Here is how the process works, what it covers, and what firms need to get right.
For much of conveyancing’s recent history, identity verification meant a face-to-face meeting, with documents examined in person, copies certified, and records updated manually. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a shift that was already underway, and remote identity verification has since become standard practice in many firms.
When implemented correctly, remote verification is not a compromise on security. Modern technology, including biometric matching, NFC chip reading, and liveness detection, can produce a more reliable result than manual document review, while also creating a clear and auditable digital record. Where processes are poorly designed or inconsistently applied, however, the risk increases. Documents may be accepted without proper scrutiny, checks may be incomplete, and audit trails may be insufficient.
Understanding what remote verification involves is essential to applying it correctly.
A compliant remote identity verification process covers three core elements, all of which must be present to meet the requirements of the Money Laundering Regulations and, for firms seeking HMLR Safe Harbour protection, Practice Guide 81.
The first is document verification, which confirms that the identity document is genuine. For Safe Harbour purposes, this involves reading the NFC chip embedded in biometric passports, EU and EEA identity cards, and UK biometric residence permits. The chip contains cryptographically signed data from the issuing authority, and verifying this data provides a level of assurance that cannot be achieved through visual inspection alone.
The second is biometric matching, which confirms that the person presenting the document is the individual shown on it. This is typically achieved by comparing a live image captured via a smartphone against the image stored on the document’s chip. The comparison is carried out algorithmically and provides a more consistent result than a manual check.
The third is liveness detection, which confirms that the image being captured is genuinely live. It ensures that the individual is physically present and not attempting to use a photograph, mask, or recorded video to impersonate someone else. This is a critical safeguard against increasingly sophisticated spoofing attempts.
Not all identity documents support full remote digital verification. For the process to function correctly, and particularly for NFC chip reading, the document must contain an embedded chip.
The documents that meet this requirement include biometric passports, EU and EEA identity cards with biometric capability, and UK biometric residence permits. These allow the system to carry out full cryptographic verification.
Other documents, such as driving licences or non-biometric passports, can support identity checks but cannot be verified using NFC technology. For firms aiming to meet the HMLR Safe Harbour standard, a chip-enabled document is required.
From the client’s perspective, the process is typically straightforward. They receive a link or access a secure portal, scan their identity document using their smartphone, capture a short video or image, and complete any required prompts. The process usually takes only a few minutes.
Behind the scenes, however, multiple checks are carried out simultaneously. The system performs NFC verification, biometric comparison, and liveness detection, cross-checking the results and flagging any inconsistencies. The outcome should be a clear, auditable record of the checks completed, including the results and timestamps.
This audit trail is important. The SRA expects firms to be able to demonstrate that identity checks were carried out, when they were completed, and what the outcome was.
Remote verification introduces specific risks where processes are not properly designed or applied. Common issues include accepting documents that do not support full digital verification without recognising the limitation, relying on systems that do not carry out all required elements, and treating a verification report as the end of the process without reviewing its content.
It is also important to understand the scope of remote verification. It confirms identity, meaning that the individual is who they claim to be. It does not replace other AML requirements, such as source of funds checks, PEP and sanctions screening, or ongoing monitoring. These obligations continue throughout the life of the matter.
Remote identity verification should be seen as one component of a wider AML framework rather than a standalone solution. When all three elements are applied correctly, document verification, biometric matching, and liveness detection, the process can provide a high level of assurance and a clear audit trail. However, its effectiveness depends on how it is implemented and reviewed in practice.
Firms that treat remote verification as a complete solution risk overlooking the broader obligations that sit alongside it, while those that embed it within a structured and consistent process are better placed to meet both regulatory expectations and client needs.
A conflicting record. A missing detail. A query that arrives too late to resolve cleanly. These moments rarely come from nowhere. More often they’re the predictable consequence of a gap in the data, something that was available but not caught, or available but not ordered.
Here are four of the risks that appear most consistently, and what good search data looks like in each case.
