Sebastian along with Carrie Chilton, partner and operations director, who has also been with the firm from day one, talk to us about their journey, their decision to switch to CLC regulation in 2022, and why, in an increasingly demanding industry, it’s so important to have a supportive regulator.

“John and I worked together for a number of years before setting up Key Conveyancing,” Sebastian says. “Thirteen years on and I can honestly say that every day is still a school day!

“The world of conveyancing has changed so much – from the growing expectations of clients to the onerous reporting requirements for things like AML and of course, the ever-changing technology.

“I’m a qualified solicitor and, as such, opted for SRA regulation when we first started out but 10 years on, we decided it was time for a change.

“The CLC are extremely approachable and adopt a common-sense approach that we like. There’s a real feeling of everyone working together to make sure things are done in the right way and, if you’ve made a genuine mistake, they will try to help you sort it out.”

Whilst a now retired senior partner dealt with the nuts and bolts of the switch from SRA regulation to the CLC, Sebastian and Carrie say the feedback was positive – “nothing too strenuous and actually we looked at it as more of an opportunity to update our policies and procedures.” They also have nothing but praise for the CLC’s involvement ever since.

Carrie adds: “Within 12 months of moving to CLC regulation, we had our first inspection and naturally were a bit nervous. Not for any reason other than that it was the first inspection we’d had from a regulator despite having been in business for 10 years.

“Our worries proved to be unfounded. They came in and spent three or four days with us. They took time to interview us, to gain a thorough understanding of what we do here, and the feedback they gave us was really helpful.

“I was impressed by the great level of knowledge they had about certain aspects of conveyancing, which I suppose is something you would only get with a specialist regulator.

“It also felt much more collaborative – not just telling us what we should be doing, but how to do it, and following it up with checklists and processes to help.

“That’s been our experience since as well. If there’s ever anything like a major policy change, it’s communicated clearly and well in advance, giving people the opportunity to ask questions so that they fully understand what it means going forward.”

With the increasing demands placed on conveyancers, not least the frenzied activity during the various stamp duty holidays which led to many leaving the industry, Sebastian says it’s more important than ever to have a supportive and responsive regulator.

The firm is also a champion of the training routes offered by the CLC, which have enabled them to train up junior talent who are then more likely to be stay.

Are there any downsides? Sebastian says not, although regulatory fees are slightly higher under the CLC. He adds: “It’s a fact, but it’s also a case of ‘you get what you pay for’ and for us it’s a much better level of service and it’s worth every penny.”