
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has backed plans to regulate estate agents as part of major reforms to the home buying and selling process. The specialist regulator said failure to do so risks undermining the reforms, which the government has proposed in a bid to improve the current system where £400 million per year […]
CILEX calls for stronger regulation of high-volume conveyancing sector to support homebuying reforms
Stronger regulation of the high-volume, low-value conveyancing sector will be required to ensure the success of reforms aimed at improving the speed and efficiency of the conveyancing process, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) says. A review into the current fee structure for conveyancing work is also needed to ensure that quality of advice […]
Thank you for reading and happy holidays!
Today’s Conveyancer is a labour of love for the Today’s Media team; we genuinely adore what we do and feel privileged to bring you the daily news, views, insight and best practice from across the conveyancing profession. Over the past 12 months we’ve brought you the ups and downs of the property market through our […]
Time to exchange now 123 days – up two days in a year
The average time to exchange in the UK is now 123 days, or 4.1 months, new data from property analytics company TwentyCi has revealed. After a reaching a peak of 4.3 months in 2022, the average time taken to exchange dropped to four months in 2023 and 2024. The time has now crept back up to […]