Buying and selling property: Is an estate agent trying to make you use their ‘recommended’ conveyancer?

Called out as ‘sharp practice’ by TV property expert Sofie Allsopp, a growing number of estate agents are requesting referral fees from law firms and conveyancers in return for promoting their services to clients.

An increasing problem in current local markets, here at Wards Solicitors we never pay referral fees to estate agents in exchange for recommending us to clients in need of a conveyancer.

Whilst we know that many estate agents regularly endorse us, this is based entirely on our extensive local knowledge, experience and reputation for reliability.

We believe that this, rather than a financial transaction, is exactly how a recommendation system should work.

What problems can referral fees cause?

Sadly, it is common practice for conveyancing and law firms to pay referral fees, usually between £100 to £300, to estate agents who in turn recommend their services to clients looking to buy or sell a property.

This is not illegal but estate agents must be transparent and disclose this arrangement to their clients – if money has, or will change hands, you have a right to know.

However, the critical question is whether an estate agent is recommending a conveyancer because they will be paid a fee or because they genuinely believe they are good, based on merit and performance?

Problems for the client potentially include:

• Paying an increased cost for conveyancing to cover the referral fee.
• Not knowing the quality of the conveyancing service you’ll receive including speed, efficiency and communication

What can I do if an estate agent is ‘pushing’ a certain conveyancer or law firm?

Legally, you must always have complete choice over who you choose as a lawyer when buying or selling a home. That is your right.

Always ask an estate agent:

• Exactly why are they recommending a particular conveyancer?
• If they are recommending a conveyancer, are they being paid a referral fee in return?
• Would they still recommend this conveyancer without the payment of a referral fee?

Any estate agent which doesn’t request referral fees, preferring to recommend a law firm or conveyancer purely on the quality of the service provided, will be happy to answer your questions and explain why they don’t advocate referral fees.

Are all conveyancers the same?

The answer, sadly, is no. The most commonly cited problems include a failure to advise clients properly, failure to follow instructions, delays and poor cost information.

All our conveyancing specialists are trained to look at every detail of the legal process. We will keep you in the loop and keep the conveyancing process moving forward as swiftly as is safely possible.

Often, as a result of paying referral fees, many firms use inexperienced conveyancers who need to have their files “signed off” before a matter can proceed to exchange of contracts, which often causes delays whilst the file is reviewed.

You should check with your conveyancer/lawyer (before instructing them) if the person handling your matter on a day-to-day basis is the same person who will sign off your matter for exchange, or if it will need to be reviewed by someone else before exchange of contracts can be agreed.

Choosing a conveyancing specialist should be considered carefully.

We don’t expect to be the cheapest but we do strive to offer our clients quality legal advice at a fair cost – declared upfront from the start with no hidden extras – and, as explained, unusually in this day and age, we don’t pay estate agents, mortgage brokers or anyone else for referring conveyancing work to us.

Our conveyancing specialists all know their local housing market extremely well which is not always the case. In fact, many members of our team live in the same area as the office they work in.

Get in touch

Wards Solicitors wins high praise in the 2025 edition of the independent Legal 500 guide of outstanding legal professionals for its exceptional professional service standards and high levels of technical expertise.

Our expert and highly regarded Conveyancing Team work across all 13 of our local offices in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact.