The article warns that AI-enabled onboarding and marketing language can blur the distinction between Source of Funds and Source of Wealth checks in conveyancing. It explains that while AI can improve the presentation and review of financial evidence, it does not change the scope of the underlying AML check or remove the need for professional judgement.
The article describes a conveyancer’s experience acting for buyers who entered a modern method of auction purchase without fully understanding the implications. A dispute arose over a 56-day deadline and a threatened forfeiture of a reservation fee, alongside concerns that the title was not mortgageable due to missing documents relating to an unregistered leasehold interest.
The article reports reactions from the legal and property sectors to Andy Burnham’s accession as Labour leader and the formation of a new government. The Law Society is urging support for legal aid, court reform and regional legal growth, while property commentators are calling for continued reform of the home buying process and greater clarity on future property tax policy.
The article reports that the government has issued a roadmap for changes to the home buying and selling process, and that a PropTech product is being positioned to help estate agents prepare for those reforms. The extract does not provide further detail on the specific measures or the product itself.
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers has renewed its call for HM Land Registry to review its approach to qualified electronic signatures, arguing that current guidance may not reflect the practical and evidential realities of conveyancing. While supporting digital transformation, the SLC says execution rules need more flexibility for complex, multi-party transactions and mixed-signature scenarios.
A consumer panel has criticised the Council for Licensed Conveyancers over perceived regulatory gaps in referral fee arrangements linked to conveyancing and estate agency relationships. The debate has been reignited by concerns raised after a BBC Panorama investigation into Connells, with the CLC rejecting the criticism and saying it has sought to improve transparency and consumer protection.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has rejected criticism from the Legal Services Consumer Panel, saying the panel misrepresented its response to issues around conditional selling and referral fees. The CLC says it acted on market intelligence, is reviewing transparency and consumer protections, and is gathering further evidence ahead of recommendations following a thematic review of referral fees.
The Technology and Construction Court upheld an adjudication award requiring HG Construction to pay almost £1m to Clerkenwell Lifestyle UK after rejecting the contractor’s argument that additional extension of time had been agreed by email. The judge found the February 2023 correspondence formed part of ongoing discussions about how the contractual mechanism would operate, rather than a clear and binding revision of completion dates.
The article argues that reducing requisitions in the conveyancing process is a shared responsibility between conveyancers and HM Land Registry (HMLR). It notes a reported 7% fall in avoidable requisitions raised by the profession, while also highlighting HMLR’s own review of its requisition practices and its plans to consult on further improvements.
The government has reiterated its commitment to reforming and ultimately ending the leasehold system, citing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 as the main vehicle for change. However, the statement did not provide a timetable for implementation, leaving the pace of reform uncertain.
The operations director of X-Press Legal Services has been appointed to the Digital Property Market Steering Group, which is helping shape the government’s home buying and selling roadmap. The article highlights a push for responsible digitalisation of conveyancing, with emphasis on data provenance, privacy, security, transparency and the role of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015.
An industry coalition has criticised the Land Registry’s implementation of Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES), arguing that current guidance contains fundamental flaws and is slowing adoption in conveyancing. The letter says the inability to mix signature types is limiting use, while HM Land Registry says it expects uptake to rise and is open to exploring temporary options to accelerate adoption.
