Frequent updates will smooth conveyancing
Britain’s Legal Ombudsman has said that practitioners should issue brief, regular updates even when there is no substantive progress on a conveyance.
Complaints about residential conveyancing have risen sharply in that jurisdiction, with the Legal Ombudsman urging lawyers to improve communication with clients to reduce dissatisfaction during the home-buying process.
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) in England and Wales is an independent body that resolves complaints about legal-service providers.
In the third quarter of 2025/26, the ombudsman received 647 complaints related to residential conveyancing – an increase of 18% compared with the same period a year earlier.
The area now accounts for 36% of all complaints accepted by the service, making it its largest single source of work.
Despite the increase, complaints still represent a small proportion of overall activity in the housing market, with around 1.1 million residential property transactions completed in 2024/25.
However, the ombudsman, which has faced financial pressures, is seeking to reduce its caseload.
New guidance published on the ombudsman’s website highlights communication failures, unclear expectations, and delays as the main drivers of complaints.
It advises conveyancing lawyers to provide clearer information at the outset of a transaction and maintain regular contact with clients throughout the process.
The ombudsman acknowledged that conveyancers often operated in high-pressure environments and that delays could be caused by third parties outside their control.
However, it stressed that a lack of updates during these periods could lead clients to assume that no progress was being made.
According to the ombudsman, consistent communication can improve client satisfaction, reduce anxiety, and limit the number of follow-up enquiries from clients.
While the average property transaction in Britain in 2024 took 17 weeks to complete, buyers and sellers often anticipate a significantly shorter timeframe.
Realistic expectations
Lawyers are therefore encouraged to set realistic expectations at the beginning of a transaction, including likely timescales and potential causes of delay. The ombudsman said that early clarity could reduce repeated queries and help streamline the process.
It added that although providing detailed explanations at the outset might require additional time, it could ultimately improve efficiency by reducing the need for reactive communication later in the transaction.
The guidance forms part of ongoing efforts by the ombudsman to address rising demand and improve service standards across the conveyancing sector, the England and Wales Gazette reports.