The 2024 Annual Regulatory Return offers insights into title applications and requisition rates among CLC practices 

22 July, 2025

The CLC has published findings from the Annual Regulatory Return (ARR) for 2024.  The ARR, completed by all CLC-regulated practices, shows a positive mood among licensed conveyancers, with some 44% of practices expected to grow staffing levels this year, with most of those planning to recruit qualified staff.   

As practices will be aware, the CLC has for some time been concerned that some practices are not paying enough attention to finalising the formalities of transactions, and so the 2024 ARR included several questions focused on understanding more about this issue.   

The returns showed that that practices with dedicated post-completion teams generate more HM Land Registry requisitions than those that require the fee-earner to deal with title applications.   

While it is tempting to conclude that it is preferable for fee-earners to deal with post-completion work, this is perhaps an overly simplistic conclusion to draw because it does not account for the role that case complexity, workload, team dynamics and the use of policies and checklists might play. 

Returns revealed that 61% of practices have a post-completion policy, however only 45% of practices use a specific checklist for first registrations. Those that do so have a lower average of avoidable requisitions.  This suggests that it is advisable and the CLC encourages all practices, and particularly those practices handling complex matters where requisitions are more likely, to put post-completion policies in place and to make use of checklists if they do not do so already. 

Practices that have avoidable requisitions should have analysed the data HMLR provided in May.  Analysis of this data should have helped practices identify potential knowledge gaps and training needs as well as areas where process improvements can be made.   

We encourage practices to make use of the wealth of free training material on the HMLR Training Hub. If you think your practice needs more tailored training or mentoring or support implementing revised processes, there are specialist providers, such as PCC Education, that offer a range of support options.