The requisition problem hiding in plain sight
After analysing thousands of AP1 requisitions, InfoTrack’s CTO Rich Hill, discovered something surprising: the requisitions slowing conveyancers down aren’t exotic edge cases. They’re the obvious, preventable ones – missing SDLT certificates, name discrepancies across 20 documents, wrong files uploaded. The kind of thing that happens when you’re doing too much, too fast.
He didn’t delegate this analysis. He spent months personally combing through the data because he had a hunch: if InfoTrack was going to build better AP1 software, he needed to understand what was actually breaking, not what people thought was breaking. He jokes that he can’t speak a foreign language, but he speaks SQL (Structured Query Language, the code used to work with databases) fluently. For this project, being fluent in data was crucial.
What the data actually shows
Rich is clear that this isn’t about competence. Conveyancers and post completion teams know their job. The problem is volume, time pressure, and the sheer number of documents that need to be reconciled for every matter. Once you’ve stared at 1,000 SDLT5 certificates, it’s easy for the wrong one to get attached. When a middle name appears in one document but not in the other 19, it’s easy to miss.
His conclusion is straightforward: if software can reliably check the basics, conveyancers can focus on judgement, nuance, and client handling. That insight is now shaping how Smart AP1 works.
Built with people who actually use it
InfoTrack processes more than half of all AP1 submissions in the market – over 50,000 a month. Smart AP1 has been shaped around two truths. First, there are power users who can almost complete an AP1 with their eyes closed. Second, there are many conveyancers and support teams who rely on the software to guide them through a complex process and protect them from avoidable requisitions.
To get that balance right, InfoTrack leans on three inputs: ex-conveyancers who’ve managed high-volume caseloads and know where things break; direct feedback from firms of all sizes; and requisition data that shows, matter by matter, where problems actually occur.
That data isn’t just used retrospectively. The team uses it to test and tune new rules behind the scenes before firms see them. The aim is simple: fewer surprises, fewer unnecessary requisitions, more predictable outcomes.
Tackling the “inevitable” requisition
Many restriction and consent related requisitions can’t be prevented before submission. In some cases, you must submit knowing that further evidence will follow. InfoTrack’s answer is to treat that as an inevitable workflow and design around it.
On the horizon: Smart AP1 will soon automatically open the conversation with HM Land Registry for relevant restriction types, sending structured caseworker correspondence that flags what will follow and when it’s expected. On the firm side, post completion dashboards will clearly flag where further documents are needed, helping teams pass that baton cleanly between fee earners and post completion staff.
The goal isn’t magic. It’s fewer surprises, less chasing, and fewer opportunities for an application to stall.
Early warning, not pointing fingers
Rich’s long-term obsession isn’t just cleaning up AP1s. It’s catching issues earlier in the transaction so firms aren’t learning about fundamental problems at the point of completion. Firms that use InfoTrack from onboarding through to searches, enquiries and property reports generally find AP1s less stressful because the key elements of the title and transaction have already been identified.
That’s the future he wants to build: a journey in which conveyancers are alerted to potential risks at the start, not at the end, and where tools like Smart AP1 feel like a safety net rather than a critic.
Why this matters
Before joining InfoTrack, Rich led digital transformation for a group litigation law firm that discovered off the shelf practice management systems couldn’t handle millions of clients. He understands what happens when software doesn’t fit the reality of how people actually work. And yes, he still checks platform health reports every morning over coffee – the best in London, according to him, courtesy of Charlie the in-house InfoTrack barista.
Smart AP1 is being built by someone who’s prepared to read thousands of requisitions himself, who manages 50 people but still writes the occasional line of code, which as the CTO, he probably shouldn’t, and who believes the best software is built on what the data shows, not what vendors assume.
For conveyancers drowning in volume, that might be the most reassuring detail of all.
Ready to see how Smart AP1 can reduce requisitions and streamline your post-completion workflow? Book a demo to discover how InfoTrack’s data-driven approach could work for your firm.
