3 minutes reading time
(624 words)
A Sector Without Dominant Players
IPSA Kind Of Magic, Wednesday at 1pm
For our first IPSA Kind Of Magic of the year, we turn our attention to something quietly distinctive about conveyancing. Despite handling hundreds of thousands of transactions every year, it remains a sector without dominant players.
On Wednesday at 1pm, IPSA Kind Of Magic returns with a conversation hosted by Gareth Wax and joined by Hamish McLay. We will also be joined by Jackie Dyson, bringing further insight from deep experience within the conveyancing and search sector. This week, we will be looking at why conveyancing has never produced the household names seen in other industries, and whether that is a weakness or one of its greatest strengths.
Recent industry commentary has highlighted just how fragmented the conveyancing market really is. Even the largest firms account for only a tiny percentage of overall transactions. No brand, no group, and no platform comes close to controlling the space in the way supermarkets, insurers, or estate agency chains often do.
At first glance, that can seem surprising. Conveyancing is a high-volume service. Technology has improved. Processes are more digital than ever. Yet scale has not followed in the way many predicted.
One reason is that conveyancing does not behave like a typical consumer service. Each transaction brings its own risks, its own local nuances, and its own complications. Planning history, council records, legacy issues and site-specific constraints all play a part. These are not always things that can be neatly standardised.
There is also the reality of pricing. For years, conveyancing fees have been pushed downwards while responsibility and liability have continued to rise. Professional indemnity costs, regulatory expectations and increasing volumes of data all sit on the conveyancer’s desk, often without any meaningful uplift in fee.
That makes scaling difficult. Growth brings exposure. The bigger the operation, the greater the risk when something goes wrong. For many firms, staying small, controlled and locally informed has felt like the safer option.
It is also worth reflecting on whether fragmentation is actually a problem at all. A sector made up of many independent firms can be more resilient. It allows for choice. It supports competition based on service rather than volume alone. It also keeps local knowledge alive, which remains critical in property transactions.
From a conveyancing and search perspective, this is particularly relevant. Local authority data, planning interpretation and historical context rarely lend themselves to a one-size-fits-all model. What works in one area can be misleading in another. Independence often brings clarity rather than inconsistency.
Technology continues to play an important role, although it has not rewritten the rulebook. Digital tools can speed up elements of the process and help manage information. Yet judgement, interpretation and experience still sit firmly with people, not platforms.
This raises an interesting thought for the year ahead. Rather than asking why conveyancing has no dominant players, it may be worth considering whether it should. Scale can bring efficiency. Independence can deliver depth.
That balance sits at the heart of this week’s discussion. What does a healthy conveyancing sector really look like? How do we value expertise properly? And how do we ensure that growth, where it happens, supports quality rather than eroding it?
As always, IPSA Kind Of Magic is about sharing experience and opening the conversation. Comments and contributions are welcome before, during and after the live session.
Join us live on Wednesday at 1pm.
Never miss an episode of Spilling the Proper-Tea again – subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch or watch live:
https://www.youtube.com/@SpillingTheProper-Tea
For content enquiries:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For podcast/media info:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For our first IPSA Kind Of Magic of the year, we turn our attention to something quietly distinctive about conveyancing. Despite handling hundreds of thousands of transactions every year, it remains a sector without dominant players.
On Wednesday at 1pm, IPSA Kind Of Magic returns with a conversation hosted by Gareth Wax and joined by Hamish McLay. We will also be joined by Jackie Dyson, bringing further insight from deep experience within the conveyancing and search sector. This week, we will be looking at why conveyancing has never produced the household names seen in other industries, and whether that is a weakness or one of its greatest strengths.
Recent industry commentary has highlighted just how fragmented the conveyancing market really is. Even the largest firms account for only a tiny percentage of overall transactions. No brand, no group, and no platform comes close to controlling the space in the way supermarkets, insurers, or estate agency chains often do.
At first glance, that can seem surprising. Conveyancing is a high-volume service. Technology has improved. Processes are more digital than ever. Yet scale has not followed in the way many predicted.
One reason is that conveyancing does not behave like a typical consumer service. Each transaction brings its own risks, its own local nuances, and its own complications. Planning history, council records, legacy issues and site-specific constraints all play a part. These are not always things that can be neatly standardised.
There is also the reality of pricing. For years, conveyancing fees have been pushed downwards while responsibility and liability have continued to rise. Professional indemnity costs, regulatory expectations and increasing volumes of data all sit on the conveyancer’s desk, often without any meaningful uplift in fee.
That makes scaling difficult. Growth brings exposure. The bigger the operation, the greater the risk when something goes wrong. For many firms, staying small, controlled and locally informed has felt like the safer option.
It is also worth reflecting on whether fragmentation is actually a problem at all. A sector made up of many independent firms can be more resilient. It allows for choice. It supports competition based on service rather than volume alone. It also keeps local knowledge alive, which remains critical in property transactions.
From a conveyancing and search perspective, this is particularly relevant. Local authority data, planning interpretation and historical context rarely lend themselves to a one-size-fits-all model. What works in one area can be misleading in another. Independence often brings clarity rather than inconsistency.
Technology continues to play an important role, although it has not rewritten the rulebook. Digital tools can speed up elements of the process and help manage information. Yet judgement, interpretation and experience still sit firmly with people, not platforms.
This raises an interesting thought for the year ahead. Rather than asking why conveyancing has no dominant players, it may be worth considering whether it should. Scale can bring efficiency. Independence can deliver depth.
That balance sits at the heart of this week’s discussion. What does a healthy conveyancing sector really look like? How do we value expertise properly? And how do we ensure that growth, where it happens, supports quality rather than eroding it?
As always, IPSA Kind Of Magic is about sharing experience and opening the conversation. Comments and contributions are welcome before, during and after the live session.
Join us live on Wednesday at 1pm.
Never miss an episode of Spilling the Proper-Tea again – subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch or watch live:
https://www.youtube.com/@SpillingTheProper-Tea
For content enquiries:
For podcast/media info:
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