More than half of UK property transactions now trigger additional scrutiny under anti-money laundering protocols, fresh industry data reveals. Research from Thirdfort examining over 415,000 completed Source of Funds verifications shows that 57.7% of cases surfaced at least one compliance indicator requiring further investigation.

The findings underscore a fundamental shift in conveyancing workflows. With an average of two red flags appearing per report, property professionals face mounting administrative demands as enhanced due diligence transitions from exception to industry standard.

While these indicators don't constitute evidence of illicit activity, they mandate deeper verification protocols before transactions can advance. For firms operating without automated systems, this translates into iterative document collection cycles, extended client correspondence, and protracted timelines that strain operational capacity across the conveyancing chain.

Olly Thornton-Berry, co-founder and CEO at Thirdfort, characterized the shift as a structural change in compliance expectations. "Enhanced due diligence has evolved from an occasional requirement into the baseline standard for UK property deals," he noted.

"When approaching six in ten purchases demand supplementary verification, the cumulative workload becomes substantial—especially for practices still managing these processes through manual documentation and email exchanges."

Thornton-Berry emphasized the operational imperative for digital infrastructure: "Automation fundamentally changes the equation by capturing complete information at intake, flagging risk signals immediately, and eliminating the iterative back-and-forth that extends transaction cycles."