The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has responded to a report by the Legal Services Consumer Panel, criticising the regulator's approach and raising concerns about the regulation of conveyancing practices. The CLC argues that the report misrepresents its approach and wrongly links conveyancers to issues highlighted in a BBC Panorama investigation last year.
The CLC pointed out that the Panorama investigation exposed wrongdoing by unregulated estate agents, not by conveyancers. In response, the CLC took the decision to review conveyancing practices to see if anything more could be done to improve the situation of consumers in the absence of regulation of estate agents.
The CLC's CEO, Sheila Kumar, stated that the regulator is proactive in responding to market intelligence and acting in the public interest. The CLC has identified areas where it can strengthen transparency and consumer protections in its code and continues to press for the regulation of estate agents on consumer protection grounds.
The report by the Legal Services Consumer Panel, 'A Regulatory Framework for the Future', examined the performance of legal services regulators and raised concerns about aspects of the CLC's approach. The CLC has defended its decision to review conveyancing practices, arguing that it was acting in the public interest.