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Conveyancing reform needs co-ordination – DG

Reform of the current conveyancing system is long overdue, Law Society Director General Mark Garrett and Dr Gabriel Brennan told the Housing for All Implementation Group on 21 October.

The Law Society, which was asked to present its proposals for reform, was joined by its representative on the group, Michael Walsh.

The Housing for All Expert Group on Conveyancing and Probate published its report on 16 July, calling for a target turnaround time of eight weeks for completing both processes.

The implementation group is tasked with bringing into effect these recommendations –including to ‘take first definitive steps/commence structure for delivery of e-conveyancing’.

End-2027 target

The report recommends that the full introduction of e-conveyancing should be targeted as a national objective for implementation by the end of 2027.

The Law Society has advocated for the implementation of e-conveyancing in this jurisdiction since the publication of a Law Reform Commission report in 2006 and has welcomed the renewed impetus towards reform.

In June, the organisation, in collaboration with the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland (SCSI), published a Speed Up Your Property Sale guide, with the aim of raising public awareness and educating buyers and sellers on the conveyancing process and pre-sale requirements.

This is also a recommendation of the expert group’s report.

Collaboration

Speaking to the implementation group, Mark Garrett outlined that the Law Society was open to collaborating with other stakeholders to implement the recommendations on e-conveyancing and address structural inefficiencies in the conveyancing process.

At the annual property-law update (17 October) organised by Law Society Professional Training, in collaboration with the Law Society’s Conveyancing Committee, speakers and practitioners expressed their frustration at delays in waiting for key information from other stakeholders in the process and the increasing regulatory and statutory requirements that have to be met.  

The Law Society has identified six steps to reduce delays in the conveyancing process. Step six advocates a review of the regulatory burden and delay that arises from associated public-policy issues (especially the collection of taxes) during the conveyancing process.

‘Flexible’ digital architecture

Garrett told the implementation group that reform required co-ordination and collaboration across the conveyancing ecosystem between all stakeholders. 

This would improve the consumer experience and trust in the process, and provide increased efficiency and transparency. 

He added that any digital architecture should be flexible, to meet future needs, and aligned with public-sector services. 

The director general added that the Law Society welcomed the opportunity to move forward together and shared the ambition to deliver e-conveyancing by 2027.