Solicitor struck off for ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance’ with AML regulations
A solicitor has been struck off and ordered to pay costs of £29,775.84 for multiple breaches of Money Laundering Regulations that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said represented ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance with critical regulations’ amounting to systemic failures. The judgment was issued against William Joseph Harris following an application by the Solicitors Regulation Authority detailing […]
Transaction times edging back up towards 2022 peak
The time it takes to exchange on a property is creeping back up, according to the latest Housing Insight Report from Propertymark, with 39% of estate agents reporting transaction times of 17 weeks or more. The company’s June report – based on responses to a monthly survey of around 100 Propertymark member agents across the […]
AML fines: Why conveyancing firms need to prioritise smarter compliance
The conveyancing sector has come under heightened scrutiny from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), with significant Anti Money Laundering (AML) fines levied against conveyancers. Since June, AML fines against UK conveyancers have exceeded £100,000, reflecting the SRA’s intensified oversight in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, as reported by Today’s Conveyancer. Recent AML penalties have primarily […]
The real client journey: Mapping the first 10 days of every instruction
What happens in the first 10 days after first contact sets the tone for the whole relationship. Knowing how to make it count is the real trick. The critical window The moment a client instructs you, the clock starts ticking. In those first 10 days, clients form opinions, delays compound, and the foundation for the […]
CLC publishes new Risk Agenda, with a focus on ethics and a warning against post-completion ‘slacking’
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has published its Risk Agenda for 2025, which encourages conveyancers to focus on ethics and ethical conduct. The CLC has also warned against treating post-completion HM Land Registry applications ‘as an afterthought’. The new Risk Agenda underlines ‘the fundamental importance’ of ethics and ethical conduct, and sets out what the […]
‘An issue since the 1970s’ – Eddie Goldsmith responds to Smoove’s conveyancing research
Having previously set up and run one of the biggest conveyancing practices in the UK, I set up YouConvey four years ago to address exactly the issues raised in this article. I am delighted to add my comments and observations on what is unfortunately a running sore for the conveyancing industry and has been a […]
Offshoring partner formally launches in England & Wales
A specialist conveyancing back-office partner is officially launching in the UK after successfully supporting the outsourcing needs of several UK law firms through its operations in Sri Lanka. Tellida says it helps firms explore strategic outsourcing solutions across a range of conveyancing functions, including title reviews, enquiries handling, post-completion work, and registration processes, while enabling […]
Happy non-18th birthday to Home Information Packs!
There are at least two dates in my life I’ll never forget: 1st August 2007, and 28th July 2007. The first marked the official launch of Home Information Packs (HIPs), a policy shift that had the potential to modernise the conveyancing process. The second was the day I got married. When the HIPs commencement date […]
‘Half of homebuyers’ say conveyancing is most stressful part of moving
Conveyancing is the most stressful part of the home-moving process, according to half of the home movers surveyed by software provider Smoove. The research, which surveyed 1001 home buyers over 25 who had moved within the last six to 12 months, found that 49% of those questioned believed liaising with conveyancers was the most difficult […]
Restoring trust in conveyancing recommendations starts with transparency and choice
The recent Panorama investigation and subsequent review announced by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) cast a long-overdue spotlight on the opaque referral practices that continue to shape much of the UK conveyancing market. The concerns raised are familiar: consumers not being offered a genuine choice of legal providers, referral fees being prioritised over service […]
Cambridge firm fined £173,000 for failing to identify client as PEP
A Cambridge firm of solicitors has been fined £172,934 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for failing to identify a client as a non-domestic politically exposed person (PEP). The failure by Taylors Vintner LLP led to a second firm being provided with inaccurate information, having been told that the client’s identity had been verified in accordance […]
Have some conveyancers lost the art of taking instructions?
In a profession built on precision, trust, and the clear relay of legal advice, an unsettling trend may be emerging, conveyancers making transaction related decisions without first advising and consulting with their clients. Time and again, conveyancers find themselves deep into a matter, only to hit an infuriating wall, responses from the opposing conveyancer who […]
Enquiries tool launches with ambitions to ‘raise the right enquiries, right from the beginning’
A new tool which aims to ‘raise the right enquiries, right from the beginning’ has been launched by conveyancing technology provider InfoTrack. The firm, which is celebrating 10 years in England and Wales, says the new software called Enquiries, analyses data from Title Registers, TA forms, search results and LPE1s to suggest matter-specific enquiries. Enquiries […]
Five tips for conveyancers when navigating legal professional privilege rules
When it comes to anti-money laundering compliance, conveyancing law firms are increasingly walking a tightrope between legal professional privilege (LPP) and the duty to report suspicious activity. The stakes are high, but the guidance can be confusing. At Teal Compliance, we’ve seen a marked increase in firms asking: ‘Can we rely on client privilege to […]
Buyers ‘missing out on thousands in stamp duty refunds’
Thousands of UK business buyers, landlords and property investors could be missing out on stamp duty relief worth an average of of £12,909, according to specialist consultancy SCA Tax – with some buyers reclaiming tens of thousands of pounds. The company believes buyers may be entitled to ‘significant reliefs’ in several common scenarios, including properties […]
InTouch joins Conveyancing Association as affiliate member
Cloud-based conveyancing case management platform InTouch has joined the Conveyancing Association (CA) an affiliate member, the CA has announced. The membership will give InTouch a range of benefits and opportunities including the use of CA branding, attendance and networking at member and online meetings, access to member firms and advertising. The InTouch platform is used […]
HMLR beat March 25 deadline for 95% submission turnaround within 12 months
HM Land Registry (HMLR) say they have beaten their self-imposed March 2025 deadline to process 95% of all applications within 12 months of submission; evidence of the progress they have made in the years since COVID-19 and the sizeable backlogs that ensued. The achievement was highlighted in the recently published 2024/25 Annual Report and Accounts […]
CLC to launch thematic review into referral fees
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has announced it will conduct a thematic review into referral fees in the wake of the recently aired BBC Panorama documentary on conditional selling. In a statement on its website, the regulator said the programme had: “…highlighted serious concerns about conditional selling and the questionable sales tactics of certain […]
Confessions of a cyber conveyancer – “It’s been sold before, so it’ll sell again”
No-one ever said that working in property law is a walk in the park. Unless that park is the Peak District and you’re struggling up the 28% incline of Winnats Pass. In which case, that’s a pretty fair comparison. However, things are about to get a whole lot more difficult, and there’s precious little we […]
Wildfires and conveyancing; immediate damage to long-term consequence
In this episode of the Today’s Conveyancer Podcast, host David Opie is joined by Richard Flemmings, CEO and founder of Map Impact, and Ollie Baldock, Director at Ashfield Solutions. Together, they unpack the Wennington wildfire of July 2022—an event that triggered the London Fire Brigade’s busiest day since World War II—and explore its implications for […]