CLC Statement on referral arrangements 

16 July, 2025

The CLC has published this statement following the BBC Panorama Undercover Estate Agent programme which aired on 14 July 2025  

1. The Panorama programme highlighted serious concerns about conditional selling and the questionable sales tactics of certain estate agencies, which may impact the conveyancing sector by limiting consumer choice of legal advisor.   

2. This is of concern to the CLC because of the apparent disregard for consumer choice and transparency on pricing affecting conveyancing service provision.   

3. We have no evidence to suggest that practices as unethical as those highlighted in the programme are prevalent in the sector we regulate, but in the interests of ensuring genuine consumer choice, the CLC is today announcing plans to undertake a thematic review focused on referral arrangements.   

4. The review will begin in early 2026 and will look at referral arrangements (their prevalence, value and transparency) and more broadly at compliance with the CLC’s transparency rules to ensure that the client interest remains paramount.   

5. Ahead of the review, we strongly encourage all CLC practices, and particularly those that have paid referral arrangements, to review their compliance with the CLC’s transparency and informed choice rules.  We encourage any practices that are not fully compliant currently to take appropriate steps to ensure their compliance before the review commences.  

6. CLC lawyers are reminded of their obligation to uphold the Ethical Principles set out in the CLC Code of Conduct, which includes the requirement to act with integrity, honesty and independence and in the best interests of clients. 

CLC Codes and resources to support your compliance 

• Disclosure of Profits and Advantage Code 

• Informed Choice Toolkit  

• Estimates and Terms of Engagement Code 

• Complaints Code 

• Practices that require further information or support are encouraged to contact their Regulatory Supervision Officer or Manager.