Residential conveyancing
123 days a transaction. Most of it waiting and chasing.
Conveyancing fees haven't moved in years, while transactions take longer and clients ring more. The forms aren't the problem any more. The chasing between buyer, seller, agent, lender and the Land Registry is.
43%.
The share of a conveyancer's time spent chasing other parties.
Where the hours go on a conveyancing file.
Chasing. The other side, the agent, the lender and the client, by phone and email, every day.
Client updates. Buyers and sellers phoning to ask what's happening.
Onboarding. Identity and anti money laundering checks, source of funds and engagement letters.
Searches and enquiries. Ordering, reading and raising enquiries on the results.
Requisitions. Applications to the Land Registry coming back with questions.
The systems you don't control.
HM Land Registry.
98% of applications are digital, but 32.2% of changes to existing titles still take longer than three months, and first registrations take about eight months.
The home buying reforms.
Digital ID, upfront property information and possibly published service data on conveyancers are coming. 70% of conveyancing solicitors expect their role to change, and a third say they don't feel ready.
Lenders.
Panel requirements and lender portals that each want things done their way.
Most of the delay is outside your firm. The chasing and the updates don't have to be.
What firms like yours are doing.
Residential conveyancing is 35 to 36% of all complaints accepted by the Legal Ombudsman, and most of them are about communication and delay. The firms getting ahead have automated the routine updates and chasers, given clients a portal to see where things are, and made onboarding happen once. Fewer calls, fewer complaints, and more files per fee earner.
If you're 5 to 20 fee earners.
Start with the client updates and the chasing. That's where the calls and the complaints come from.
If you're 20 to 50 fee earners.
You're probably running paralegal led files at volume on a package with workarounds around it. Automation first, and look at your own system if the package is the bottleneck.
What the regulator expects.
Anti money laundering.
Onboarding checks have to be done, recorded and supervised on every file.
AI use.
Firms already use AI to summarise deeds and leases. The SRA's August 2026 warning notice means the firm has to show which tools, what data, and who checked.
Complaints.
Poor communication is the most common cause, and the easiest to fix.
Where to start.
Questions conveyancing partners ask.
Can you automate conveyancing chasers and client updates?
Yes. Updates and chasers go out from the file automatically at each stage, and clients can see where their matter is in a portal. Automation builds usually cost £15,000 to £30,000 at a fixed price, built around the system you already use.
Will it work with our case management system?
It's built around the system you have, wherever it offers a way in. If your system is the problem, we'll say so.
Can AI help with reports on title?
It can summarise documents and draft first versions, with a fee earner checking every output. The client data has to stay in a tool with the right terms.
What about the home buying reforms?
Digital ID and upfront information will change onboarding. Firms that have already tidied up their onboarding will find the change easier.
Find out where your files lose time.
A first conversation costs nothing. We'll tell you which stop makes sense for a conveyancing firm of your size.