Planning records are among the most commonly misread elements in a local authority search – not because the data is wrong, but because it requires interpretation. A restriction that applied to a previous use, a consent that was granted but never implemented, a condition attached to an older permission that the current owner has quietly ignored – none of these are hidden. They’re in the data. But they require someone to look at the full picture rather than the headline.
The risk is greatest on properties with complex histories: former commercial uses, extensions built under permitted development, conversions from one use class to another. In conservation areas, the detail required is even more precise – not just whether works were approved, but whether they were approved under the correct consent route.
The search data should surface this. If it doesn’t, the problem isn’t the planning history – it’s the search.
Public rights of way are a good example of a risk that feels theoretical until it isn’t. A right of way that crosses a garden or driveway doesn’t affect every transaction – but when it does affect one, and the buyer wasn’t told, the consequences are significant and the firm’s position is uncomfortable.
The challenge is that rights of way aren’t always visible on the ground. A path that hasn’t been walked in years is still legally protected. A route that’s been physically blocked by a previous owner remains on the definitive map. The seller may be entirely unaware.
A local authority search will include rights of way data, but the quality of that data varies considerably depending on the source and how recently it was verified. Knowing where your provider’s data comes from, and how current it is, matters more for this particular risk than almost any other.
Chancel repair liability is one of those risks that experienced conveyancers are well aware of and occasionally encounter in practice. The liability, which can require a property owner to contribute to the cost of repairing the chancel of a local parish church, dates from medieval land law and is tied to the land rather than the owner’s beliefs or connection to the church.
Since 2013, unregistered chancel repair liability is no longer an overriding interest, meaning it must be registered to bind a purchaser. But for properties that changed hands before that date, registered liability can still exist and still bite.
The appropriate response is straightforward, a chancel search where the risk exists, and indemnity insurance where it’s warranted. The less straightforward part is identifying which properties warrant the extra step. Rural properties, older stock, and land near historic parish churches are the obvious candidates. The search data should prompt the question.
Flooding is increasingly well understood as a property risk, but the gap between what a standard environmental search flags and what a property is genuinely exposed to has widened as climate patterns have shifted. A property that last flooded in 1987 may carry a lower risk rating than one that flooded in 2020 – but both carry risk, and neither is necessarily reflected in what the seller has disclosed.
The specific risk that catches firms out most often isn’t river or coastal flooding, which tends to be well mapped. It’s surface water flooding, the kind that results from drainage systems being overwhelmed during heavy rainfall, which is harder to model, less consistently reported, and increasingly common in areas that haven’t historically been considered at risk.
An environmental search that draws on current flood mapping, drainage records, and historical incident data gives a materially different picture from one that relies on older datasets. The difference matters when you’re advising a client on whether to proceed and on what terms.
None of these risks are obscure. Every conveyancer reading this will have encountered at least one of them in practice. What connects them is that they’re all data problems before they’re legal problems – and in each case, the quality and currency of the search data determines whether the issue surfaces at the right moment or the wrong one.
The search isn’t just a regulatory requirement. It’s the foundation on which advice is built. It’s worth knowing exactly what yours is built on.
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data puzzle’ guide:
Her daily routine often involved grappling with a map tank, a gargantuan metal beast filled with oversized paper maps held together with tape and a prayer, where crucial property details were manually drawn, scribbled out, and drawn again. It was a world of queues for the library photocopiers and urgent pager calls, with the hope the local phone box still worked.
This era marked the early steps of OneSearch, and as Liz, now Managing Director, looks back on her three-decade journey with the company, it reveals far more than just a personal ascent. It’s a compelling narrative of how OneSearch grew from those analogue roots to become a leader in digital data, a testament to its enduring adaptability, formidable resilience, and an uncompromising dedication to delivering the complete, accurate picture to conveyancing professionals.
OneSearch, then known as SPH, began its life in 1992, rooted in a small-town planning practice in West Dunbartonshire. Thirty years ago, the world of property data was a landscape unrecognisable to today’s digital natives. There was no email, no instant downloads, no bespoke systems. Information was solely a physical commodity, painstakingly collected and manually processed.
