News
Avoid conveyancing complaints highlighted by LeO
22 April 2026
The Legal Ombudsman is publishing a series of articles to shine a spotlight on the common themes and trends seen within the complaints it receives.
Each article within the series will address an issue that impacts customers and the legal sector, and provide tips on good practice, together with guidance about how to handle complaints.
These resources reflect LeO’s ongoing commitment to share more of its insight and support the sector to make improvements which make sure clients receive fair, timely, and transparent resolutions.
The latest article looks at on residential conveyancing, one of the highest‑volume areas of legal services, with more than one million property transactions completed in England and Wales in 2024/25. While most transactions complete without issues escalating, residential conveyancing now accounts for over a third of the complaints accepted by LeO.
The Ombudsman’s casework shows these complaints are most often driven by communication, expectation‑setting, and how delays are explained, rather than concerns about the quality of legal work itself. This latest Spotlight draws on insight from our casework to highlight the important role conveyancers play but also where complaints are most likely to arise, particularly at key stages in the transaction: early instruction and expectation‑setting, periods where there is little or no update to share, and completion and post‑completion communication.
It also sets out practical learning on how clear, timely and consistent communication at these points can reduce dissatisfaction and help prevent complaints from escalating.