We are delighted with the response to OneSearch AML since we unveiled the product last summer; we hope you’ve had the opportunity to explore yourselves into the solutions it can provide your firm when it comes to managing risk and protecting your firm.

We understand the world of Anti Money Laundering can seem overwhelming at times: new regulations, confusing jargon and acronyms… and that’s not forgetting keeping on top of ever-evolving fraud strategies. On top of all that, you may often find yourself explaining this to your clients as well.

To help you conquer compliance, and master your firms AML checks in 2025, we’re offering a downloadable guide packed with practical advice and best practices for conveyancers.

In our guide, you’ll learn about:

• Understanding your KYC/AML Obligations in 2025 
• A comparison of Manual vs Digital AML Checks 
• A detailed explanation about the Safe Harbour Standard
• A guide to the most common AML phrases and what they actually mean 
  
  And also:
  
• A full breakdown on the features and benefits of OneSearch AML, the most comprehensive anti-money laundering solution on the market. 

---

Grab your complimentary guide here:

Last night, the iconic Jam House in Birmingham was abuzz with excitement as OneSearch and Ladies of Law co-hosted a memorable networking event in celebration of International Women’s Day 2025.

The evening, which also commemorated the one-year anniversary of the partnership between OneSearch and Ladies of Law, was a resounding success, bringing together an incredible group of professionals to honour the remarkable achievements of women in the legal industry.

Claire Slade, one of the organisers of the event, said: “The evening was a true celebration of the strength, resilience, and achievements of women in the legal industry. To see the attendees making such valuable connections with peers at all stages of their careers was fantastic. We hope everyone left feeling left feeling inspired and empowered!”

One of the highlights of the evening was an inspiring talk from Alice Kinder, who spoke to the attendees about her personal journey and professional achievements, as well as the importance of proactivity and seizing opportunities, self-determination in shaping one’s career and life, and the need for the legal profession to evolve with the world, promoting diversity and inclusion.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Ella Watts, founder of Ladies of Law said after the event: “It was a wonderful evening. You could see the connections being made through networking, lots of people came on their own which was lovely to see!”

We at OneSearch are grateful to everyone who attended and made this event such a success. It was a magical evening, and we look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate and support the incredible women in our community. Here’s to many more years of partnership and celebration!

Let us leave you with this section from Alice Kinder’s talk:

“This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, Accelerate Action, is a powerful reminder that progress doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we work together to push forward, open doors for others, and create space for those coming up behind us. As an employment lawyer, I see the workplace changing every day, but there is so much more to be done. Progress requires intention. It requires us to champion fairness, advocate for inclusion, and stand firm in the face of inequality.“

– Alice Kinder

In 2024, we witnessed steady but consistently lower transaction volumes. That begs the question: Why don’t lower volumes mean faster transactions?

Spoiler alert: aside from some marginal variances, property transaction timescales did not vastly alter in 2024, despite reduced transaction volumes. The question is: why?   

Our parent company Landmark Information Group’s latest Property Transactions Report – entitled Why don’t lower volumes mean faster transactions? – seeks to answer that question (and more), delving into 17 years’ worth of data, with cross-market commentary from our experts.  

Major talking points covered in the report include:   

• What are the persistent bottlenecks in the home-buying process?   
• Where have timelines improved? 
• How do property transaction timescales compare to consumer expectations?  

In this report, we analyse the time taken between key transaction milestones and how they have changed over time, including: 

• Instruction to completion timescales for sales and purchases 
• Contract issued to buyer enquiries received timescales for sales 
• Instruction to mortgage offer received timescales for purchases 

Access your copy of the report by visiting this link.

“Safe Harbour.” We hear this term thrown around in conveyancing teams a lot, but what does it really mean? And is it something you have to do?

Over the years, property fraud has become quite the headache for conveyancers. Fraudsters have been selling properties they don’t own, running off with the cash, and leaving buyers high and dry. The Solicitors Regulation Authority even flagged vendor fraud as an emerging risk in its latest AML Sectoral Risk Assessment.

Naturally, after case law like Dreamvar, lawyers are pretty nervous about getting it wrong. It’s the case that changed the liabilities and responsibilities of lawyers and conveyancers when dealing with residential property transactions. For those who aren’t familiar with the specifics of the case of Dreamvar, here’s what happened…

A fraudster managed to sell a London property worth around £1 million by impersonating the real seller. After the sale, the fraudster (and the money) disappeared into thin air. Fortunately, the Land Registry caught the fraud when the transfer documents came through, so the title never changed hands.

But poor Dreamvar was left with no property and no cash, so they took legal action against their solicitors, alleging negligence and breach of trust. They also sued the fraudster’s solicitor for failing to spot the fraud. Initially, only Dreamvar’s solicitor was found liable, which seemed harsh to many, as the fraudster’s solicitor hadn’t done enough to verify their client’s identity under Money Laundering Regulations (MLR).

The case eventually made its way to the Court of Appeal. There, the judge determined that the solicitors representing the fraudulent property seller should also shoulder some responsibility alongside those representing the deceived buyer for any incurred losses.

