Kev Tunnicliffe is CEO and founder of Sort Group (SortRefer and Sort Legal), a technology led property services provider focused on improving the home moving journey for brokers, conveyancers and consumers. With more than 35 years in the property industry, Kev launched SortRefer in 2009 to bring better collaboration, data and technology to the conveyancing process. His goal is to drive positive change and collaboration across the wider industry.
What was your career path to your current role?
My career started very far away from property – in a coffee factory for seven years in fact. During the last year there, I did part-time work on the side as a financial adviser, and from there I become a mortgage adviser in 1990. I spent the next 25 years building my knowledge of the industry. During this time, it became apparent that the offerings we got as brokers weren’t great and we just knew that we could do better.
This led to the original concept for SortRefer in 2007, which we then launched officially in 2009. That journey has evolved into what is now Sort Group, a collection of brands aiming to make the conveyancing process better for everyone involved.
Did you have any other career ambitions?
When I was at school, I wanted to be an accountant. I’ve always loved numbers, and because of that this led me to succeed in becoming a finance adviser and then mortgage adviser, helping people with their finances and mortgages.
What keeps you motivated in your work?
The constant opportunity to change things for the better.
The property transaction is something almost everyone goes through at some point in their lives, and it can still be stressful and complicated. Knowing that we can make a genuine difference – whether through technology, collaboration or new ways of working – is incredibly motivating.
I’m particularly passionate about bringing the industry together to tackle shared challenges. Real progress comes when people work collaboratively, and it’s exciting to see the impact that mindset can have.
If you could change one thing about the transaction process, what would it be?
I would like to see greater investment on the conveyancing part of the process as this would have a huge impact on speed, communication and customer experience.
Conveyancers play a critical role in protecting buyers, sellers and lenders, yet fees aren’t where they should be, whilst expectations and workloads have increased over the years.
If we want faster transactions, better communication and improved customer experiences, the industry needs to recognise the importance of that work and invest accordingly.
Do you think conveyancing will ever be fully digitalised?
Not fully.
Property transactions will need to involve people, judgement and complex scenarios, and there will always be a human element that technology can’t replace.
Do you think it should be?
It doesn’t necessarily need to be fully digitalised, but we absolutely should embrace what technology can deliver and offer.
The right technology can remove friction, reduce delays, improve accuracy and free up professionals to focus on the areas where human expertise really matters. The goal shouldn’t be about replacing people – it should be empowering them to do their jobs better and deliver a smoother experience for home movers.
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