How to verify a conveyancer is genuinely regulated

Checking that your conveyancer is actually who they say they are takes less than two minutes, and it's easily the most important admin task in the whole process. Conveyancing involves moving large sums of money around, which makes it a constant target for fraud — especially the “clone firm” scam, where criminals copy a real firm's name and registration details onto fake contact information.

Check the regulator directly

Two registers to know, depending on what kind of firm you're dealing with:

• SRA for solicitors: head to the SRA register and search by firm name. Check the firm name, address, and SRA number match exactly what the firm told you. Also check the firm is currently authorised — a firm can be on the register but with their authorisation paused or revoked.
• CLC for licensed conveyancers: CLC register. Same drill: name, address, licence number.

Signs of a clone firm

Clone firms steal a real firm's identity but use their own contact details. What to watch for:

• An email address on a free domain like Gmail or Hotmail, not the firm's own domain.
• Phone numbers that don't match the ones on the regulator's register.
• A website or office address that doesn't match the registered firm.
• Unexpected pressure to send money quickly.
• A last-minute “we've changed bank account” message. The real firm's account details should stay the same all the way through your matter.

If you ever get a message asking you to switch bank account details, ring the firm on the number from the regulator's website — not the number in the suspicious email — and check it's really come from them.

Before you send the completion money

Before transferring any sizeable amount — exchange deposit or completion funds — phone the firm on a number from the official register and read the bank account back to them out loud. Both the SRA and Action Fraud recommend this. Five minutes of checking can save you from a loss that's almost impossible to claw back.