New research from Landmark Information Group reveals a major acceleration in the adoption of technological tools across the conveyancing sector, with AI usage among residential conveyancers doubling in a year.
Last year, 39% of conveyancers interviewed by Landmark said they used the technology, rising to 78% in October this year. The vast majority of research participants (86%) said digitisation has improved the client experience, with 75% reporting that automation has boosted profitability.
Findings are based on 100 interviews with senior residential property solicitors and conveyancers across England, Wales and Scotland conducted in October. Participants included a mix of managing partners, fee earners, and senior professionals working in firms of varying sizes.
While slow transaction times remain the main frustration for conveyancers (42%) and faster transactions are cited as the most important factor in improving productivity (39%), technology is increasingly also seen as a solution to tackling delays and improving the overall speed of the process.
When asked to rank their top three solutions, just over a third (34%) said effective use of AI to automate routine tasks is critical to boosting productivity, while a third said they are prioritising better workload management (33%) and investing in digitised workflows to streamline processes (32%).
The research also showed that the use of AI is no longer confined solely to administrative tasks. Over a third (38%) use it for client-facing activities such as preparing reports from deeds, with 25% using it to identify the most appropriate expert for the case, and 28% utilising the technology to streamline general administration.
The adoption and application of new technology is delivering clear returns for residential conveyancing firms, the research found: 86% of participants said digitisation has improved the client experience, 83% reported improved risk management, and 75% said automation has made their businesses more profitable. “This demonstrates how technology is now driving compliance efficiency, revenue generation and better outcomes for home buyers, supporting firms as they adapt to difficult market conditions,” Landmark said.
However, the research also reveals that significant challenges remain: 73% of respondents cited risk aversion as a barrier to further digital transformation, followed by technical issues (71%), cultural resistance to change (68%), and limited budget (67%). The overall majority (92%) of conveyancers see barriers to earlier instruction, including several perceived client-related obstacles.
The issues underscore the need for greater collaboration across the property transaction process, Landmark believes, which it says is addressed by Project 28: A Charter for Faster, More Certain Property Transactions. The charter aims to foster cross-industry collaboration to improve communication across the chain, reduce delays, and establish a new benchmark of 28 days from sale agreed to exchange.
“By enabling better use of upfront information and early instruction, Project 28 offers a clear pathway to reducing transaction times and improving certainty for conveyancers and their clients alike,” Landmark said.
Elizabeth Jarvis, divisional director of legal and search at Landmark Information Group, added:
“Conveyancers have faced enormous pressure in recent years to deliver more results more efficiently, while navigating more demanding client expectations and regulatory complexity. However, what this year’s findings show is that the sector is embracing the opportunities offered by new technologies at pace to not only drive outcomes, but to strengthen their overall profitability.
“AI and digital solutions are no longer theoretical. They’re delivering real results in risk management, customer experience, and productivity. As we look ahead, the next challenge lies in overcoming the cultural and client-side barriers that continue to slow progress. Through initiatives like Project 28, we have an opportunity to work together to make the transaction process more efficient, improve cross-industry collaboration, and deliver the faster, more certain transactions the market needs.”
Landmark Information Group Residential Market Research Report 2026.
One Response
This article on the acceleration of technology adoption in conveyancing highlights important efficiencies, but it also raises deeper concerns. As Adrian Cory has noted elsewhere, when employment itself becomes conditional on smartphone ownership, digitisation ceases to be neutral—it becomes a mechanism of control.
Libertarian arguments remind us that when essential transactions are mediated exclusively through state‑mandated digital platforms, the risk is not simply exclusion for those without access. More troubling is the possibility that the levers of participation in the property market could be centralised to the point where they can be switched off. In theory, an authoritarian government could halt conveyancing activity overnight by disabling or restricting access to mandated systems.
This is not a call to resist technology, but to insist on safeguards. Conveyancing is the legal machinery through which historic property rights are exercised. If that machinery becomes wholly dependent on a single digital infrastructure, the independence of the legal profession and the resilience of the market are compromised.
Digitisation must therefore be pursued with transparency, choice, and accountability—lest efficiency become a Trojan horse for control.