As the digital landscape continues to evolve, almost every industry is undergoing significant transformation – and the world of residential conveyancing is no exception. But what exactly is digital conveyancing, and how does it stand to change the traditional methods we’ve relied on for decades? We’ve taken a look at the history of the conveyancing process in order to understand the opportunities digitisation can now offer to conveyancers and their firms alike.
Where it all began
A brief look back to the Victorian age and an image of the toiling lawyer springs to mind: a dimly lit office, quill in hand, a solicitor’s clerk neatly and diligently preparing a handwritten conveyance on vellum. The physical act of writing out documents by hand was labour-intensive and left room for human error. Documents required clear and precise penmanship to ensure that contracts and deeds were both legible and legally binding.
Reaching mid-century
By the twentieth century, law firms had moved on to paper and typewriters. Correspondence would still have been mostly by letter and deed plans would have been hand coloured and drawn. To add a bit of colour to the process, multiple pages of title documents were frequently sewn together with green ribbon, and signatures were marked with red seals. Although compulsory first registration of title was introduced by the Land Registration Act in 1925, adoption had been gradual with HM Land Registry bringing more and more areas of England and Wales into the realms of registered land. Land and charge certificates were beginning to replace unregistered deeds, transfers, leases and conveyances.
The recent past
Over the past 30 years, technology has gradually infiltrated law firms bringing fax machines, increased reliance on the telephone, computers, and word processors. Conveyancing processes also moved into the paperless era, notably with the dematerialisation of title deeds by HM Land Registry. Official copies of the register entries and supplemental deeds began to become available at the click of a button and under section 67 of the Land Registration Act 2002, official copies were permitted in evidence to the same extent of the original. More recently, case management systems, conveyancing software, email and apps are also being added into the mix of technological advances to assist the busy conveyancer.
Today: artificial intelligence and digital conveyancing
Technology including the use of AI is now starting to play a significant part in streamlining residential conveyancing. AI can be utilised right now as a digital tool and as an assistant for conveyancers, taking on the mundane and time consuming tasks and leaving the skilled conveyancer with more time to evaluate, analyse and advise on the more complex legal issues that can arise within a property transaction.
Steps to Implement digital conveyancing in your practice
Here at Orbital Witness, our highly skilled engineers and data scientists are using the latest AI technology – combined with the specialist legal knowledge of our team of commercial and residential real estate lawyers – to develop products and services which are transforming property transactions.
When it comes to digital conveyancing, improvements are coming thick and fast.
It’s already possible within a matter of seconds of using Orbital Residential to produce a lease report which highlights the main lease terms and flags a number of possible issues (for example a short lease term or doubling ground rent) enabling busy conveyancers to save time, identify complexities at outset and more effectively manage client and introducer expectations.
But conveyancers cannot remove themselves from history entirely: leases and deeds from the past still affect and are relevant to many residential properties today. Conveyancers must still review handwritten or poor microfiche copies of title documents within their due diligence processes – however, using AI, reviews match a human for accuracy and win every time when it comes to speed.
Ready to review documents quickly, effortlessly and accurately guided by AI purpose-built for property diligence? Speak to our specialist team to find out more about how Orbital Residential can help.
This article was submitted to be published by Orbital Witness as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
