Only 11% of home sellers go back to their previous conveyancer when putting their home on the market, research byTwentyConvey has found.

The firm, which is part of the TwentyCi Group, examined nearly 30,000 transactions, and concluded the client retention rate for conveyancers is “astonishingly low”.

The results found that in just 11% of cases, the selling conveyancer was the same conveyancer who helped the buyer with the purchase.

TwentyConvey monitors market data to alert firms when their former clients list properties for sale in order to generate leads.

Pitsford Consulting’s Richard Hinton launched TwentyConvey early last year in partnership with TwentyCi.

He says: “This is an important piece of research which has highlighted an astonishingly low retention rate among conveyancers.

“Every conveyancing firm, regardless of its size, finds staying in touch with former clients a real challenge because the average homeowner cycle is around 20 years.

“Conveyancers who reconnect at an early stage in the sales process find it’s an effective way of identifying leads, maintaining client relationships and enhancing profitability.”

Hinton adds: “We believe TwentyConvey generates around £60m of revenue opportunities every year from the tens of thousands of alerts.

“Each alert empowers our customers because they’re not simply crossing their fingers and hoping their clients remember them, instead they’re taking a proactive approach to drive new instructions.”