The future property transaction group’s future of residential property transactions report (Jan 2026) highlights something that Checkboard and many others in the conveyancing industry already know all too well: fragmentation and outdated compliance processes are seriously slowing down property transactions.
What’s more, this is potentially costing the UK economy as much as £1.5 billion each year.
The report identifies paper-based anti-money laundering (AML), identity verification, and source of funds checks as having a particular impact.
It found that manually collating and reviewing documents can add two to three weeks to a transaction and consume around 90 minutes of a conveyancer’s time per matter. Multiply that across a busy caseload and the operational burden becomes significant.
But the good news is that digital checks can reduce that time by 80–90%, and this is exactly where Checkboard makes a difference.
Saving time where it matters most
The report identified duplication and inefficiency as major contributors to delay. Those inefficiencies are baked into many traditional AML processes that involve:
- Manually reviewing ID documents.
- Cross-checking data across multiple platforms.
- Chasing missing or unclear paperwork.
- Re-entering information into case management systems.
These delays and inefficiencies have a major impact on completion time, putting more work on conveyancers’ plates and creating friction for home buyers. This, in turn, increases the chance the clients will look elsewhere.
Replacing paper with platforms
Checkboard replaces those slow, manual steps with automated digital identity verification, AML, biometric ID checks, Safe Harbour, source of funds, and payments. This dramatically reduces review times and cuts the compliance burden down to a fast and seamless process.
It’s designed to make life easier for conveyancers.
Instead of asking clients to scan passports, photograph utility bills, print bank statements, and email large files (often multiple times), firms can invite clients into a secure digital journey to:
- Verify identity using biometric technology.
- Perform instant AML screening.
- Collect and analyse source of funds evidence.
- Generate a clear, auditable compliance record.
And all within a single, streamlined workflow.
That means no more chasing documents, and no more fragmented systems with duplicated checks.
Time saved, time gained
By removing paper documents and manual processes, digitalisation was shown to save as much as 12 days per instruction.
For conveyancers under pressure to do more and more due diligence, removing manual AML processes helps them reclaim time, reduce risk, and deliver a smoother client experience.
Get in touch to find out how Checkboard takes you there faster.
This article was submitted by Checkboard as part of an advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
