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Conveyancing solicitors and fee earners
Conveyancing solicitors and fee earners looking to benchmark their firm's performance and understand where the market is heading
The State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026
This is Access Legal's annual data-driven analysis of the UK conveyancing market, built on 15 months of verified HM Land Registry data. It covers transaction volumes, competitive landscape, client expectations, compliance obligations, regional scorecards, and the outlook for FY26/27.
Report overview
The State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 is the fourth edition of Access Legal's conveyancing industry report. This year, we analysed 15 months of verified HM Land Registry data from April 2025 to June 2026, the most extensive dataset in the report's history. Because of this, we can provide conveyancing firms with an accurate, actionable picture of how the market performed in FY25/26 and what to expect in FY26/27.
The 2026 report covers the full arc of the post-SDLT correction, the remortgage surge that followed four Bank of England rate cuts, and the record transaction volumes of early 2026. It also examines how firm size bands are shifting, what 1,388 verified client reviews reveal about the gap between expectations and reality, and how the compliance landscape changed. It closes with a clear-eyed outlook for FY26/27 and seven practical steps for the year ahead.
What the data shows
Here are the key findings:
- 1.09 million transactions completed in FY25/26. It’s highest annual figure in recent years, driven by a sustained remortgage wave as 1.8 million fixed-rate deals matured across the year.
- April 2026 set a record single-month high of 122,810 transactions. This was driven by a second remortgage spike as four Bank of England rate cuts fed through to borrower behaviour.
- The number of solicitors practising in conveyancing has fallen to 10,724. Down more than 2,000 since 2021, this creates a structural capacity gap at precisely the moment demand is recovering.
- Average transaction times reached 123 days to completion. This puts firms under pressure at precisely the moment client expectations around speed and communication are rising fastest.
- Five major regulatory changes came into force in a single twelve-month window. The report breaks down what each one means in practice, so you understand what each one requires and what to prioritise first.
- National firms now account for an estimated 59% of all UK conveyancing volume. Gain insight into where that volume is concentrated, which firms are gaining ground, and how the competitive landscape is shifting.
What the report covers
The UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report follows a structured framework across six areas:
Conveyancing practice
We cover the macro forces shaping FY25/26 (four Bank of England rate cuts, the SDLT reversion, the remortgage wave, and regional divergence), how the market split between DLG and TP activity, how firm size bands are shifting, and what the data shows across four practice spotlights: remortgage, new build, equity release, and digital and AI adoption.
Client expectations
This section draws on analysis of 1,388 verified Trustpilot reviews spanning three years to examine what conveyancing clients expect. It covers the six things clients consistently say matter most, from communication and responsiveness to transparency and control over their own case.
Competitive landscape
The national league table ranks every verified firm by HMLR transaction volume, examines what the data reveals about how the leading firms built their position, and identifies the firms to watch in FY26/27.
Compliance
Five major regulatory changes came into force in a twelve-month window. This section walks through each one in chronological order, sets out what it requires of conveyancing firms in practice, and provides an action checklist for each change so firms can assess where they stand and what still needs to be done.
Regional scorecards
The regional scorecards provide verified, firm-level transaction data across all 10 HMLR regions, covering annual DLG volumes, year-on-year growth, the top 10 firms by region, and market concentration analysis.
Outlook: FY26/27
We close the report with a clear-eyed assessment of where the market is heading in FY26/27 and seven practical steps firms, grounded in the data and trends analysed across every section.
This report is for professionals working in and alongside the UK conveyancing sector
Who this report is for
Law firm managers and partners
Law firm managers and partners making strategic decisions about technology investment, service mix, and geographic expansion
Legal operations and compliance leads
Legal operations and compliance leads navigating the regulatory changes that came into force in FY25/26
Property professionals
Property professionals, such as estate agents, mortgage brokers, and lenders, who work alongside conveyancing firms and need to understand the pressures their partners face
Industry experts who have contributed to the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report
David Opie - Managing Director, Today’s Conveyancer
David Opie is the Managing Director of Today’s Media, the publishers of the popular Today’s titles which include Today’s Conveyancer, providing daily news, industry insight and best practice for conveyancing and property practitioners.
