There’s been a quiet shift happening across the conveyancing sector, and it’s starting to show. Fewer conveyancers are practising, transaction times are stretching, and pressure is building in all directions. It’s not dramatic headlines or sudden change – it’s a gradual tightening of the system.

Recent reporting has highlighted what many in the industry already experience day to day. Experienced conveyancers are leaving. Some are retiring earlier than planned. Others are stepping away due to workload, stress, or the sheer volume of material now required in every transaction. The outcome is straightforward – fewer people carrying more responsibility.

Conveyancing today involves far more than it once did. Compliance has increased. Risk assessment has expanded. Data requirements have multiplied. Yet the time available to interpret, refine, and explain that information has not kept pace. In some cases, it has reduced.

Delays rarely come from a single weak link. They build incrementally. A conveyancer waiting for clarification. A local authority dataset that needs careful interpretation. A lender query triggered by unclear or overly cautious reporting. Each step adds time, and each new query lands on desks already under strain.

Technology is often presented as the answer. Digital tools can help gather information faster, although they do not replace professional judgement. More data does not always equal better understanding. In reality, unrefined data can slow matters further, creating additional questions rather than resolving them.

From an IPSA perspective, this matters deeply. Independent personal search agents operate closest to the source, understand local nuance, and frequently help issues surface early – before they become time-consuming problems further down the line. When capacity is stretched, accuracy and context become even more valuable.

Longer transaction times affect everyone in the chain. Buyers wait. Sellers lose momentum. Fall-throughs increase. Stress rises. None of this benefits the market, and none of it is solved by chasing speed alone.
On Wednesday 21st January, IPSA Kind Of Magic returns to look at this pressure in a practical, grounded way. Gareth Wax will be in the chair, joined by me, Hamish McLay, and Mahesh Kerai, as we explore why the system feels stretched and what genuinely helps when resources are thin.

You can join the conversation live or catch up afterwards on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@SpillingTheProper-Tea

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