Using QES for eWitnessing to accelerate conveyancing transactions
HM Land Registry (HMLR) has for some time been at the forefront in the promotion of digital methods to speed up transactions and reduce the risk of fraud. The pandemic was a catalyst in finding ways to work remotely and ensure that the sale and purchase of property and the related updates to the Land […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rooting out risk in property transactions
Bamboo is an emerging threat that’s quietly taking root in gardens and, increasingly, in legal disputes according to Emily Grant, Director of Operations at Environet UK, who joins the latest Today’s Conveyancer podcast. Emily is a seasoned environmental scientist and a familiar voice in the conveyancing space, having provided expertise on Japanese knotweed and other […]
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 […]
A new safe and free legal AI tool for everyone
The high court warned lawyers that relying on fake AI-generated citations, even unknowingly, could lead them to face serious professional consequences and risk a wasted costs order. While legal professionals can face severe sanctions when using AI inappropriately, the public should not be left exposed either when they are using AI to understand and resolve […]
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 […]
Interview: Scott Bozinis on tech, transformation and ten years in the UK
In this episode of the Today’s Conveyancer podcast, host David Opie welcomes Scott Bozinis, CEO of InfoTrack UK, for a candid and wide-ranging conversation marking a decade of innovation in the UK conveyancing sector. In a rare interview Bozinis discusses his journey since launching InfoTrack in the UK ten years ago. A technologist at heart, someone more […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer – Rayner wake up call for conveyancers on fees
Welcome back! I took a break from writing this diary over the summer. The stress of work was becoming unbearable; the relentlessness, the pressure, the intensity, the stress of making sure that everything was done correctly and all rules were followed whilst keeping clients happy. But I am back now! And where else would I […]
Is SDLT now the most well-known tax of all?
From obscurity to instant fame, is a rapid journey that most wannabe celebrities would die for. Who would have thought that within less than a week, Conveyancers and the four-letter abbreviation SDLT would be as famous as The Village People and YMCA? We all know by now that Angela Rayner underpaid the SDLT on her […]
Escaping the compliance money pit: An integrated path to reducing personal indemnity insurance costs
Compliance has become a black hole for time and money. Almost £40bn – equating to around 1.5% of GDP – is spent annually just on complying with money laundering regulations. With every incremental change to the rules, whether AML, sanctions screening or customer data protection, law firms are forced to stitch together a patchwork of […]
As high street law evolves, data becomes increasingly important
The face of the high street lawyer is changing. Over the last decade, the number of sole practitioners has dropped from 27% to 16%, while incorporated companies have increased from 36% to 57% over the same period. While the change in status may be attributed simply to a more efficient or convenient operating structure for […]
Patching up the past: Law Commission consults on chancel repair liability reformations
On 15 July, the Law Commission launched its consultation for reform to the law relating to chancel repair liability (CRL) and its registration. Despite previous reform, the legal status of CRL remains unclear. The consultation aims to resolve uncertainty and reduce unnecessary costs in property transactions. We examine the background behind the proposals and their […]
Later life living – turning a corner for investors?
By 2072, almost 30% of Britons will be aged 65 or over. This stark demographic shift is already taking shape, with profound implications for the housing market. Despite an estimated shortfall of at least 4.3 million in the UK today, less than 1 million are specifically designed for later life living, and this figure excludes […]
Eddie Goldsmith shares ‘profound concerns’ over property tax in open letter
To His Majesty’s Government There is currently much speculation ahead of the Chancellor’s autumn statement over plans that the Government may have to change the tax regime within the residential property market and the possible introduction of a national property tax. As a solicitor and conveyancing professional of over 40 years standing, I am writing […]
Making AML a cultural mindset in conveyancing
The recently published Council for Licensed Conveyancers’ (CLC) 2025 Risk Agenda reinforces the desire for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) to become more than a tick-box exercise. Instead, the CLC urges firms to embed AML as part of their cultural DNA. Its new framework of six ethical principles outlines this approach, urging conveyancers to go beyond the […]
Confessions of a cyber conveyancer – ‘All AI is equal, it’s just that some is more equal than others’
As George Orwell pointed out in Animal Farm, while some things start out as a good idea, there’s always the possibility that they can go horribly wrong. Unfortunately, when it comes to how technology providers are explaining their offerings today, there’ll be many lawyers who wish they were like Boxer and shipped off to the […]
How conveyancers can gain the edge through smarter collaboration with surveyors
In today’s housing market, clients expect speed, lenders demand certainty, and conveyancers are under pressure to deliver both while reducing risk. Transactions are becoming more complex, yet buyers often underestimate the importance of a professional survey – believing the lender’s valuation or automated check is enough. This misconception can create both risk for your client […]