One in two conveyancing practitioners now submits stamp duty land tax (SDLT) forms online, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said last week.


However, lawyers warned that more solicitors will need to embrace electronic filing if they are to compete with other professionals.



Practitioners acknowledged that HMRC has made some progress in addressing the technical problems that have dogged the online filing system since its introduction in 2005. Some 65,346 conveyancers and solicitors filed online last year - double the previous year.



Research commissioned by HMRC, which carried out 54 face-to-face interviews with conveyancing professionals at 30 firms, put the low take-up down to a lack of awareness of the advantages of online filing rather than gaps in the process. It showed that while the time it takes to register poses a problem for some, solicitors benefit from being able to print off instant land transaction certificates, and a faster turnaround time.



Law Society Vice-President Paul Marsh said: 'The increased reliability of online filing has resulted in more solicitors having the confidence to use it... As other parts of the conveyancing process move online, it is important that solicitors move with it. Those who fail to do so will find it hard to compete.'



However, Michael Garson, chairman of the Society's property section, said there was 'no real magic' in being able to file by email when solicitors were still being asked to provide 'far too much information'.



Catherine Baksi