BLOG: Conveyancing industry needs a post-Panorama reset
The BBC's conditional selling exposé has damaged public trust, but Adam Bainbridge of conveyancing specialist firm RG Law believes referral relationships can still be 'a force for good’ when handled ethically.
The recent Panorama investigation into conditional selling has reignited a much-needed conversation in our industry. For years, there have been concerns about how referral arrangements are handled between estate agents and legal professionals, and now, the spotlight is firmly on practices that compromise client choice and transparency.
The programme revealed dubious sales tactics at two of the UK’s largest estate agencies – Connells and Purplebricks – highlighting how some agents pressure clients into using preferred mortgage brokers and conveyancers in exchange for inflated referral fees. This behaviour damages public trust and undermines the professionalism of those working to high standards.
At RG Law, we believe referral relationships can and should be a force for good. But that requires open discussion, ethical standards, and above all, a focus on service.
Referral fees
Referral fees are not inherently wrong. When handled transparently and ethically, they allow estate agents and law firms to collaborate, creating a seamless experience for buyers and sellers. After all, agents are often the first point of contact and are well placed to recommend a trusted legal partner.
The problem arises when these relationships become transactional, where recommendations are made based on the size of the fee, not the quality of service. In these cases, clients may feel pressured into using a particular firm, often without realising that a fee is being paid behind the scenes.
At their worst, excessive referral fees can compromise the legal process itself. If a law firm pays hundreds of pounds just to win an instruction, it may be forced to operate on unsustainable margins, leading to slower progress, higher caseloads, and less personalised service.
Transparency and trust
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has announced a review, beginning in 2026, to examine referral fee arrangements, with a focus on transparency and consumer choice.
Singling out estate agents while allowing similar practices to continue elsewhere appears inconsistent.”
Some argue that abolishing referral fees would create a level playing field, allowing law firms to build relationships based solely on service performance. However, referral arrangements are common in other sectors, such as financial services and mortgages, and rarely attract criticism.
Singling out estate agents while allowing similar practices to continue elsewhere appears inconsistent.
Best practice is to review referral agreements, ensure written disclosure and keep records that clients have been informed of any referral fee paid. Clients deserve to know when a referral fee is being paid and should feel confident that they’re being recommended a legal partner based on merit, not monetary arrangements.
This is why RG Law focuses on service-first relationships. We want agents to work with us because we’re excellent conveyancers who take care of their clients, not because we offer the biggest fee. When we get it right, agents benefit too: their client is happy, the sale progresses smoothly, and their reputation is enhanced.
Conditional Selling
The Panorama programme highlighted examples of corporate agents allegedly pushing buyers and sellers to use in-house services, with suggestions that transactions may be prioritised depending on those choices.
What matters now is where we go from here.”
As someone who began my career in estate agency back in 2003, I’ve seen firsthand how these sales-driven models evolved. At the time, I worked for Halifax Estate Agents and was expected to promote financial products, including bank accounts, during property viewings. It’s a reminder of how embedded these cultures have been in some parts of the industry.
What matters now is where we go from here. We need to shift the focus from upselling to understanding what clients genuinely need and delivering it with integrity.
Hidden Costs
Clients, especially first-time buyers and sellers, often don’t realise the impact that behind-the-scenes arrangements can have on their experience. When legal firms are under financial pressure from high referral fees, service quality can slip. Communication suffers. Delays increase. Stress levels rise.
This doesn’t serve the client, the agent, or the conveyancer. It’s a lose-lose situation.
Instead, we should be building partnerships that deliver real value. That means:
Clear communication between legal and agency teams
Transparency with clients from the outset
Focus on service delivery, not just transactions
Raising Standards
The call for regulatory reform is growing louder. While there are recommendations around disclosure of referral fees, there’s still no mandatory regulation for estate agents, nor an independent ombudsman with enforcement powers.
Until change comes, it’s up to us as professionals to raise the bar and let’s also use this moment to move forward. Let’s rebuild referral relationships on trust, quality, and care – because when we put the client first, everybody wins.
Agents should proactively recommend ancillary services such as conveyancing and mortgage brokers who have proven to be fast and reliable. I would not take on a listing unless I was happy with the seller’s choice of conveyancer, for example. It’s not unreasonable for such recommendations to be rewarded with a referral fee, disclosed to the client. It would be mad for an agent to recommend a poor service in exchange for a fee when they have the choice to recommend a good service. Their sales would fall through and their reputation would take a kicking.
Where an agent has a choice of buyer, where one is using their recommended services and the other is not, surely reasonable advice would be to tell the seller that your favoured buyer, all else considered, would be the one that is using your recommended conveyancer who has proven to be effective in the past.
The difficulty arises when a corporate’s objectives are not aligned with helping people move.
At Noble Estates, we regularly refer clients and buyers to several solicitors. We do this because we know they are competent conveyancers who will proactively communicate with us should any issues arise during the sale. This level of cooperation helps us prevent two to three transactions from falling through each year.
Importantly, we have never accepted a referral fee from any solicitor, as we believe this would represent a significant conflict of interest. In our view, the practice of referral fees in property transactions should be banned immediately.