The article reports concerns raised at a conveyancing AML roundtable that compliance in UK law firms has become increasingly burdensome, with firms collecting more documentation and duplicating checks without clear gains in risk detection. Participants argued that over-compliance is adding stress, unbillable work and inefficiency, and suggested more proportionate, reasoning-led processes supported by technology.
The article argues that conveyancing reform will only succeed if upfront information, digital tools and process changes are implemented in a practical way. It highlights that while earlier information can reduce some delays, wider transaction friction, compliance obligations and third-party dependencies still require collaboration across the sector.
The article says UK data protection law has been updated by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, with all provisions now in force from June 2026, including a mandatory complaints-handling procedure. It argues that firms should review GDPR training, policies and staff understanding to ensure day-to-day practice reflects the current legal position and not outdated guidance.
A compliance training card game has been developed to help firms improve how they document source of funds decisions. Its creators say the main weakness is often not the underlying analysis, but the failure to record the reasoning clearly and consistently for audit and compliance purposes.
This article rounds up several proptech and legal-tech updates affecting conveyancing workflows, including deeper case management integrations, AML compliance automation, and new digital submission tools. It also notes product launches aimed at improving broker portals, post-completion processing, and survey-related services, with an incomplete final item about a knotweed surveyor app.
This profile of solicitor Freya Wright focuses on her residential conveyancing work at Bermans, including purchases, sales, remortgages, transfers of equity, first registrations and assents. She also comments on wider transaction issues, including the potential benefits of Scottish-style conveyancing processes, leasehold reform, and the practical difficulties created by the current Building Safety Act framework.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined Leadenhall Law Group Limited £16,092 after it failed to properly identify a politically exposed person in a series of residential property purchase transactions. The firm also did not adequately establish source of funds or source of wealth across 14 transactions completed between March 2017 and January 2020.
The Legal Services Board has concluded that inconsistent guidance following the Mazur case was driven by insufficient cross-regulator engagement and differing interpretations of the Legal Services Act. It said regulators updated guidance constructively after the judgments, but earlier advice lacked clarity and consistency, creating risks of uneven outcomes for regulated professionals.
The article critiques the government’s consultation on quid pro quo ground rents alongside the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, arguing that the proposed exemption test is likely to be difficult or impossible to satisfy in practice. It also questions the proposed fixed valuation approach for a £250 annual ground rent cap, suggesting it transfers value away from freeholders through a prescribed regulatory mechanism rather than case-by-case assessment.
HMRC has introduced a broader sanctionable conduct regime that can penalise tax advisers who intentionally facilitate tax underpayment and can also compel production of files where there are reasonable grounds to suspect misconduct. The article focuses on how this affects conveyancers handling SDLT work, emphasising the importance of contemporaneous records, clear reasoning and client approval trails.
The Legal Ombudsman’s 2025/26 annual report shows a 37% rise in complaints overall, with residential conveyancing accounting for 73% of the increase. The main drivers were delays, poor communication and post-completion registration issues, which the LeO says point to broader service breakdowns and weak complaint handling rather than isolated technical mistakes.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has rebuked Preston-based Gowlings Solicitors Limited after it failed to comply with an undertaking in a conveyancing transaction within the agreed timescale. The firm had promised to redeem a mortgage on completion without first verifying the redemption figure, leaving a shortfall that had to be covered from its own office account before the matter was resolved.
