Why do lawyers benefit from hop?

Last updated: 8 September 2026

A conveyancer opening a hop file starts with the title, the searches, the Law Society forms and a title issues report already in place, instead of starting with a request for them.  The gain is not that the work disappears.  It is that the file arrives complete, in the forms the firm already uses, with each item traceable to its source, so the first fortnight is spent on the transaction rather than on assembling it.

What a conveyancer inherits today

Usually an address, a memorandum of sale and a client who is already impatient.

Then the same sequence every time.  Order the title.  Order the searches and wait.  Send the seller a pack of forms.  Chase the forms.  Discover something on the title that should have been visible at listing.  Raise enquiries.  Wait.

Government identifies this directly among the root causes of delay: processes are repeated, driving costs and delays for consumers and for the professionals trying to move a transaction forward.  It is not that anyone is working badly.  It is that the work starts on the day it is least useful.

The objections conveyancers raised, and why they were reasonable

It is worth being honest that the profession is the most sceptical group on upfront information, and the consultation shows it.

Support for mandatory upfront information ran at 79 per cent overall but 62 per cent among conveyancers.  On including searches and a condition report in that pack, conveyancers were more likely to oppose than support, at 28 per cent for and 38 per cent against.  Their concerns were specific rather than obstructive: the validity of property data over time, increased cost to sellers, lenders not accepting data they did not commission, and buyers not trusting data the seller paid for.

Those are the right questions.  They are also the ones provenance answers.  Data that names its source and its date can be assessed for currency rather than assumed stale, and a lender or a buyer’s solicitor can see exactly what they are being asked to rely on.  Government has committed to defining how and when data such as search information needs refreshing, and what is needed to support lender acceptance, which is the same problem addressed from the other end.

What changes when the file starts complete

Fewer enquiries, because the answers were gathered before anyone asked.  Less chasing, because the seller completed the forms at listing rather than at week three when they are on holiday.  Fewer surprises, because a title issues report has already flagged the covenant, the missing right of way or the short lease.

And the risk position improves.  Information taken from source with its provenance recorded can be relied on rather than re-verified, which is a different thing from information that merely turns out to be correct.

For firms in the Conveyancing Quality Scheme, the practical effect is that the file evidences itself.

Where this is heading

The Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap, published in June 2026, commits government to legislating for a sales pack prepared before listing, including searches and a property condition report.

It also settles who does what.  Sellers retain overall responsibility for the pack being prepared, with the relevant professionals responsible for gathering and verifying their part of it, and the roadmap gives conveyancers on legal and title information as its example.  That is a defined role in the new process rather than a threat to the existing one.

Alongside it, government is supporting industry led work to make anti-money laundering checks shareable and reduce duplication, on the principle that the information should be gathered once, at a high standard, at the earliest possible stage.

Frequently asked questions

Does hop do the conveyancing?

No.  hop assembles and verifies the property information a conveyancer works from.  The legal work, the advice and the judgement remain with the firm.

Are the forms ones my firm already uses?

Yes.  hop outputs into Law Society licensed forms and data standards, including the TA6, TA7 and TA10, so a fee earner receives something familiar rather than a bespoke report.

Can I rely on data I did not commission?

Each item carries its source and the date it was obtained, so the question can be answered on the evidence rather than on trust.  Government has committed to defining refresh rules and what is needed to support lender acceptance.

What does the reform roadmap mean for conveyancers?

Sales packs will be required before listing, including searches and a condition report.  Sellers hold overall responsibility, with conveyancers responsible for gathering and verifying legal and title information within the pack.

See a file before you take one

The fastest way to judge this is on a property your firm already knows, comparing what arrives against what you would have had to assemble.

Get in touch to set your firm up, or read what conveyancing grade data means first.

This article is general information and is not legal advice.