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.

Our latest Residential Market Research is now available.
 
Recently, Landmark interviewed 100 residential property solicitors and conveyancers in England, Scotland and Wales. We spoke to managing partners, heads of residential property law, fee earners, residential property solicitors and other directors. 

We gained invaluable insights into the residential property market, and it showed us what’s currently of concern to conveyancers and where they see future opportunities to help drive the success and profitability of their business. 

For example, within the last 12 months, incomplete information has meant our respondents have needed to raise enquiries in an average of 46% of cases, hence perhaps why 53% say having upfront information to assess the complexity of the work would have the biggest impact on profitability.

The Q4 2023 edition of Landmark’s Residential Property Trends Report is now live. Within the report, you’ll find the latest data from the residential property transaction pipeline, including listings, SSTC/SSTM, searches ordered and completions.

This is a market poised for return. Whilst supply remains consistently robust, subsequent pipeline metrics such as SSTC / SSTM, searches ordered and completions are still flat.

Key findings from Q4 ‘23 include:

• Listing activity in England and Wales in Q4 ‘23 registered the same volumes recorded in  Q4 ‘19.  
• Completions dropped in England and Wales in Q4 ’23 – 38% lower than Q4 ‘19.
• In Scotland, listings for Q4 ‘23 were 9% up on Q4 ’19, but completions were subdued by 13% vs Q4 ’19.
• Overall, dispute healthy listings, the residential pipeline remains constrained.

The Q3 2023 edition of Landmark’s Residential Property Trends Report is live. Within the report, you’ll find the latest insights into the residential property transaction pipeline from listings to SSTC/SSTM, and from searches to completions. 

Whilst supply is holding up, subsequent pipeline metrics such as SSTC / SSTM, searches ordered and completions remain low.

Key findings from Q3 include:

• Listing activity is up in England and Wales – 1% higher over Q3 ’23 vs Q3 ‘19.
• Completions dropped in England and Wales in Q3 ’23 – 35% lower than Q3 ‘19.
• In Scotland, listings are 4% up on Q3 ’19, but completions are subdued by 18% vs Q3 ’19.
• Overall, supply is still struggling to progress through the pipeline.

Download the Cross Market Activity edition for England, Wales and Scotland, and view the latest residential property market data for Q3 2023.

We hope you find the report helpful.

The Q2 2023 edition of Landmark’s Residential Property Trends Report is now live. Within the report, you’ll find the latest insights into the residential property transaction pipeline from listings to SSTC/SSTM, and from searches to completions. 

The report found that whilst supply is relatively strong, demand volumes are struggling to progress through the transactional pipeline.   

Headlines from Q2 include:
•    Supply is up in England and Wales – with listings 12% higher in June ’23 vs June ‘19
•    Completions dropped in England and Wales in Q2 ’23 – 39% lower than Q2 ‘19
•    In Scotland, the picture is marginally better but buyers are similarly constrained  
•    Overall, demand volumes struggle to progress across Great Britain as high interest rates, restricted mortgage availability and squeezed affordability continue to drive an uncertain market.