Financial criminals have long viewed property transactions as an attractive vehicle for laundering illicit funds. As a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) and Finance (COFA) at a busy conveyancing firm, I see first-hand how robust anti-money laundering (AML) systems can make or break the integrity of a deal.

Recent analyses estimate that billions of pounds in suspicious wealth have flowed into UK real estate – Transparency International UK identified £5.9 billion in questionable funds used to buy UK properties through offshore shell companies. Given the scale of the threat, it’s no surprise that regulators are cracking down and expecting more vigilance than ever from both legal professionals and lenders.

In this article, I’ll outline why strong AML controls are crucial in conveyancing, where weak points often lie, what lenders should demand from their panel solicitors, and how emerging trends like digital onboarding and heightened fraud risks are reshaping our approach. The goal is to offer practical insight for finance professionals on working together with legal partners to keep dirty money out of property deals.