Explain the journey up front
Your stage list is the journey. Clients get a clear explanation of each step as it happens, in the same words every time.
For conveyancing teams
Conveyancing updates your clients actually read.
Home movers are anxious, and an average transaction now takes around four months. Matterping sends a plain-English WhatsApp update at every milestone of a purchase, sale or remortgage, so buyers and sellers know where they stand without ringing you to ask.
Your Firm SolicitorsWhatsApp
Update from Your Firm Solicitors on your matter CONV-1042: "Enquiries raised" is now complete. What happens next: we have asked the seller’s solicitor some questions about the property and are waiting for their answers, usually 1 to 3 weeks.
The conveyancing problem
Clients chase when they can't see progress.
Much of a conveyancing transaction is waiting: for searches, for the other side, for the lender. To the client, waiting looks like nothing is happening. So they call, email and message the agent, and your team spends the day answering "any news?" instead of moving files forward.
of complaints accepted by the Legal Ombudsman in 2025/26 were about residential conveyancing, more than any other area of law.
of home movers want an update from their conveyancer at least once a week (survey of over 5,400 home movers, published 2016).
was the average time from instruction to completion for a property transaction in 2025, up from 120 days in 2024.
Example: residential purchase
Every milestone, explained as it happens.
Set up your stages once for each type of conveyancing matter. Each one carries a short, plain-English explanation and what happens next. Here's how a purchase might look.
Your wording, your stages: add a leasehold management pack stage, a gifted deposit stage, or anything else your process needs.
- Instruction and ID checksWe’ve opened your file and checked your ID. Next we ask the seller’s solicitor for the contract pack.
- Contract pack receivedWe have the draft contract and property information. Next we order your searches and review the paperwork.
- Searches orderedLocal authority, water and environmental searches are with the providers. These often take a few weeks.
- Searches receivedWe’re reviewing the results and will raise any questions with the seller’s solicitor.
- Enquiries raisedWe’ve asked the seller’s solicitor questions about the property and are waiting for answers.
- Mortgage offer receivedWe’ll check the offer conditions against the property.
- Report on title sentOur report is with you. Please read it, sign the documents and send them back.
- Exchange of contractsYou are now legally committed to buy, and the completion date is fixed.
- CompletionCongratulations, the property is yours. Collect the keys from the agent.
Good practice
What the Legal Ombudsman recommends for conveyancers.
Residential conveyancing generates more complaints to the Legal Ombudsman than any other area of law. Its good practice guidance for conveyancers includes:
- Explaining the whole journey up front
- Updating consumers in line with service level agreements even when there is ‘no news’
- Explaining who or what is being waited on, and why
Source: Legal Ombudsman, Spotlight on Residential Conveyancing
Explain who you're waiting on
Write "what happens next" lines that say who has the ball: the search providers, the seller's solicitor, the lender. Adjust them per client in one click.
"We will keep you informed of progress in your sale or purchase."
The Charter also commits firms to respond promptly to enquiries, explain the steps in the process clearly and ask for feedback on their service.
CQS firms
Keep the promises in your client charter.
If you're accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, you've committed to keep clients informed of progress and ask for their feedback. Matterping updates and Pulse check-ins make both part of every file.
Built for busy conveyancing teams.
Seconds per update
Complete a stage and the client is told. No drafting emails, no phone tag.
Replies on the file
When a buyer replies, it lands on their matter and flags it for the fee earner.
Works for every caseload
Departments and permissions keep each conveyancer focused on their own files, with admins seeing everything.
Check in with Pulse
Ask buyers and sellers how it's going midway, and hear about problems before they reach the Ombudsman. Pulse
Text message backup
Not every client uses WhatsApp. They get the same update by text.
Part of the journey from quote to keys
Pair with LegalQuotes instant quotes to convert more enquiries, then keep every client informed. Message.Legal
Questions firms ask
Which conveyancing stages trigger a message?
The ones you choose. Most firms send updates at milestones clients care about, such as searches received, enquiries raised, mortgage offer received, report on title, exchange and completion. Internal steps can be completed without notifying the client.
Can we have different stages for purchases, sales and remortgages?
Yes. Each matter type has its own stages and wording, so a sale, a purchase, a remortgage and a transfer of equity each get the right updates.
How often should conveyancing clients be updated?
Clients want to hear regularly: in a survey of over 5,400 home movers, 70% wanted an update at least weekly. The Legal Ombudsman recommends updating clients in line with your service levels even when there is no news. Matterping makes stage updates automatic, so your team can focus on the gaps in between.
Will clients still phone us?
Some will, especially at exchange and completion. The aim is to remove the "any news?" calls, where the honest answer is that nothing has changed, so the calls you do get are about things that matter.
Does it work with our case management system?
Matterping runs alongside your case management system rather than replacing it. Your team ticks off the stage in Matterping and the client is updated.
Does it help with CQS?
The CQS Client Service Charter commits firms to keep clients informed of progress, explain the steps clearly and ask for feedback. Matterping and Pulse give you a consistent way to do all three. The responsibility stays with your firm.
See your conveyancing stages on your own phone.
Book a short demo and we'll set up a matter type that matches how your firm works, then send an update to your own phone so you can see exactly what your clients would get.