HM Land Registry’s latest data shows a substantial fall in avoidable requisition rates, with annual points dropping from about 839,000 in 2022 to 439,000 in 2025. The article attributes the improvement to better post-completion quality and administrative accuracy, while noting that firms still need to reduce errors such as name discrepancies, missing documents and execution issues.
The article explains that AI should be understood as a language and administrative support tool rather than a substitute for legal judgment in conveyancing. It argues that conveyancers can use approved AI systems to summarise correspondence, draft routine communications and reduce administrative burden, provided they follow firm governance and data protection rules.
A First-tier Tribunal has upheld a buyer’s treatment of a Hampstead flat block acquisition as mixed use for SDLT purposes, after finding that land occupied by an electrical substation did not form part of the dwelling’s grounds. The decision preserved a £341,750 SDLT saving and turned on the separate commercial function and leasehold status of the substation land.
The article argues that conveyancing firms should approach AI cautiously and focus first on practical, lower-risk uses such as document review, call handling and consistency checks. The author suggests that AI is most useful in reducing administrative error and compliance risk, rather than replacing core legal judgment in tasks like raising enquiries or drafting reports on title.
The article rounds up several technology developments in the conveyancing sector, including AI-assisted report on title drafting, a new licensed NLIS Hub channel, redesigned Source of Funds reporting, and a digital maturity ranking for a conveyancing firm. The common theme is greater automation, improved data access, and more configurable workflows for property transactions.
The article argues that, despite uncertainty ahead of the Budget, buyers and sellers can reduce transaction delays by preparing early. It highlights the importance of organising financial evidence for AML checks, reviewing title documents in advance, and starting leasehold information requests early to keep conveyancing moving.
