From 83,000 PDFs to one smart workspace: enquiries made simple, clear, and compliant.
For conveyancers across the UK, enquiries remain the most frustrating stage of a property transaction. Too often they are irrelevant, non-compliant, or duplicated. The result? Weeks lost to unnecessary back-and-forth, clients left waiting, and teams stuck trawling through emails instead of progressing files. But enquiries are also essential. They safeguard clients, protect against risk, and […]
Conveyancing is at the technology crossroads
Conveyancers are increasingly faced with a stark choice: adopt new technology or stick to tried-and-tested methods. But those that embrace change are already moving faster and winning more clients than their competitors. The crossroads is here Conveyancing is built on trust. Trust is built over generations by tradition and tried-and-true methods. This gives clients confidence […]
Project 28 – A muted fanfare, but a much-needed initiative?
Does Project 28 contain a Charter for faster, more certain property transactions, or will it be another well intended but ultimately partially successful attempt at improving the home buying and selling process? Having watched the development (I mean decline) of the home buying and selling process for over 50 years now I will fully support […]
Making upfront information work for the full property chain
Buying and selling residential property in the UK has long been fraught with frustration. The average transaction still takes more than four months according to recent research from the Open Property Data Association (OPDA), and industry estimates suggest one in four sales fall through before completion. For buyers and sellers, these delays mean uncertainty, additional […]
From paperwork to precision: Transforming source of funds processes
Prosperity Law, recognised as one of the best law firms in the North West for a wide variety of legal disciplines, offer a client centric approach that delivers straightforward, practical and cost effective legal advice. Ensuring a high-quality service that meets each individual client’s needs is paramount to their company values. The decision to implement […]
Updated schema for Open Property Data Association
An updated schema for the Open Property Data Association’s (OPDA) Property Data Trust Framework (PDTF) schema, has added new features to improve transparency, reduce delays and further accelerate the digitisation of the property market said the group. The PDTF is an attempt to standardise the collection, storage and redistribution of data in such a way […]
Angela Rayner and the lessons for conveyancers
The recent media storm around Angela Rayner’s property transactions and stamp duty liability has once again placed conveyancing firms in the headlines, albeit somewhat reluctantly. As with all high-profile stories of this nature, there are many elements we cannot possibly know, particularly around what information was shared with the conveyancing firm that acted on her […]
‘Conveyancing is a sector caught between confidence and confusion’ – report
A survey of residential conveyancing professionals reveals ‘a sector caught between confidence and confusion’ and bearing ‘all the ingredients for transformation but lacking the recipe to transform them effectively’. The Residential Conveyancing Pricing & Attitudes Survey 2025, compiled by Big Yellow Penguin and Bold Legal Group, describes a ‘confidence paradox’, with 80% of the conveyancers […]
‘Reckless’ solicitor who tried to blame junior for conveyancing errors fined £40,000
A managing partner who blamed a junior colleague for multiple breaches of conveyancing protocol in a residential property transaction has been fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £28,000, following a hearing at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The tribunal found that the conduct of Ajaz Ali, admitted to the Roll in 2010, had been […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – ‘Hold please caller, so I can do my job’
When I started to write this diary some years ago, it was to talk about the trials and tribulations of being a conveyancer. With the increase in posts on LinkedIn, it seems that many others want to write about it as well. So, today, I’m going back to basics. A Day in the Life of […]
CON29DW: Red flag areas – how they help you and your client
Join us for DWSN’s latest webinar which will explore what are the potential red flag areas in the CON29DW and why they matter. This free 30-minute webinar identifies key areas of risk for conveyancers and their clients where further enquiries or checks may be needed. We will explore this in the context of the following […]
Building stronger agency-conveyancer partnerships
The conversation around referral fees isn’t abstract – it’s emerging at a critical juncture for our industry. The UK conveyancing market, having contracted for two years, rebounded with 4.5% growth in 2024 and is poised for a further 5.7% increase in 2025. Yet this comes amid a 15% decline in conveyancer numbers since 2021, and […]
RICS to require surveyors to declare use of AI to clients
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has published the first global professional standard for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in surveying practice, in what the organisation describes as a ‘decisive move to guide the profession through the rapid evolution of AI technologies’. As part of the adoption of AI in surveying, firms […]
Back from holiday to potential stamp duty change and CGT chatter – what does it mean for conveyancers?
I came back from a few weeks away thinking I might have missed a little summer slowdown, only to find the housing and property press full of various prospective policies from Government on some potentially seismic changes to property taxation. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) has long been a political hot potato and a significant […]
NEW: Climate change – online training module for conveyancers
Legal Eye and Groundsure have partnered to produce a comprehensive, detailed guide to help conveyancers implement the Law Society’s 2025 Guidance Note on climate change, which also includes guidance on how to advise clients. The Guidance Note introduces new responsibilities for conveyancers requiring them to effectively discharge their duties in line with the guidance. It […]
Light at the end of the tunnel for ‘alarming’ rates of requisitions
HM Land Registry continue to grapple with an ‘alarming’ number of requisitions despite efforts to improve the quality of data submitted to the agency. The number of requisitions sent to conveyancers varied from 2.9 per 100 applications to 237 according to analysis of the publicly available data. Technology consultancy Novus Strategy took an average for […]
Solicitors suspended for misconduct in property transactions
A solicitor who acted for both sides in a property transaction, including an elderly and vulnerable client who was charged an elevated fee, has been suspended from practice for nine months by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and ordered to pay costs of £21,129. In a separate case, a junior solicitor has been suspended for a […]
Conveyancer acting for Angela Rayner clarifies role: ‘We did not give tax or trust advice’
The managing director of the conveyancing firm that handled the purchase of Angela Rayner’s Hove flat has issued a statement to The Telegraph, explaining that the firm did not give tax or trust advice. Joanna Verrico, of Herne Bay firm Verrico & Associates Ltd, told the newspaper: “We acted for Ms Rayner when she purchased […]
Rayner ‘throws conveyancers under the bus’ as she fights for political future
The position of Angela Rayner is in doubt today after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty by up to £40,000. But while Sir Keir Starmer defended his deputy, conveyancers were up in arms about the reason the deputy prime minister gave for what she insisted was a mistake. In a lengthy statement, Rayner outlined her […]
‘Dramatic shift’ in climate sentiment, with conveyancers increasingly advising on risk
Research from Landmark Information Group has identified a dramatic shift in buyer sentiment surrounding climate change, with 99% of property professionals surveyed for the research reporting rising concern amongst buyers. In the survey of 150 conveyancers, estate agents and mortgage lenders, 99% said clients are concerned about the impact of climate change when buying a […]