Following this, the Law Society updated its Conveyancing Protocol. Now, if you’re acting for the seller (especially if you’re a Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) firm), you need to:

• request details of the bank account for the sale proceeds and
• obtain evidence that the account belongs to the seller, showing that they have had and been using the account for at least 12 months and
• confirm proceeds will only go to that account

This is a great way to ensure the purchase funds are going to the correct person! But let’s face it, fraudsters are still out there trying their luck. Take the case of a Vicar in 2021, who came home to find his house gutted and the locks changed. Someone had stolen his identity and sold his home – and this time, the Land Registry approved the title transfer. It took him two years of legal battles to get his house back!

Safe Harbour protects conveyancers who might unknowingly get caught up in a fraudulent transfer, as the Land Registry won’t hold them liable. The aim is that, by applying the Safe Harbour standard properly, you’ll spot a fraudulent seller right from the start.

---

This is an excerpt of a guest article written by Kayleigh Smale, of Smale Compliance. To continue reading on the Safe Harbour Standard and its potential implications for your business, you can download our detailed guide: Mastering AML compliance in 2025, which is additionally packed with in-depth analysis and actionable information designed to help you navigate the world of Anti-Money Laundering effectively.

On the latest episode of Landmark Talks Property, we sat down with Landmark’s Group Sustainability Director, Chris Loaring, and OneSearch Managing Director, Liz Jarvis, to discuss sustainability in conveyancing.

This conversation explores the critical role of sustainability in the real estate sector, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that arise from climate change reports and regulatory requirements. Chris Loaring discusses the importance of education, the need for support in navigating complex regulations, and the benefits for firms that adopt sustainable practices early. The dialogue emphasizes the evolving landscape of consumer expectations and the necessity for firms to engage with sustainability initiatives proactively.

To read the blog which accompanies this audio podcast, please click here.

To listen to more Landmark Talks Property episodes on Spotify, click here.

To find out more on Landmark’s sustainability offering, and for the opinions from experts across the property industry including Latham & Watkins, Taylor Wimpey, Savills, please visit ⁠sustainability.landmark.co.uk⁠

The state of play

The UK is once again counting down to a looming Stamp Duty deadline, evoking memories of a post-lockdown 2022 Britain.

The market has been chock-a-block with activity from first time buyers for the past few months. Recent home mover activity figures are as high as 64% for the end of 2024 and again at the start of 2025, with buyers having one eye on cheaper mortgage deals, and another on the prospect of higher buying costs on the horizon.

However, the time it takes to complete isn’t improving; average turnaround times continue to creep up and up, meaning those taking their first daunting step onto the housing ladder may fall short of the deadline, especially if part of a larger chain of purchases.

This of course means talk of the dreaded F-word: Fall-throughs. Recent research suggests numbers are rising again in the UK, with an estimated 84,079 fall-throughs during the third quarter of 2024 – the highest quarterly total seen since they peaked in Q3 2022.

The solution

Within a few weeks, SDLT thresholds will revert to pre-relief levels, and many thousands will be faced with the reality of having to amend budgets, or worse, restart from square one, with one of the potential causes being the turnaround time for searches.

OneSearch Express offers the perfect solution, combining the speed of a no-search indemnity policy – created in partnership with Lloyd & White Community Broking Ltd – with the crucial insights of a comprehensive property data report, allowing conveyancers to transact typically within just 24 hours.

And this year OneSearch Express celebrates its tenth birthday, with around 25,000 orders having been placed since 2015.

Liz Jarvis, Managing Director at OneSearch, said: “We know all too well how frustrating it is when Local Authority searches drag on. This creates a huge backlog, especially when caseloads are already bursting at the seams, and it puts immense stress on clients.

“That’s why we designed OneSearch Express – to take some of that pressure off. It gets things moving quickly and efficiently, so homebuyers can settle into their new place sooner, and solicitors can get on with their next case.

“To be here ten years later, talking about how it is still a vital asset for conveyancers, is a fantastic achievement”

What is OneSearch Express?

OneSearch Express provides cover in place of the following searches, which can often cause hold-ups in the conveyancing process:

• A full Chancel Repair Liability search
• A Search of the Local Land Charges Register form LLC1
• A Search of CON29R and/or CON29O records
• A Search of Water and Drainage records on CON29DW
• A search of the Coal Authority’s records on form CON29M
• An environmental risk assessment (excludes Commercial Express)

This allows conveyancers to proceed quickly, even when time is of the essence.

John Margett, Client Relationship Manager at OneSearch, added: “OneSearch Express has been so well received over the past ten years, turning many potential fall-throughs into completions from our clients.

“The key that makes Express unique is our data, something that distinguishes us from other search companies. OneSearch are the only company to possess an extensive database of real-time Local Enquiries information, which we have been collecting over the course of 30-plus years.

“Every single piece of data is meticulously triple checked, and that’s exactly the same process for Express”

OneSearch Express is available for a selection of different sale types, including existing residential, commercial, new build, and more.

John continued: “We offer Express in instances where it makes the most sense, such as remortgages, where in many instances very little has changed since the first Local Search was carried out. House sales for new builds can be considered as well, as the typical exchange is required within 28 days.”

---