Brian Rogers - Regulatory Director, Access Legal
Brian Rogers is Regulatory Director at Access Legal, and lead subject matter expert of all things legal sector regulation and compliance. He is also a trusted voice in compliance, regularly sharing news, trends, and insights with an engaged audience of 16,000+ professionals on LinkedIn.
Danielle Park - Product Manager, inCase
Danielle Park is a Senior Product Manager at Access Legal and a non practicing solicitor with over a decade of practice experience. She bridges the gap between legal expertise and product thinking, building software that works the way lawyers actually work.
UK Conveyancing Market 2026 - FAQs
What is the State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report?
The State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 is the fourth report published by Access Legal. It analyses 13 months of verified HM Land Registry transaction data (from April 2025 to June 2026) to provide conveyancing firms with an accurate picture of market performance, competitive dynamics, client expectations, and the regulatory changes that shaped FY25/26.
What were the biggest trends in UK conveyancing in FY25/26?
FY25/26 was defined by two opposing forces: a sharp contraction in purchase activity following the SDLT deadline of 1 April 2025, and a sustained remortgage surge driven by 1.8 million fixed-rate deals maturing and four Bank of England rate cuts. Total transactions reached 1.09 million (the highest annual figure in recent years) with April 2026 setting a record single-month high of 122,810 transactions.
What does the report say about client expectations in conveyancing?
Analysis of 1,388 verified Trustpilot reviews spanning three years reveals a consistent pattern: the firms that thrive are those that treat client experience as a strategic priority. The Legal Ombudsman Annual Report and Accounts 2025/26 recorded 511 complaints against residential conveyancing firms, with poor communication and delays or failure to progress identified as the two most common causes. The report finds that firms which build proactive communication, clear timelines, and accessible case tracking into their process consistently outperform on satisfaction scores and generate more referrals.
What regulatory changes does the report cover?
The report covers five major regulatory milestones from FY25/26: the FCA being named as the single AML supervisor (replacing the SRA), the TA6 6th edition becoming mandatory for CQS firms from 30 March 2026, the MLR 2026 amendments coming into force on 30 June 2026, SDLT tax adviser registration requirements from 18 May 2026, and updated Building Safety Act obligations for leasehold transactions. Each section includes a practical action checklist for firms.
How is AI changing conveyancing practice?
AI adoption moved from pilot to production in FY25/26. Firms are deploying AI tools for title report drafting, ID verification, AML screening, and client update automation. New entrant Lawhive Legal, an AI-first conveyancing model, is growing its HMLR-registered volume, demonstrating that technology-led approaches are viable at scale. HMLR's updated Practice Guide 82 now supports Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES), removing a long-standing barrier to fully digital transactions.
Is the State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report free to download?
Yes, the report is free to download. Complete the short form on this page to receive instant access to the entire data analysis, including the national firm league table, all 10 regional scorecards, compliance checklists, and the FY26/27 outlook.
Who produced the State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report?
The report was produced by Access Legal, a division of The Access Group and the UK's leading provider of legal software. Access Legal is trusted by over 35% of UK law firms and has more than 30 years of experience in legal technology.
What data sources does the report use?
The data is sourced from HM Land Registry Transaction Data (Open Government Licence v3.0), Nationwide House Price Index, and publicly available market research. Firm league table figures are exact annual totals summed from 12 months of HMLR transaction data, queried directly from uploaded datasets. All monthly transaction totals and regional DLG volumes are exact figures sourced directly from HMLR data. Regional annual DLG totals are exact 12-month sums (Jul-25 – Jun-26) verified from HMLR source files. Market concentration and percentages are proportionally scaled estimates. Top 10 firm volumes per region are June-26 single-month snapshots.
About Access Legal
Access Legal has spent three decades working alongside UK law firms of every size and specialism. Today it is trusted by over 35% of UK law firms. Not built from assumptions about how legal practice works: built from learning where the work gets stuck, what compliance actually demands, and where fee earners' time really goes. That knowledge is engineered into every product.
CaseMatters Evo, Access Legal's latest-generation case management platform, unifies systems, automates routine tasks, and intelligently prioritises work so nothing falls through the gaps. Clients using CaseMatters Evo reclaim up to five hours per fee earner each week.