“How we used to have to stand in a public library and commandeer the photocopier all day as we copied agendas,” Liz recalls, a chuckle in her voice. Her colleague, Heather Nash, who started around the same time, paints an even more vivid picture: “I remember having to go and photocopy Tree Preservation Orders and planning applications and then navigate my way back on the train… with my bag full of photocopies all the way back to the office again.” These bags, heavy with paper, were just the start. Once back at the office, everything had to be manually input.
Even basic communication was an odyssey. If a “roadie” – OneSearch’s intrepid data collectors – was out in the field, a pager would summon them. “You always had spare change in your pocket and try and find a public payphone which wasn’t always the easiest,” Carol Gildea, OneSearch Head of Operations recounts. “It’s like Victorian times,” Liz adds, reflecting on the sheer obstacles posed by communication in those early days.
The physical office mirrored this paper-heavy reality. “Everything used to be held on lever arch files,” Carol explains. “If you wanted to find out to conduct the search you had to check all of the folders individually.” Shelves groaned under the weight of paperwork, maps, and written statements. The morning post wasn’t just a handful of letters; it was “literally sacks and sacks of newspapers for the data collection.” Search results, once compiled, had to be printed, stuffed into huge DX or legal post bags, and physically collected each day. Caroline Taylor, who joined OneSearch in 2006, remembers that “opening all the mail used to be like a task that would typically take all morning.”
Liz, Carol, and Heather were among OneSearch’s early roadies, the pioneers who ventured out to councils across Scotland to gather data first-hand. Their job wasn’t just physical; it was often met with resistance.
Carol vividly recalls an encounter with one planner in particular. She needed clarity on a smudged entry in a vast map register, where planning applications were often written in pencil. The planner’s response was, to say the least, a tad hostile.
“I remember them saying things to us like, ‘you’re stealing the bread from our children’s mouths’. They said it so loudly that everyone in the planning department just stopped what they were doing and looked.
“And I thought to myself back then, what kind of company have I joined here?!”
This intense opposition, born from fear of a new, more efficient model, forced OneSearch to be tenacious and innovative. Liz even shared how they had to “create different company names to get in to get more appointments” with councils that limited access.
Despite the challenges, the roadie life fostered a unique camaraderie and deep understanding of the country. Liz’s personal “food run” – collecting Forfar bridies, Arbroath smokies, and Aberdeen butteries for colleagues and neighbours – paints a warm, amusing picture of the lengths they went to. Carol echoes the sentiment: “It was actually one of my favourite roles… I just loved the freedom of meeting people and going to different areas every day.” Even the frustration of receiving a pager notification for an urgent search, miles from home, necessitating a frantic search for a phone box and a “hightail it away back up to the council again,” is remembered with a wry fondness.
The journey from those manual, often combative, days to today’s seamless digital operations is a testament to OneSearch’s relentless pursuit of efficiency and quality.
“It’s just amazing to think where we are now in terms of how we operate,” Carol reflects. “Everything is at our fingertips.” The shift from fax machines with queues of people waiting, to instant digital communication with road agents, dramatically cut turnaround times.
Caroline, from her finance perspective, saw this evolution in how OneSearch dealt with councils. “a lot [of the Local Authorities] were very, very resistant to change,” she notes, regarding the move away from cheques to online payments and invoices. COVID-19 ironically became a catalyst for some of these changes, forcing councils to embrace digital access that many have since maintained.
OneSearch’s foresight in adopting a unique model early on – collecting CON29 data in-house – proved prescient. This proactive approach positioned them perfectly for the era of upfront data. Liz recounts how digitalising Local Land Charge registers, once a “pipe dream,” is now a reality. “I’d like to think that we were forward thinking that we just foresaw that rather than just being lucky,” Carol adds.
OneSearch’s 30-year journey isn’t just one of growth; it’s one of profound resilience. Caroline highlights the company’s ability to navigate immense challenges: “We’ve had the banking crash, we’ve had the removal of HIPs overnight, and the business is still here to tell the tale.”
