Since Labour came to power 12 months ago they have made home ownership one of their key messages. The headlines have focused on their ambitions to build 1.5m new homes over the course of this Parliament and in February they announced they would be 'modernising' home buying and selling process to make it fit for the 21st Century; but what does it really mean for conveyancers?

The latest Today's Conveyancer podcast welcomes two protagonists who are involved in these efforts Nick Chadbourne, CEO of LMS, and Angela Hesketh, Head of Market Development at PEXA who both join the discussion in their roles representing the Open Property Data Association (OPDA).

In the short term there are two ongoing projects; a A 12-week assessment of the needs of industry, specifically around data sharing and standardisation.

The second project is led by Land Registry, and aims to digitise data points managed by central government and local authorities with the ambition to streamline data access and improve efficiency

The OPDA's role is on creating the framework both for collecting and storing data associated with property transactions; and subsequently enabling it to be shared and relied upon. Nick describes the process as providing a 'vouch' validating its origin and reliability, allowing conveyancers to make informed decisions without extensive rechecking.

ID has been widely touted as a user case; instead of verifying ID 3,4,5 times throughout a transaction it can instead be verified once and relied upon thereafter. There are specific issues particular to property explains Angela, and work is ongoing to create a supplementary code to existing digital identity legislation that meets these unique needs.

Both Nick and Angela are excited about the potential; a world in which conveyancers can trust the data they receive and focus on delivering a high-quality service without the burden of extensive verification and reverification. Alongside bringing more of that verified data to the fore at the outset of the transaction and being able to rely upon it, this shift would allow conveyancers to concentrate on their core responsibilities and improve the overall customer journey.

Listen in to hear how the government's modernisation agenda is shaping up and how it impacts conveyancers and the wider property profession.

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views.

Thank you to our podcast sponsors PEXA, Osprey Approach, and VacantC Legal Recruitment.

The latest Today's Conveyancer Podcast welcomes workplace culture and staff retention specialist Andre Thomas of Thomas Telman to discuss the critical importance of cultivating a positive workplace culture and the direct impact this has on staff retention and overall business success.

The firm has created a empirical methodology by which culture can be measured through engagement surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews. He identifies 15 key data points for assessing culture, including career development, psychological safety, retention rates, and recruitment costs. By gathering both quantitative and qualitative data, firms can gain a comprehensive understanding of their workplace culture and identify areas for improvement.

Throughout the discussion Andre shares some of the detail of this methodology which can reduce the likelihood of errors and claims (engaged and satisfied employees are less likely to make mistakes), create positive cultures where employees feel valued, and aligned with the company's values increasing productivity, and plays a sizeable role in attracting and retaining top talent and ultimately improving profitability.

Andre Thomas explains that many firms fail to take culture seriously due to a lack of clear definition and measurement. He argues that culture is not about superficial perks like table tennis tables or bean bags but about the genuine employee experience. Conversely, a toxic culture is marked by poor communication, lack of psychological safety, and high turnover.

He encourages firms to be open about their findings and involve employees in the process of making improvements; trust and transparency are the foundations of a positive workplace culture, which in turn drives staff retention and business success.

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views.

Thank you to our podcast sponsors PEXA, Osprey Approach, and VacantC Legal Recruitment.

In the latest episode of the Today's Conveyancer podcast, host David Opie welcomes Rob Gurney, Managing Director of Ochresoft to discuss how long conveyancing actually takes; and why lower the lower transaction volumes of the last couple of years haven't seen corresponding falls in completion times.

A new report from Landmark which interrogates the data held in the Ochresoft conveyancing workflows shows despite lower transaction volumes and advancements in technology, the time taken for property transactions has doubled since 2007. The average time from instruction to completion has increased from 85 days in 2007 to 160 days in 2024 for sales, and from 75 days to 120 days for purchases.

There is, says Rob, a need for fundamental changes in the conveyancing process, including early instruction of lawyers and the adoption of technology. Rob has previously been on the Today's Conveyancer podcast discussing the perfect contract pack; conveyancing nirvana, where unnecessary enquiries are eradicated, and the process is streamlined to meet modern consumer expectations.

For the time being issues around staffing (a 15% fall in qualified conveyancing numbers since the pandemic has caused bottlenecks); increased responsibility during the transaction meaning conveyancers now deal with roughly double the number of requirements they previously did; and regulatory changes including AML and BSA all have an impact on timelines.

But there are factors within conveyancers' control says Rob, suggesting the earlier instruction of lawyers would go some way to streamlining the process later down the line. Instruction at the point of listing provides time to prepare documentation and data in advance. With search turnarounds now down to c.10 days, fewer complaints can be made about delays here, but ordering them in good time will help.

And despite an 8 day reduction in the time it takes to deal with pre-contract enquiries between 2023 and 2024, the current 52-day average is double the time it took in 2007.

Let's not forget, concludes Rob, we're all trying to achieve the same thing and no one gets paid until the transaction completes. For estate agents, shorter transaction times mean faster pipeline turnover and increased revenue. For lenders and consumers, delays can lead to financial losses due to expiring mortgage offers and changing interest rates. And for conveyancers faster transactions means better fees and happier clients.

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views.

Thank you to our podcast sponsors PEXA, Osprey Approach, and VacantC Legal Recruitment.