Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by PropertyWire. Read the original article for full details.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has defended its regulatory approach following criticism from the Legal Services Consumer Panel. The CLC emphasised that a BBC Panorama investigation last year exposed issues with unregulated estate agents, not conveyancers.
The dispute centres on the panel’s recent report, ‘A Regulatory Framework for the Future’, which examined the performance of legal services regulators and raised concerns about aspects of the CLC’s approach. Sheila Kumar, CEO of the CLC, stated that the regulator was “extremely disappointed” with what it described as an inaccurate representation in the panel’s report. Kumar clarified that the Panorama investigation highlighted wrongdoing by unregulated estate agents, but the CLC still chose to examine the issue within its regulatory mandate.
The CLC noted that it was the only conveyancing regulator to address the issues raised by the Panorama investigation, describing this as evidence of proactive regulation focused on public interest, even though the issues fell outside its direct remit.
The CLC has renewed its call for statutory regulation of estate agents to strengthen consumer protection. The regulator also said it has identified areas where it can enhance transparency and consumer protections in its code while broader regulatory changes are being considered.
The Legal Services Consumer Panel’s report also questioned the CLC’s recruitment of regulated firms. In response, Kumar said that conveyancing and probate firms benefit from the CLC’s focused regulation and high entry standards for both individuals and practices. The CLC highlighted its involvement in home-buying reform work as evidence of its specialist approach.
This exchange highlights ongoing tensions between consumer advocacy groups and professional regulators in the UK property sector.
Source: PropertyWire