Then there was the fire. An actual fire in the roof of the building. Liz received the call at 4AM, but by lunchtime, thanks to a well-rehearsed disaster recovery plan, OneSearch was “up and running and producing searches again.” Carol remembers competitors even reaching out to offer support during that time, a testament to the industry’s solidarity. The rapid pivot to remote work during the COVID-19 lockdown, with business “not even impacted whatsoever,” further cemented OneSearch’s adaptability.
Despite all the technological leaps and market upheavals, one thing has remained constant: OneSearch’s unwavering commitment to its people and its customers.
For customers, this translates into a unique service model. Carol, from her time as customer services manager, insists: “We don’t want to be perceived as a call centre. We’re there as a partner and as a support for our customers, so we want to build that relationship.” This personalised support means customer service staff “know exactly who they’re speaking to,” building trust that goes “a long way as to how the business continues to grow.” Even with urgent requests, OneSearch now offers solutions like Express searches and leverages long-standing relationships with councils for favours, ensuring clients get the help they need. The preference for communication may have shifted to email for busy solicitors, but the underlying dedication to direct, helpful conversation remains.
Caroline summarises the incredible journey: “It amazes me the actual resilience of the company… We’ve seen so many bad things happen, but we’ve always bounced back. We’ve always managed to work our way through.”
Now it’s 2025, and OneSearch stands as a beacon of stability and quality, a testament to three decades of adapting, innovating, and prioritising the human element. From commandeering photocopiers and fighting for appointments to instant digital delivery and personalised support, the journey is far from over, but the core commitment to solving the conveyancing puzzle for their partners, perfectly, remains as strong as ever.
Ready to see how the industry knowledge and experience available at OneSearch can help you and your firm with your property data requirements?
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data puzzle’ guide:
Your day-to-day involves tightrope walking many deadlines, as well as advising and assuring clients on what is likely to be their biggest life purchase, so of course you are heavily relying on countless pieces of information to ensure everything aligns.
But what happens when one of these thousand pieces is missing, misprinted, or simply doesn’t fit where it should?
That’s when the clear path to completion becomes a frustrating labyrinth, and the entire transaction can stall, leaving you, your clients, and your professional reputation exposed to unnecessary risk and stress.
This isn’t a hypothetical challenge; it’s a persistent reality for many in the profession. The integrity of that underlying property search data is paramount, yet too often, conveyancers find themselves battling inconsistencies, chasing down fragmented data, or uncovering unwelcome surprises late in the process. This takes a significant toll, turning what should be a smooth journey into an ordeal filled with doubt.
When data tells the wrong story, it creates ripples of uncertainty that can affect everything from client confidence to the deal’s viability.
At OneSearch, we deeply understand that orchestrating these varied data components into a coherent finished picture is key to stress-free, confident conveyancing. This isn’t just about providing information; it’s about ensuring every single piece of your property data jigsaw is meticulously sourced, expertly verified, seamlessly integrated, and precisely where it should be, giving you the clarity and peace of mind you need from the very start.
The complexity of sourcing and combining all these diverse data points presents significant challenges. We often see conveyancers grappling with:
These inconsistencies aren’t mere inconveniences. They translate directly into:
In a market often driven by price, the hidden costs of low-quality, fragmented data far outweigh any initial savings. Your peace of mind, your reputation, and your client’s satisfaction are too valuable for compromise.
At OneSearch, we don’t just understand the data puzzle; we’re built to solve it. We believe trust in your search provider is paramount, and that trust is forged through unwavering data quality, meticulous integrity, and the genuine expertise of our people. We stand as the definitive champion of clarity in conveyancing, committed to transforming your challenges into seamless transactions.
Our approach to ‘solving the data puzzle’ involves:
By taking this meticulous, people-first approach, we guarantee clarity and confidence for conveyancers. We transform the challenge of fragmented data into the certainty of a perfectly solved puzzle.
You deserve a conveyancing process where every piece clicks into place, every time. Investing in truly trustworthy data is investing in your firm’s efficiency, reputation, and peace of mind.
