Competing on service, price and reputation matter, but there is another threat that is much easier to overlook: the former client who simply cannot remember which firm handled their last move.

You may have delivered an excellent service, kept a transaction moving and left your client with every reason to use you again. Yet, when they come to move home again, they might not remember your firm’s name, let alone think to get back in touch.

Instead, they ask friends for recommendations or search online. And just like that, an opportunity to win repeat business disappears. You haven’t necessarily lost the client to a competitor. You may never have made it onto their shortlist in the first place.

We found only 11.2% of sale transactions involved the same conveyancer who had handled the previous purchase. This is a striking reminder of how much potential repeat business firms may be missing out on. When we tell law firms this statistic, the reaction is always the same: surprise. They have no idea that so many former clients haven’t returned, almost like it’s a given that they will.

Previous clients are a valuable audience because they know your firm, have used your service and (assuming their experience was positive) may be more inclined to use you again. However, moving is not a frequent occurrence and as the years pass, it’s easy for that relationship to fade from memory.

The opportunity is to give former clients a reason to remember you at precisely the moment they need you again.

With Convey Alerts, your firm receives alerts when a former client puts their property back on the market. Instead of waiting for them to remember you, you have an opportunity to get in touch and jog their memory by offering your conveyancing services for their next move.

A timely, personal approach could be all it takes to bring your firm back into consideration before the client instructs someone else.

You’re not starting from scratch; you’re building on a relationship that already exists.

Winning new conveyancing instructions is tough. It’s hard to find the time to dedicate to such a task whilst juggling workloads. The beauty of Convey Alerts is that it’s a quick, easy way to secure new business with warm leads.

A HomeOwners Alliance survey found that 74% of people who had bought a home within the last five years would use the same conveyancing firm again. Yet, the fact that only 11% do shows a real disconnect. The client is happy to use your firm again, but potentially they’ve forgotten or just opted for a recommendation instead. If you’re not in front of the homemover at the point they’re instructing a conveyancer, you’re likely out of the running.

Access Legal’s State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 found there were 5,904 law firms active in conveyancing across the UK. How are you standing out against the other nearly six thousand law firms? A friendly reconnection with a former client may be all it takes!

A survey from Lyons Bowe Solicitors found:

• 32% used a conveyancer recommended by their estate agent
• 25% followed a recommendation from friends and family
• 19% found their conveyancer online
• 3% used a price comparison site

Note how nowhere on this list does ‘used the same conveyancer as the last time I moved’ appear. This is strong evidence that conveyancing is a one-and-done transaction in the mind of the homemover.

Being first matters. According to SRA research, 33% of people looking for conveyancing only found out any information about one firm before instructing. That means a sizeable chunk of prospective clients aren’t necessarily drawing up a shortlist of five conveyancers and carefully comparing them. If your firm gets in front of them at the right time and they like what they see, there may be no second firm in the running. Getting there first could be the difference between being considered and never being considered at all.

A happy client isn’t necessarily a repeat client. A good experience doesn’t automatically create another instruction. Access Legal’s State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 found that client satisfaction was high, with 84% of surveyed legal-services clients satisfied, yet 66% did not leave a review after the transaction. It’s clear that no matter if your clients are happy, they’re not necessarily coming back! You need to do some of the legwork to win them back.

“Positive experiences do not always translate into advocacy.”

-Access Legal’s State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026

In the report, it states that, “The firms that thrive are those that treat client experience as a strategic priority, not a side effect of good legal work.” So, how much attention is given to clients who have already used your services? Are you keeping in touch? The report goes on to talk about how behind the transaction is a person and they may be buying their first home, going through a divorce, growing their family or settling an estate after a loss in the family. The firms that show they care are the ones that are most likely to be remembered and retain clients. When you sign up to Convey Alerts and we notify you that a former client has relisted their property for sale, you can dig out the file and find out the circumstances of the client. Perhaps when you reach out to them, you could add in something personal from your previous interactions, just to acknowledge that you care and you remembered. It could be something as simple as ‘your last move experienced a fall-through; we’d love to help prevent this from happening again.’ This will go a long way. Moving home is an emotionally charged time; compassion, understanding and rapport will set you apart from other law firms.

Final Thoughts

Being remembered is the battle because conveyancing isn’t a service that many people require regularly. When your previous clients start requiring a conveyancer, you’re competing with who appears in front of them at that moment.

Your database could be worth more than you think and client retention is possible; you just need a helping hand. That’s where we come in. If you want to talk to us about using Convey Alerts, get in touch. The firms we have on board are reaping the rewards of re-engaging with former clients. Would they have used your services again without the Alert? Perhaps. But that 11% stat suggests otherwise!