The Intermediary – October 2026 - Flipbook - Page 8
RESIDENTIAL
Opinion
Are you ready for
what comes next?
F
or a long time,
conversations about the
UK property market
have tended to focus on
London and the South.
However, the latest
industry data suggests a structural
shi has been taking place, with
activity beginning to grow nationwide
and moving away from the usual
London-centric lens.
A nationwide shift
Our latest State of the UK
Conveyancing Market report analysed
15 months of HM Land Registry
(HMLR) data and found that growth
across the UK is broad, rather than
concentrated in a single region.
HMLR dealing applications
increased across almost every region
when comparing the three months
from April to June 2026 with the same
period in 2025. The strongest regional
increases were recorded in the
North, at 30.1%, and the North West,
at 29.4%.
Following these, the West Midlands
grew by 27.8%, while Yorkshire and
the Humber and the South West both
saw an increase of 27.2%. The South
East rose by 27.0%, while Greater
London recorded the overall smallest
regional increase at 21.0%.
This geographic shi is being
driven in large part by the Stamp Duty
Land Tax (SDLT) threshold changes
in April 2025, which lowered the
nil-rate threshold to £125,000. This
tax change has disproportionately
slowed down higher-value southern
sales, while average house prices in
northern regions now sit at 58% less
than southern levels, the narrowest
gap since 2013.
While HMLR dealing applications
should not be taken at face value
as completed property sales, the
data does suggest that conveyancing
firms across a wide range of markets
should start preparing for higher
levels of activity as regions become
6
The Intermediary | October 2026
busier with property activity. This
regional surge appears as a major
growth opportunity for mortgage
brokers operating outside of the
capital, but in reality it’s creating a
systemic strain that threatens more
than just conveyancing firms.
Operational bottlenecks
Theoretically, increased activity is
welcome news for conveyancers and
mortgage brokers alike. However,
according to 2025 data from property
analytics company TwentyCi, it is
taking homebuyers and sellers 123 days
to reach exchange.
This growing delay is driven by
a shortage of specialist solicitors –
which are down 15.7% over the past
five years – heavier caseloads and an
increased regulatory burden.
So, this increasing activity is
reliant on seamless operations, and
when caseloads increase, firms need
to be assured that their people can
cope with the workloads without
creating bolenecks.
Alongside this, professionals
in the sector are navigating five
major regulatory and compliance
changes that have come into practice
over the past 12 months, adding
more administrative work to every
transaction and placing additional
pressure on already stretched
legal teams.
Firms are also under pressure as
client expectations around speed
and communication are changing.
Consumer expectations have
evolved, with people becoming even
more used to tracking deliveries,
managing finances, and accessing
services digitally, oen with
immediate visibility.
That does not mean clients
expect their property transaction
to be instant, but they do expect
transparency. For conveyancers
dealing with higher caseloads,
maintaining that communication
becomes even more important.
ANDREW STEVENS
is general manager
at Access Legal
Legal delays are a huge threat
to a broker’s commission and
overall client satisfaction. With
holdups stalling the process, despite
being external to the brokerage,
mortgage brokers risk having those
feelings of frustration from clients
associated with them.
Similarly, delays threaten
commission payouts and result in time
becomes wasted on old cases instead
of finding new business to keep the
business progressing.
Brokers now need to look beyond
the speed of chosen lenders,
and interrogate if their client’s
conveyancer actually has the
operational capacity to complete
the deal.
Long-term resilience
Market fluctuations are inevitable,
and regional performance will
continue to evolve adjacent to
economic shis. However, this
broad growth highlighted by our
Conveyancing Report only remains a
minor victory for the industry while
the solicitor talent gap still exists.
For some conveyancing firms,
addressing this may mean
recruiting or upskilling team
members. For others, it will involve
reviewing processes, refining client
communication, or investing in legal
technology to handle higher volumes.
Successful mortgage brokers will be
those who can best navigate the new
risks posed by the 123-day delay in
reaching exchange.
By directing clients towards tech-led
practices and conveyancing firms that
have shown an active response to these
challenges, brokers can reduce client
friction, protect their revenue and
continue on a path of growth in an
otherwise challenging market. ●
