NatWest completes two-day remortgage transaction with PEXA’s digital platform
NatWest has completed its first remortgage transaction using PEXA’s digital platform, with the process taking two working days from the mortgage offer. The typical UK remortgage timeline is around four to six weeks. The accelerated timeframe was made possible through the use of automated workflows and real-time settlement capability within the purpose-built digital infrastructure. NatWest […]
HMLR encourages conveyancers to sign up for free guides, tips and updates
HM Land Registry is encouraging conveyancers to sign up for three free newsletters which deliver all the latest information, advice and guidance by email. Monthly newsletters Landnet and Practice and Process, and the new quarterly update Right First Time, have been designed to offer clear guidance and practical insight to conveyancers, along with timely updates to services. Landnet, […]
Conveyancing beyond the office: What it takes to go remote
The Covid-19 pandemic made remote working the norm, but while lockdowns may be a distant memory, many conveyancers still prefer to work from home. Warren Martin, director of operations at Movera, explains how the high-volume conveyancing company instils a sense of culture and belonging in its remote workforce, while ensuring a wide talent pool from […]
‘Hidden tax’ referral fees should be banned, says conveyancing action group
Referral fees are a hidden tax on home buying and should be banned, according to the Conveyancing Task Force, a group of practising conveyancers, law firms and representatives from regional law societies. In a position statement issued this week, the CTF said it recognises “the reality that referral fees are entrenched across the conveyancing market,” […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – Excuses, excuses
I’m not sure if it’s the current economic climate, with increased costs of living and wider world events, but I had a number of chains fall through this week. It set me thinking about the reasons clients give for not proceeding with the sale or purchase of a property. All of that emotional investment and expense, […]
Is your firm ready for the May 2026 HMRC tax adviser mandate?
Title: Redbrick & Stamp Webinar | Is your firm ready for the May 2026 HMRC Tax Adviser Mandate? Date: Thursday 7th May 2026 Time: 11:00am – 11:45am Your “we don’t give tax advice” disclaimer is about to become legally void. You cannot solve a structural legal problem with a better calculator – you need a […]
LSB to ‘focus on sharper and more targeted interventions’ in response to changing regulatory environment
The Legal Services Board (LSB) is responding to a “rapidly evolving” legal sector and plans to change its approach to oversight regulation to focus efforts on “where they are most needed”, according to its business plan for 2026/27. Recently appointed LSB chair Monisha Shah said that while she will focus on discovery in her first […]
Fully digital homebuyer service launched by Lloyds Banking Group, LMS and Connells Group
Lloyds Banking Group, LMS and Connells Group have launched a fully digital home buying service, which the partners say will reshape the way homes are bought and sold across England and Wales. The digital homebuyer service has been developed to eliminate the points of frustration and cut weeks of waiting and uncertainty from the process, […]
FCA welcomes second cohort of AI-powered solutions for real world testing
As part of efforts to develop AI-powered fintech, the Financial Conduct Authority has announced its second cohort of organisations chosen to live test AI applications and “explore key questions around risk management and live monitoring to support the responsible deployment of AI for consumers and markets”. Eight new firms, including Coadjute, Barclays, Experian, Lloyds Banking […]
Simplify posts profits of £15m in latest accounts
Conveyancing and property services group Simplify has posted profits of £15 million in its latest accounts, which it says reinforces its position as the UK’s largest conveyancer. The group’s published accounts to March 2025 reveal an increase in turnover to £140.3 million, up from £120.1 million in 2024. Profit rose to £15.1 million from £6.3 […]
Profile: Nathalie Harris, legal assistant at Dutton Gregory LLP
Nathalie Harris is a legal assistant at the start of her legal career. Throughout the past three years, her growing legal expertise combined with her CILEX studies have positioned her as an emerging talent in property law. Her passion for excellent client service and team success is shown through her academic ambitions and dedication. What […]
Is the telephone dying in conveyancing – and does it matter?
Julie Williams, head of delivery at Complete ASAP, asks whether the telephone is becoming obsolete and whether emails will ever completely replace the personal touch of a conversation in real time. Our industry is built on precision and process, and because of that, communication has always been central to conveyancing. However, at ASAP’s recent […]
‘Reform can’t come soon enough’, as time to exchange tops 19 weeks
The average time to exchange in the UK so far in 2026 is 134 days, or 4.4 months, according to the latest Property & Homemover Report from TwentyEA. The increase is backed up by data from Propertymark, whose member agents reported an average of 43% of housing transactions taking longer than 17 weeks to complete […]
Conveyancers say they’re unprepared for HMRC tax adviser changes
A Today’s Conveyancer poll has revealed only 10% of conveyancers are prepared for upcoming HMRC requirements to register as tax advisers, with the remaining 90% saying they’re unprepared (33%) or need more information (57%). From 18 May, tax advisers who interact with HMRC on behalf of clients will be legally required to register as tax […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – This not so glamorous life
As I have often said, the life of a conveyancer is hard. It’s not a particularly well paid role, it’s not glamorous and we don’t hang around at court looking cool, heading off to the pub after a day on our feet arguing for our client and mixing with judges and the like. It’s rare […]
From paper to platform: Evaluating digital conveyancing in the UK
Dr Saidunnabi Piyal, senior lecturer in law at the University of Wolverhampton, offers an academic’s view of the conveyancing journey from paper-based systems to digital platforms. Electronic conveyancing refers to the use of digital systems to manage, exchange and process information and documentation involved in property transactions. By replacing traditional paper-based methods with secure […]
Q1 property trends are encouraging for conveyancers, Landmark report suggests
Residential property data for Q1 of 2026 contains encouraging trends for conveyancers, the latest report from Landmark Information Group suggests. Although global pressures and affordability are constraining home moving activity, listing volumes rose by 3% year-on-year across Q1 2026, Landmark’s data reveals. A 6% uplift in January has resulted in consistently high levels of stock […]
Legal sector growth at 15 year high
Law firms in England and Wales experienced rapid, sector-wide growth in 2025, with average earnings up by 11.2% compared with a 6.1% increase in 2024. The figures, released yesterday in the Law Society’s new annual Financial Benchmarking Survey, reveal the highest rate of growth for the sector in more than 15 years. Year-on-year fee growth […]
Which lender will actually lend on your client’s property?
In the latest article in his series on AI in conveyancing, Ed Molyneux puts a practical example in front of the profession and invites them to test it themselves. I have spent the past month writing about what AI can and cannot do for conveyancers. Provenance. The judgment line. The difference between intelligence work and […]
From ‘no update’ to real-time: How client expectations are shifting in the modern homebuying process
Anyone working in conveyancing will recognise the message that arrives sooner or later on almost every file: “Just checking in – any update?” Sometimes it comes from the buyer, sometimes from the broker or estate agent. Often it arrives from several directions at once. In many cases the honest answer is that nothing significant has […]