The conveyancing sector is facing a perfect storm of challenges as 2025 gets up to full speed. Regulatory burdens and economic uncertainty, to the rise of AI and automation, all whilst battling clients demands and expectations; it’s a complex industry landscape, perhaps more so than ever before.
However, amongst these challenges, a spirit of resilience and proactivity is emerging. Conveyancers are taking control of the controllables; embracing innovation and seeking solutions to streamline processes and improve efficiency.
This shift in mindset is evident in the recent market research from Landmark Information Group. Over half of responders (52%) are now taking matters into their own hands by assigning workloads more effectively, while 34% are digitising more processes. Proactively sourcing new business and investing in improved training are also high on responders 2025 priorities.
What Tech Can Do For You
Understanding and integrating new technology can be a daunting task for conveyancing firms, especially with the rapid pace of recent advancements.
“Everybody’s grappling with the fact that the technological capabilities [in conveyancing] are accelerating at such a pace,” admitted Rob Steadman, Sales Director within Landmark Information Group.
“If you deploy AI today, tomorrow there’s almost like the next better version of AI to change it.”
Liz Jarvis, Managing Director of OneSearch highlights the need for dedicated education and training: “There’s an assumption by a lot of people that there’s all this information out there about tech, prop tech, and AI technology, and how it can help your firm. But actually, I don’t think that that’s fully translated into how it can be adopted.
“I think conveyancers and others doing this role, they actually need a lot more information about what that can do [for them] specifically, rather than big noise of a release of this technology. What does it mean to me and to my firm? How long will it take me? How long and what cost will it take for this to embed in my business?
“There’s the worry, what if I invest this money now? Is it obsolete in 12 months’ time?”
The feels are reflected in the market research; 62% of respondents listed the knowledge gap within their team as an aspect which has challenged progress, as well as the slow pace of change towards a digital outlook (62%).
Collaboration and Communication: Bridging the Gaps
Another key theme for 2025 is the need for improved communication and collaboration among all stakeholders in the property transaction process. Participants highlighted the frustration caused by chasing information and the lack of transparency in the system.
Liz Jarvis continued along this point: “One of the biggest frustrations and things that is wasting time really is that chasing one another through all different parts of the process whether it would be a surveyor, an estate agent, the other side of the transaction, the purchaser or the vendor.
“I wonder why it’s taken a really long time. It feels like the thing we’ve never really been able to solve is this transparency or ability to see what other people are doing, putting information in a central place where everyone can access it together instead of it being phone calls and email.”
This desire for greater transparency and collaboration points to the need for solutions that can bring all stakeholders together in a central hub, providing a single source of truth and facilitating seamless information sharing.
Looking Ahead: A Call for Bold Leadership and Continued Innovation
The recent market research from Landmark paints a picture of a sector that is facing challenges head-on, embracing innovation, and actively seeking solutions to improve efficiency and client experience. Conveyancers are taking control, demanding more from technology providers, and prioritising collaboration and communication.
Moving forward, direction and continued innovation will be crucial. As Rob Steadman emphasised, “It’s going to come down to bold leadership across the sector to be clearly heard as to what their priorities are.”
By working together, conveyancers, technology providers, and other stakeholders can create a more efficient, transparent, and client-centric property transaction process. The challenges are real, but the opportunities are even greater.
The Landmark 2024 residential conveyancing survey tells a ‘tale of two halves’. One is about hope for economic stability as we enter autumn with listings and sales volumes rising, and interest rates falling. The other is about how conveyancers are still struggling with slow transaction times, insufficient resources, and general lack of transparency. For more details, be sure to download the market research results today.
OneSearch is delighted to co-host a unique networking event celebrating not only International Women’s Day 2025, but also our one-year partnership with our close friends at Ladies of Law!
Located at the iconic Jam House in Birmingham, this event will present an opportunity to celebrate women in law and the incredible achievements of our community.
Join us on 6th March from 6:00 – 8:30pm as we come together to celebrate women in law and their amazing achievements. This will be an incredible opportunity to network with professionals at all stages of their careers, exchange ideas, and celebrate the remarkable contributions of women in the legal industry.
What to Expect:
- A welcome drink to kick things off
- Delicious food to enjoy
- Live music to follow if you decide to stay and keep the celebration going!
- Inspiring talks from inspiring women
Claire Slade, Business Development Manager at OneSearch said: “We are incredibly excited to celebrate International Women’s Day and our one-year partnership with Ladies of Law. This event will definitely be a massive testament to the strength and achievements of women in the legal industry, and we look forward to an evening of inspiration, connection, and celebration.”
