Sign up in 30 seconds and get your first AI property risk report free — no credit card required. Upload a legal pack and deliver insights your competitors cannot match: Try Unwildered Free

Every Agent Knows the Property. Almost None Know the Legal Pack.

You have valued the property. You have taken the photographs, written the listing, and published it on Rightmove. You know the square footage, the council tax band, and which side the garden faces.

But can you tell your vendor — or your buyer — what is in the legal pack?

Can you tell them that the lease has 74 years remaining and the mortgage market narrows dramatically below 80? Can you tell them that the ground rent doubles every 20 years and several high-street lenders refuse to lend against doubling clauses? Can you tell them that a restrictive covenant from 1923 prohibits "any alteration to the external elevation" — which means the planning-approved loft conversion the vendor is banking on for value will breach the covenant?

Most agents cannot. Because most agents have never read the legal pack. That is the solicitor's job.

Except here is what happens when the solicitor discovers a problem three weeks after the sale is agreed: the chain collapses, the buyer withdraws, the vendor loses confidence in you, and the instruction walks to your competitor down the road.

Unwildered changes this dynamic. For £20 per property, the AI screens the legal pack, flags the risks, and gives you information that no other agent in the market is providing. The agent who knows the legal position before listing — not after a failed exchange — is the agent who wins the instruction, manages expectations, prices accurately, and closes deals that stick.

The Agent's Real Problem: Fall-Throughs Are Killing Your Revenue

Let us talk about the number that keeps agency owners awake at night: the fall-through rate.

According to industry data, approximately 30% of agreed sales in England and Wales fall through before completion. The most common causes are:

1. Survey issues — problems discovered during the buyer's survey

2. Legal issues — problems discovered during the conveyancing process

3. Chain breaks — a related transaction in the chain collapses

4. Buyer change of mind — often triggered by delays or unexpected costs

Categories 1, 2 and 4 are frequently caused by information that was available in the legal pack from day one but was not discovered until weeks into the transaction.

Every fall-through costs you money. Not just the lost commission — typically £2,000–£5,000 on a standard residential sale — but the time you invested in viewings, negotiations, and progress chasing. The re-listing effort. The vendor's frustration. The reputational damage when a buyer tells their friends "the agent didn't know about the lease problem."

Now consider the alternative: what if you knew about the lease problem before you listed the property? What if you could tell the vendor "the lease has 77 years remaining, which limits the buyer pool to those who can negotiate an extension or pay cash — I suggest we price accordingly and instruct a lease extension quote in parallel"?

That conversation demonstrates expertise. It builds trust. It prevents surprises. And it closes deals that would otherwise have fallen through at the eleventh hour.

5 Ways AI Legal Screening Transforms Your Agency

1. Win More Market Appraisals With Better Intelligence

The market appraisal is a beauty parade. Three agents visit. Three agents talk about comparable sales and marketing reach. Three agents suggest a similar asking price.

You are the fourth agent. You arrive with the Unwildered report.

"Mr and Mrs Smith, before our meeting I ran your property's legal pack through our AI screening system. I want to flag two things. First, the lease has 82 years remaining. That is above the critical 80-year threshold, but several lenders now require 85 years at the point of application. I would recommend we instruct a lease extension quote — it will cost £500 or so for the quote — to give buyers confidence and widen the pool. Second, there is a restrictive covenant prohibiting external alterations without the freeholder's consent. That will not affect the sale, but if a buyer is planning a loft conversion, we need to disclose it upfront."

The vendor has never heard an estate agent speak like this. The other three agents talked about Rightmove Premium and open days. You talked about their property's actual legal position. You win the instruction.

Cost: £20 for the AI report. Value: A £3,000+ commission that your competitors missed.

2. Price Properties Accurately by Factoring in Legal Risk

The comparable evidence says £275,000. But the comparable evidence does not account for the fact that this particular flat has:

• A lease with 71 years remaining (unmortgageable for most buyers)

• Service charge arrears of £4,200 outstanding

• A Section 20 notice for roof works estimated at £18,000 per flat

These are not "condition" issues that a surveyor will flag. These are legal and financial liabilities that dramatically affect the achievable sale price. A cash buyer will discount for the lease extension cost. An investor will discount for the Section 20 exposure. A first-time buyer's mortgage application will be declined outright.

Without this information, you list at £275,000 and spend 12 weeks explaining to a frustrated vendor why nobody is offering the asking price. With this information, you list at £245,000 with a clear explanation of why — and sell within the first two weeks to a buyer who understands the position and has priced it in.

3. Reduce Fall-Throughs by Surfacing Issues Before They Surprise

The most expensive word in estate agency is "unfortunately."

"Unfortunately, the buyer's solicitor has discovered a restrictive covenant that prevents the buyer's intended use."