Ready to see how OneSearch can help you assemble the complete conveyancing picture, seamlessly and confidently?
Fill in the form below to download your complimentary ‘Solving the
data puzzle’ guide:
In this blog, we will look at how providing OneSearch Pledge can enhance your reputation as a conveyancer and provide considerable peace of mind to your clients that their search costs will not be lost if their transaction does not proceed.
Nearly one in three residential property transactions fell through in 2024 (an estimated 296,204 transactions), with each one estimated to cost the home buyer an average of £3,456; that equates to losses of over £1bn. The wider economic losses due to fall through are estimated at £8.6 billion. The UK’s high property fall-through rate is not just a statistic; it represents a significant risk to your clients’ finances and your firm’s reputation and efficiency.
Consider that for each residential property fall-through:
While the estimates of costs vary, it is clear that the hundreds of thousands of property fall-throughs have an enormous impact on the wider economy, property transaction stakeholders, and potential buyers.
For a fee of approximately £15 per transaction, your clients can be reassured that should their matter fall through, they will receive up to £300 to cover their search costs. Given that the average cost of searches is around £400, this will return most of their search-related costs.
Offering a solution like OneSearch Pledge can really create a point of difference for your conveyancing practice, i.e., that you care. Many purchasers want to know that if their matter falls through for reasons outside of their control, they will not be financially out of pocket as a result. Not only does providing the assurance of Pledge show that you are committed to client care, but there will be a corresponding reduction in complaints and disputes arising from aborted transaction costs. Depending on your business model, you may choose to pass on the fee for Pledge or absorb this within your own costs in the knowledge that it may encourage more clients to choose your lower-risk offering.
As far as the client is concerned, they simply need to tick the option to be covered by Pledge. There is no application form, detailed paperwork, or investment of their time. In the event that they need to claim against their Pledge warranty, all they need to do is inform their conveyancer, who will advise Onesearch. If the claim is approved, the amount is paid to the client within 15 working days.
The exceptionally high level of fall-throughs in 2024/25 means that the risk of losing search fees is significant. While some customers will feel that they can absorb the cost of lost search fees if their matter falls through, many will not because they cannot afford to lose hundreds of pounds due to factors outside their control. By providing the peace of mind that Pledge provides, your conveyancing firm can demonstrate its commitment to customer care and respect for the precious financial resources of clients. We have made Pledge as simple as possible for all stakeholders – one small fee, no paperwork, and an easy claim process.
How can I help my client understand the value of Pledge?
Many home buyers may take the view that the risk of their purchase falling through is negligible. It is important to explain that the rate of aborted transactions is much higher than people think (i.e. nearly one-third in 2024). Furthermore, there is no guarantee that any subsequent purchase transactions will go through the first time. As a result, the fees for aborted transactions may start to add up. The fee is extremely small in the grand scheme of the purchase, but having a pledge means that they won’t waste money that can be put towards searching for a future purchase.
Will Pledge reimburse the seller if the seller pulls out?
Any OneSearch fees will be reimbursed to the buyer if the seller pulls out of the transaction. Specifically, we will cover the search fees if the seller is not in a legal position to sell the property or they accept a higher offer from another buyer and the home buyer is not willing to increase their offer in response.
Will Pledge reimburse the buyer if the buyer pulls out?
Any OneSearch fees will be reimbursed to the buyer if they need to pull out of their purchase for a wide range of reasons, including:
For a full list of the criteria for reimbursement and situations not covered, please click here.
Is Pledge an insurance product?
No, Pledge is a warranty add-on offered when purchasing a bundle of searches OneSearch Direct only.
OneSearch is an expert partner to conveyancing professionals, offering innovative and practical solutions to navigate the complexities and risks of the UK property market. For more information on OneSearch Pledge and what it can do for your firm and clients, please complete the contact form at the bottom of the product page or contact our team directly by email: cs@onesearchdirect.co.uk or phone: 0800 052 0117
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?
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.
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”.
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?”.
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.