Ella Watts, the founder of Ladies of Law, added: “We cannot wait for this networking event, which will be our first of the year, and our first in Birmingham. Any opportunity to bring together an amazing group of professionals is reason enough to celebrate, but to have it the week of International Women’s Day, as we also commemorate one year of partnering with OneSearch makes it even more special. This event will be all about recognising the incredible contributions of women in law and fostering a supportive community where we can all thrive.”
It’s going to be a magical evening, and we’d love for you to be part of it. Tickets will be limited, so make sure you don’t miss out!
Environmental insights are changing!
Our parent company Landmark Information Group are thrilled to share the launch of a remastered range of residential environmental search reports specifically designed to help you feel confident with search results, spend less time interpreting data and more time delivering excellent customer service.
Environmental Insights Remastered
Landmark’s remastered reports will still contain unmatched data and renowned in-house expert support but now with greater clarity, helping you navigate the most complex transactions, seamlessly.
Remastered content and design, led by conveyancers
To support these latest updates, Landmark engaged with over 200 residential conveyancers, from high street to multi practice firms; the invaluable feedback they provided together with Landmark’s 30 years of experience in property and land data, has allowed Landmark to remaster and shape environmental reports that properly satisfy the need for readability, comprehension and expediency.
Comprehensive due diligence, made easy
- New and upgraded risk modules to ensure we provide not only the most comprehensive reports in the market but the simplest way to convey environmental risk.
- Visually enhanced front pages – providing greater transparency for conveyancers to save valuable time.
- New executive summary pages for both conveyancers and homebuyers to understand quickly and easily which risks are relevant for that location and what to do next.
- Homebuyer guidance – to ensure your clients understand the report context.
Remastered Delivery
From the research Landmark carried out, PDF delivery is still extremely popular, but there was an awareness that digital formats will be the future moving forward. To support and prepare conveyancers with this transition Landmark’s remastered reports will be digitally enabled, giving choice on how you want to receive environmental insight information in the future.
To view the remastered catalogue, click the related products links below.
Climate change is no longer a ‘next generation’ threat; it’s on our doorstep impacting many different aspects of our lives, not least within the property sector.
Buildings are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and the effects of climate change are posing considerable risks to property values and future habitability. It is now undeniable that our sector needs to adapt.
“The property sector is a big part of the problem, as today, 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from our buildings. If left unchecked, this is set to double by 2050.”
– Chris Loaring, Group Sustainability Director, Landmark Information Group
To understand how the property industry is starting to adapt, Landmark conducted comprehensive market research of 150 senior level employees working in estate agency, residential conveyancing, and mortgage lending across England, Scotland and Wales. Our findings have helped us gauge the growing commitment towards sustainability, and how we can help support and nurture this further.
The consensus from the industry
Our report, “Climate change in the property sector: a cross-market perspective,” takes a thorough dive into the findings:
Growing concern
Climate change is no longer a distant threat. A significant majority of property professionals (72%) recognise the urgent need to address its impacts. This growing awareness is driving a shift towards sustainable practices within the industry.
Client awareness
Property professionals said that clients are increasingly concerned about the potential effects of climate change on their property purchases. Flooding (60%), energy efficiency (58%), and local planning (56%) are among the top priorities for homebuyers. As climate risks become more apparent, these concerns are influencing decision-making processes.
Shifting practices
The property industry is adapting to the changing climate, and more professionals are actively advising clients. For example, mortgage lenders are, on average, advising 48% of their clients on potential climate change risks to their property, a similar number can also be seen from estate agents (49%).
Room for improvement
While the industry is making progress, there is still room for improvement. Less than 60% of conveyancing firms are currently on track to meet carbon emission targets. This highlights the need for continued efforts to reduce the industry’s environmental impact.
Encouragingly, more businesses have created net zero strategies (76%, up from 52% in 2023). Conveyancers have made significant progress, with 48% having published their own strategies. This is a demonstrable sign at just how much positive momentum towards solutions the industry is taking when it comes to the fight against climate change.
Download our report
To gain a deeper understanding of the trends and insights from our research, download your copy of ‘Climate change in the property sector: a cross-market perspective‘ here:
*World Green Building Council report: Embodied Carbon – World Green Building Council (worldgbc.org)
It is that time of year again when conveyancers from across the UK come together to discuss important matters within the industry and trends for the future – National Conveyancing Week 2024.
The theme for the second day was mental health and well-being in the property sector, a topic that is often overlooked. In 2024, what are the residual impacts of COVID-19 on our sector’s mental health, what are the pressures faced by conveyancers, and what does working from home mean for our mental well-being?
