How to Complain About a Conveyancer or Solicitor: SRA, CLC and the Legal Ombudsman

Who Regulates Conveyancers and Solicitors?

Your conveyancer or solicitor is regulated by one of two bodies, depending on their professional status:

• Solicitors — regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
• Licensed conveyancers — regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC)

For complaints about the quality of service or costs, both types of professional are subject to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), an independent body that handles complaints about legal service providers in England and Wales.

Understanding which route to use — and when — is important because each body handles different types of concerns.

Step 1: Use the Firm's Internal Complaints Procedure

Before escalating anywhere, you must raise your complaint with the firm itself. This is a legal requirement under the SRA and CLC rules. Every regulated firm must have a written complaints procedure and a named complaints handler.

Write a formal letter or email that:

• Describes what went wrong and when
• States the impact on you (financial loss, delay, distress)
• Asks for a specific remedy — a refund of fees, compensation, or both
• Requests a response within 8 weeks

Keep everything in writing. If you use Property Passport UK, store all conveyancing correspondence there for easy retrieval.

Step 2: The 8-Week Rule

If 8 weeks pass without resolution, or you receive a final response that does not satisfy you, you can escalate. At this point you have two potential routes depending on what you want to achieve.

Route A: Legal Ombudsman — For Service Quality Complaints

The Legal Ombudsman handles complaints about the service you received. Examples include:

• Unreasonable delays in completing your transaction
• Failure to explain the process or advise you properly
• Overcharging or billing errors
• Poor communication or not returning calls
• Errors in the transaction (missed deadlines, incorrect searches ordered)

Time limits: You must complain to LeO within 1 year of the date of the act or omission, and within 1 year of when you became aware of the problem. The complaint must also be made within 6 years of the incident. These limits are strictly applied.

Process: Submit your complaint at legalombudsman.org.uk. A case handler will review the evidence from both sides and attempt to resolve the matter informally. If that fails, a Legal Ombudsman investigator will make a formal decision.

Awards: LeO can order the firm to apologise, reduce or refund fees, or pay compensation of up to £50,000 for financial loss and up to £50,000 for distress and inconvenience (the total award can be up to £50,000 overall).

Route B: SRA — For Serious Misconduct

If your complaint is about the solicitor's conduct rather than service quality — dishonesty, misuse of client funds, serious conflicts of interest — report them to the SRA at sra.org.uk. The SRA does not award compensation but can impose sanctions including fines, suspension, or striking off.

Route C: CLC — For Licensed Conveyancers

If your conveyancer is a licensed conveyancer (not a solicitor), regulated complaints about misconduct go to the CLC at clc-uk.org. The CLC has investigative powers and can refer cases to its Adjudication Panel. Service quality complaints still go to the Legal Ombudsman.

What to Include in Your LeO Complaint

• The name of the firm and the individual solicitor or conveyancer who handled your matter
• A timeline of events, including key transaction dates
• Copies of all correspondence with the firm
• The firm's final response letter
• Any financial evidence — invoices, costs schedules, evidence of loss

If Property Passport UK holds records of when documents were exchanged or received during the conveyancing process, these timestamps can help establish a clear factual timeline.

Common Conveyancing Complaints

• Failure to advise on a restrictive covenant or right of way issue
• Missing the exchange or completion deadline, causing financial loss
• Failure to carry out proper searches
• Overcharging or unauthorised disbursements
• Not reporting survey results or mortgage offer conditions clearly

Tips for Success

LeO decisions focus on whether the firm's service fell below the standard a reasonable person would expect. Be specific and factual. Quantify your financial loss wherever possible. If you suffered distress, describe its impact concretely rather than in general terms.