A referral network for agents, brokers and law firms

Who the network is for

The network has two kinds of partner:

• Introducers: estate agents, mortgage brokers and other professionals whose clients need conveyancing, such as financial advisers, developers and relocation agents.
• Law firms: firms that carry out residential or commercial property work and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) or CILEx Regulation, or, in Northern Ireland, by the Law Society of Northern Ireland.

Keyfolio sits between them as a quotation and referral service. We do not carry out legal work. Our job is to give clients a clear, itemised quote and introduce them to a suitable firm when they ask, which deals with them directly from then on.

For introducers: refer, see each outcome, earn

Each introducer gets a personal referral link, a partner page with its name (also as a QR code to print) and a short referral code. Clients who use your link get an instant quote, and their quote records that you introduced them.

In the introducer portal you can:

• refer a client directly, once they have agreed to be contacted
• see whether each client's matter goes ahead and completes, and which law firm is acting
• get the law firm's updates on a matter, such as the completion date agreed, when the client agrees to them
• send our team a note about any referral
• see the commission due and paid, on the terms in your agreement with us, and send us your invoice for it

You never see the confidential legal file, the client's quote or their messages. Our pages for estate agents and mortgage brokers go into more detail.

For law firms: referrals that fit

Law firms receive referrals that match what they have told us: the types of work they do, the parts of the UK they cover, the lender panels they are on (the lists of firms each lender allows to act for it) and how many new matters they can take.

In the firm portal you can:

• accept or decline each new referral within the agreed time limit
• assign matters to fee earners (the lawyers who handle the files) and record the stages each matter reaches, such as exchange and completion
• keep your capacity, availability, regions and lender panels up to date
• use the Keyfolio fee schedule or your own prices
• see your invoices and statements, and tell us when you have paid

Referral fees are agreed in writing before any referral is sent, and disclosed to every client. Our standard agreement includes no completion, no fee: a client whose transaction does not complete pays the firm no legal fee, only the disbursements it has paid out for them, and on a sale whose buyer withdraws, the firm acts on the same quote with the next buyer, and may charge for the work done only if that buyer withdraws too. The firm pays us no referral fee for such a transaction either, as our referral fee falls due only on completion. Our page for law firms explains more.

Not on a client's lender's panel? A law firm on our panel can act for the lender on the mortgage, from £960.00 including VAT (£800.00 plus VAT): see separate representation.

What clients see

Clients get an itemised quote that separates the legal fee, VAT, disbursements (third-party costs such as searches) and estimated property tax, with a PDF and a private link. If an introducer referred them, the quote says so, and what we pay the introducer where that is agreed. Every law firm on our panel, other than a firm a client chooses instead (their quote page says whether it does too), works on a no completion, no fee basis: a client whose transaction does not complete pays no legal fee, only the disbursements already paid out, and on a sale whose buyer pulls out, the firm carries on with the next buyer on the same quote, charging for the work done only if that buyer pulls out too.

When they ask to go ahead, they are introduced to a regulated firm, told its name and exactly what it pays Keyfolio, if anything, and then receive the firm's own terms of engagement. From then on the firm deals with them directly, and their private page keeps their quote, the firm's details and a fraud warning.

Compliance in plain words

Referrals only work if clients can trust them. Every partner agrees to these principles:

• Consent. A client is referred only after they have agreed to be contacted, and only the information needed is shared.
• Disclosure. Before referring a client, a partner tells them in writing that it has a referral arrangement with Shreef Holdings Ltd trading as Keyfolio, what it may receive, and that they are free to choose any conveyancer. We tell clients about our own fees before they go ahead, and the firm's name and exact fee when they are introduced.
• Freedom to choose. Clients are free to use any conveyancer and must never be pressured to use a particular firm.
• Data protection. Personal information is kept secure, used only for the referral and handled in line with UK data protection law. Each partner sees only what its role needs.

Our referral disclosure shows how this is explained to clients, and our standards set out what we expect of every firm.

How to apply

Use our online form to apply to join. We ask for:

• the type of organisation and its name
• a contact name, email address and phone number
• your website and, for law firms, your regulator and registration number
• the areas you cover
• a rough idea of how many matters you expect to refer or take on each month

It takes a few minutes and commits you to nothing.

What happens after you apply

We review every application. For law firms, that includes checking the regulator's register, the work the firm does and where, and its lender panels. We then talk to you about how the arrangement would work in practice.

Nothing goes live until terms are agreed in writing. Once we have reviewed your application, we send you our proposal with the terms: for a law firm, its fees, how it is invoiced and the time allowed to accept a referral; for an introducer, its commission and when it becomes due.

We then set up your portal and invite your team, each person with their own login and the option of two-step verification. Existing partners can sign in at any time.