Four years on from the COVID pandemic
While it may seem a long-distant memory for some, some within the industry believe that conveyancers are still reeling from the impacts of COVID-19 on UK property transactions. Robin Wells, Head of Sales Operations:
“I still firmly believe, as much as people will deny it, we’re still in a post-COVID slump in terms of struggling to cope with what happened and struggling to cope with what is normal.“
The loss of human contact felt during the pandemic and since the shift to working from home has undoubtedly left many feeling isolated and lonely and grappling with the question of what normal now means. Robin goes on to say:
“What is normal now? What’s a normal working environment? What’s work-life balance? What should that be? These are all buzzwords and things that are being said, but actually, what is it? What’s healthy? What’s not healthy? I think people trying to come to terms with that and find out what it is and how they get the best out of themselves and the best quality of life while working in this environment is tough”.
It may be that, in many ways, we are all still somewhat shocked by what happened in 2019 and 2020. Not everyone has had the chance to go back, debrief, and have a collective conversation about what happened, how we felt, how we now feel, and what it now means for our livelihoods. National Conveyancing Week provides an excellent forum for this to happen.
The relentlessness of the industry on mental health and well-being
For conveyancers in the UK, the relentlessness and demands placed on them can have a negative bearing on their mental health and well-being. The seemingly endless cycle of meetings on Teams and Zoom can also make us feel disconnected. This is a sentiment that Robin Wells, Head of Sales Operations at OneSearch, resonates with:
“It is nice to go out with a customer out of the office and just say, how are you? It’s as simple as that. How are you? You’re not selling anything. That comes later. But you’ll just say, how are you? How have you been? How are you feeling? I mean, because of COVID, people don’t talk like that anymore. It’s straight onto teams, straight onto an agenda”.
So what is the solution? For Elizabeth Jarvis, Managing Director, the key is setting boundaries and being present with loved ones:
“It is easier said than done and as somebody who used to be the world’s worst for being on email late at night, it is putting firm boundaries in place for yourself. Not just for you but for being present for your loved ones, for people around you and your family. Because I think we all recognise that when your home life is going well then that has a really good positive impact on your professional and your working life too. So you don’t just owe it to us, we owe it to the people who are closest to us as well”.
Emotional rollercoaster
Conveyancers often find themselves responding to the demands of a market that is either overheated or in a lull. The impact of this on mental health is overlooked, but the reality is we are sometimes swinging from too busy to not busy enough, resulting in concerns over job security, a genuine ‘emotional rollercoaster’. As Elizabeth Jarvis explains:
“You see, when you look at it, you think when it’s boom, it’s stressful because we’re running about like mad trying to get all these transactions through when we think about 2022, everybody was just running to stand still. People were working huge hours, you know, just trying to get all these transactions through and make the most of a really buoyant market…And then the market flattens and goes towards a natural connection again and it takes time for it to come back. And then that’s when everybody realises that they need to be really competitive. And how do they do that? And, you know, how do they retain the talent through the difficult periods?”.
Final words
We should make the most of any opportunity to discuss the mental health of conveyancers. We have all been through such an immense period of turmoil in the form of COVID-19, and market conditions remain uncertain with the background of war in Ukraine and stubbornly high mortgage interest rates. The more that we can all get together, laugh, reflect, and be optimistic about the future, the better for our collective mental health. For Elizabeth Jarvis, “It is about getting in to see a customer, getting to see your colleagues again, having that laughter brought back in again into daily life”. After all, the British are experts at this; a packet of your favourite biscuits, a cup of tea, and a chat, is sometimes all it takes to feel ‘normal’ again.
OneSearch is delighted to be sponsoring the Conveyancing Firm of the Year North category at the 4th Annual British Conveyancing Awards, taking place in London on Tuesday 12th March.
The British Conveyancing Awards is about bringing people together and recognising the excellent firms and organisations who stand out from the rest. The event will additionally be live-streamed via the British Conveyancing Awards website.
Our Head of Sales Operations Robin Wells will be in attendance on the night to present the deserving firm with the award, and will be supported by his OneSearch colleague James Shepherd, as well as other representatives from the wider Landmark family.
Alongside OneSearch, our LIG sister companies are also presenting awards, including:
- Conveyancing Firm of the Year South: Sponsored by SearchFlow
- Conveyancing Firm of the Year Midlands: Sponsored by Ochresoft
- Conveyancing Firm of the Year National: Landmark Information Group
On behalf of us all at OneSearch, we wish all the nominees the best of luck, and we look forward to seeing you on the night!
To find out more on the Awards, please click here.