New coalition drives e-conveyancing in the UK

A coalition of legal, government and business groups has been set up in the latest attempt to make e-conveyancing a reality in the UK, reported the Law Society Gazette. The Digital Property Market Steering Group (DPMSG) will represent legal professional bodies, including the Law Society, government agencies and property businesses. 

The group “will build on existing progress across the home buying and selling system to get a better result for the customer: simpler, faster, more certain and less stressful”, the launch announcement states. 

All-digital conveyancing has in theory been legal in the UK since the Land Registration Act 2002, the Gazette reports. However, attempts to set up a one-stop system have failed.

The steering group announcement notes: “The job of modernising the process has proved more challenging than envisaged and one that no single institution can achieve on its own.”

The group will “help the property market work better for all by accelerating the adoption of digital technology, while ensuring it is transparent, secure and consumer friendly, through collaboration and innovation across the sector”.

Founding members of the group include the Law Society, Conveyancing Association, Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Building Societies Association, UK Finance and HM Land Registry. 

Lubna Shuja, Law Society president, told the Gazette: “The Law Society is committed to improving the home-buying experience for consumers and others involved in the conveyancing process. Whilst we know that chains of transactions can lengthen timescales, involving sellers’ solicitors at an early stage would make the process smoother and more efficient.

“Although there is no silver bullet, digitisation will be transformative in this work, especially in relation to ID, digital deeds, digital registration, and providing important information to consumers about both the process and the property at an early stage.”