"Unfortunately, the mortgage lender has declined because the ground rent has a doubling clause."

"Unfortunately, the buyer is withdrawing because the completion window in the auction special conditions is only 14 days and their bridging lender cannot move that quickly."

Every one of these "unfortunatelys" was predictable. Every one was sitting in the legal pack on day one. AI screening surfaces them before you agree the sale — so you can either resolve them pre-marketing, disclose them upfront, or price accordingly.

4. Differentiate in a Commoditised Market

Estate agency in 2026 is more competitive than ever. Online agents, hybrid agents, and discount fee structures have compressed margins. Vendors choose agents based on perceived value — and the agents who demonstrate genuine property expertise command higher fees and longer sole agency terms.

AI legal screening is a tangible, demonstrable differentiator that most agents do not offer. When you present a prospective vendor with a legal risk report alongside your market appraisal, you are communicating: "We do not just market properties. We understand them."

This is not a gimmick. This is a genuine service enhancement that protects the vendor from surprise, protects the buyer from hidden risk, and protects your commission from fall-through.

5. Upsell to Investor and Developer Clients

If your agency handles investment property, HMO portfolios, auction lots, or development sites, AI legal screening becomes a revenue-generating service in its own right.

Offer "Pre-Purchase Legal Screening" as a paid add-on for investor clients. The investor pays £30 for a one-off report or buys a pack of 5 for £100. You facilitate the screening, present the results, and add value far beyond what a traditional agent provides.

Some agencies are already packaging this as a "Due Diligence" service and charging clients £75–£150 per property — pocketing the margin between the Unwildered report cost (£20) and the client-facing fee. That is a legitimate, scalable revenue stream that requires no additional staff or expertise.

What the AI Actually Checks (And Why It Matters for Agents)

Comparison: Agent With AI vs Agent Without AI

How to Integrate Unwildered Into Your Agency Workflow

For Vendor Instructions (Pre-Marketing)

1. Request the legal pack from the vendor's solicitor during the instruction process. If they do not yet have a solicitor instructed, request the title register and any lease documents the vendor holds.

2. Upload to Unwildered and receive the AI screening report within 10 minutes.

3. Review the findings and incorporate them into your pricing recommendation and marketing strategy.

4. Share relevant findings with the vendor — not the full report, but the material issues that affect pricing, buyer pool, or marketing approach.

5. Disclose proactively in the property particulars where appropriate. "Lease: approximately 84 years remaining. Vendor is obtaining a lease extension quote." This attracts informed buyers and repels time-wasters who would have withdrawn later.

For Auction Listings

If your agency runs or facilitates auction sales, AI legal screening adds enormous value:

1. Screen every lot before the catalogue goes live. Identify deal-breaker risks early.

2. Advise vendors on reserve pricing based on legal risk — not just market comparable evidence.

3. Provide bidder packs that include an AI risk summary alongside the legal pack. This attracts serious bidders and reduces post-auction fall-throughs.

4. Offer screening as a service to registered bidders. Charge £50 per screening; cost to you is £20.

For Investment and Portfolio Clients

1. Offer bulk screening for investor clients evaluating multiple properties.

2. Package as "Due Diligence Screening" — a premium add-on to your standard investment agency service.

3. Use findings to qualify properties before recommending them to your investor database. An investor who receives a recommendation with an AI risk report attached trusts your judgement more — and comes back for the next deal.

Pricing for Agencies

Pass the cost through to the vendor as part of your marketing package, absorb it as a business development expense, or mark it up as a premium service. At £20 per report, the ROI is obvious: one prevented fall-through pays for an entire year of screening.

What Unwildered Is Not

• Not a solicitor substitute. Unwildered screens for risks; it does not provide legal advice. Your vendor's and buyer's solicitors remain essential for the conveyancing transaction.

• Not regulated by the SRA or FCA. Unwildered is a technology product. You remain responsible for your own obligations under the Estate Agents Act 1979, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, and the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) guidance.

• Not a property management tool. Unwildered analyses legal packs for transactional risk. It does not manage tenancies, service charges, or ongoing compliance.

Conclusion: The Agent Who Knows the Legal Pack Wins the Instruction

The estate agency market in 2026 rewards expertise, not just marketing spend. Vendors want an agent who understands their property — including the parts they cannot see.

AI legal screening gives you that understanding for £20 and 10 minutes. It surfaces the lease length that limits the buyer pool, the covenant that blocks the loft conversion, the ground rent clause that kills the mortgage, and the Section 20 notice that changes the asking price.

The agent who knows this before listing closes deals that stick. The agent who discovers it three weeks into a transaction writes another "unfortunately" email and watches the instruction walk.

The choice is obvious. The cost is negligible. The competitive advantage is real.

Try your first property screening free — no credit card required →

Disclaimer: This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or estate agency advice.