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Aipedia: Conveyancers and property lawyers
Conveyancers can use AI to draft and review pre-contract enquiries, but they remain responsible for asking the right questions and chasing unsatisfactory replies. Enquiries are where many later disputes start, for buyers and sellers alike.
Part of: AI in Conveyancers and property lawyers
In short
AI can read the contract pack and TA forms and generate a list of enquiries in seconds, and can draft seller replies from the client’s answers. The risks are generic or irrelevant enquiries that bury the real issues, replies that are never followed up, and seller replies that overstate what the seller knows. Buyers who later find a problem may sue the seller for misrepresentation, and both sides may then look at their conveyancers. Those claims are usually handled under PI like other negligence claims, subject to the policy terms.
On the buyer side, AI tools read the draft contract, title, searches and the seller's property information and fittings forms, then suggest enquiries. On the seller side, some firms use AI to turn a client's rough answers into formal replies, or to pre-populate forms from earlier transactions.
The output tends to be long. Tools often add every enquiry that could conceivably apply, including standard questions already answered in the forms. Sellers' conveyancers then reply with standard answers, and the real issue sits unresolved in a list of forty items.
A buyer's conveyancer has to raise the enquiries a reasonably competent conveyancer would raise on these documents, understand the replies and pursue unsatisfactory ones before exchange. A seller's conveyancer must not put forward replies that mislead, and should make sure the client understands that replies are the client's statements.
The CLC's AI and Technology Guidance asks practices to keep human review and verify outputs (Principle 9) and to set policies on which tools may be used, in what circumstances and by whom (Principle 11). For solicitor conveyancers, Code 1.4 prohibits misleading others, Code 3.2 requires competent service, and the SRA Misuse of AI warning notice confirms that responsibility does not transfer to the tool.
Illustrative scenario: a buyer's conveyancer uses an AI tool to raise enquiries on a house with a recent loft conversion. The tool produces a long standard list, including a question about building regulation approval. The seller's conveyancer replies that the seller "believes all consents were obtained" and will supply copies. The copies never arrive, but the follow-up item is lost in the long list and the matter exchanges. After completion, the buyer discovers there was no approval.
On the seller side, a firm's AI tool turns a client's note that there had been "an issue with the neighbours a few years back, now sorted" into a reply stating there have been no disputes. The buyer later relies on that reply in a misrepresentation claim against the seller, who then blames the firm for the wording. These examples show why search review and title review need the same follow-up discipline.
Claims that a conveyancer failed to raise or pursue an enquiry, or drafted a misleading reply, are negligence claims of the type conveyancing PI is designed for. Neither the CLC Minimum Terms nor the SRA Minimum Terms refer to AI, so the source of the error does not usually affect cover, subject to the policy terms and excess.
Misrepresentation claims often involve several parties: the buyer against the seller, the seller against their own conveyancer, and sometimes the buyer against theirs. Notify early so the insurer can coordinate the defence. See negligence claims from missed steps and advice errors and whether conveyancing PI covers AI mistakes.
Firms that use AI to pre-populate seller forms from earlier transactions should take particular care. Information about a property changes, and a reply that was accurate for a previous owner or an earlier sale can be wrong now. Treat any pre-filled answer as a question for the client, not a fact.
Apex arranges PI for conveyancing practices and can review how your cover treats AI-assisted enquiries. See AI in conveyancing and chatbots and AI client updates.
Yes, provided a qualified person decides which enquiries are relevant and follows them through. Long generic lists can obscure the important points and irritate the other side, so editing is part of competent practice.
It can help with wording, but replies are the seller's statements and must reflect what the seller actually knows. The client should approve them. A reply that overstates the position can lead to a misrepresentation claim.
Usually the buyer's conveyancer, if a reasonably competent conveyancer would have pursued it before exchange. Using an AI tracking or drafting tool does not shift that responsibility to the software provider.
If your firm drafted or reviewed the replies in question and a claim against you is possible, tell your broker promptly. PI policies usually require notification of circumstances that may give rise to a claim.
Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Start a PI quote Request a callbackApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
