CQS Accreditation
The Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) is the gold standard for assessing the competency of law firms practising residential conveyancing in England and Wales.
Launched in early 2011, the scheme is open to SRA-authorised law firms providing residential conveyancing services. Accreditation lasts for 12 months, and firms can apply for re-accreditation up to six weeks before expiry.
The value to law firms in becoming Conveyancing Quality Scheme accredited
Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation has become essential for property law firms that need full lenders panel access. And for a number of lenders, including Nationwide, HSBC UK, Metro Bank, Santander, Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank, CQS accreditation is a condition of panel membership.
The CQS Core Practice Management Standards can also be used effectively to create a robust risk management framework for your firm. This will help you improve the quality of your client service, ensure consistency of approach amongst your team, and strengthen your management of risks such as money laundering, property fraud and cyber crime.
Enderley Consulting has been supporting firms with CQS accreditation since the scheme started in 2011.
We’re proud to say that our success rate in helping our clients achieve accreditation is 100%.
What is needed to become Conveyancing Quality Scheme accredited? Getting CQS application ready!
The key to a smooth, speedy and successful CQS application is planning. We’ll provide you with a project plan and guide you through the various steps, checking that everything is in order before you submit your application.
You will need to appoint:
- A Senior Reporting Officer (SRO) who is a solicitor with a current practising certificate who has overall responsibility for CQS compliance in the practice
- A Head of Conveyancing (can be the same person as the SRO) who must have appropriate residential conveyancing experience and be competent to supervise
CQS Mandatory Training
The SRO must have completed the SRO certification exam BEFORE you submit the application.
The Head of Conveyancing and all conveyancers (qualified and unqualified) must have completed the relevant CQS mandatory training in the past year.
Every conveyancer, whether or not qualified must complete the CQS mandatory training.
The training courses are: Protocol in Practice; Financial Crime; Conveyancing Practice; Risk, Compliance and Client care.
You will need to upload evidence of completion of all mandatory training during the application process.
Core Practice Management Standards
The Law Society will expect your firm to comply with the Core Practice Management Standards at the time you apply for CQS accreditation.
We can help with this. We’ll start with a Teams call to gain an understanding of how you work and then prepare CQS-compliant drafts of all the policies and procedures you’ll need, taking into account your current practices. All documents will be made bespoke to your firm, and we’ll advise on how best to implement them.
Information about your conveyancing practice
You’ll need to collate some conveyancing-related data, such the number of sale and purchase transactions your firm has completed in each of the last three years and the gross income and profit from those transactions.
The application also asks about lenders panel memberships (and reasons for removal, if applicable), developer panels, referral fees, regulatory issues, cyber security, complaints referred to the Legal Ombudsman and professional indemnity claims.
Further documents needed for the CQS application
- DBS checks for relevant people – we recommend using Atlantic Data as they will send the results directly to the Law Society
- Evidence of ID for relevant people
- Professional indemnity insurance certificate
- Professional indemnity insurance claims record for the last three years
- Your last AR1 Accountant's Report - but only if it was qualified
- Documentation relating to any ongoing SRA investigation – where the SRA are currently conducting an investigation
- Correspondence, decision letter and agreed outcome and/or SDT judgement of any SRA regulatory decisions in respect of individuals or the firm in the last 3 years
- Decision/outcome from Legal Ombudsman where the outcome was to improve procedures in your conveyancing practice
- Correspondence with the SRA relating to the firm’s financial stability (if relevant)
The CQS application process
The CQS application has to be completed online – you can no longer submit a paper or emailed application form.
We’ll consider the application with you, talk you through the application form, and draft responses where needed, before you start the online process.
Top tip: Collect all the documents listed above that are relevant to your firm before starting the application process, as you will need to upload them during the application.
After your firm is accredited
We’ll continue to support you and your team, with
- Reviewing your CQS manual and ensuring that it’s up to date with all the CQS and regulatory requirements
- Reviewing and updating your Firm Wide Risk Assessment and AML PCPs
- Carrying out a CQS audit and/or a Regulation 21 independent AML audit
- Training on AML, property fraud, and cybercrime
Are you ready to take the next step ?
Please reach out to Anne to discuss our CQS Accreditation Service or your individual requirements so we can provide a quote.
