London, UK – 13 May 2025: Hunters Bingley & Shipley, a leading estate agency in Bradford, has successfully passed a rigorous HMRC audit, thanks to Coadjute’s Assured Compliance service. The agency received high praise for its anti-money laundering (AML) practices with auditors saying if the agency rolled out Coadjute’s practices across all elements, they would be ‘gold standard’.
In February 2025, Shipley was chosen to undergo a detailed five-hour HMRC audit of its AML practices. “Getting the letter from HMRC was momentarily stressful,” says Aidan Bentley-Smith, Managing Director at Hunter Bingley & Shipley. “Luckily, we use Assured Compliance for our anti-money laundering checks. The team at Coadjute also gave us invaluable advice and support to help us through the audit and I felt confident we would pass.”
John Reynolds, COO and Co-founder at Coadjute, says: “HMRC audits are becoming more and more common as the government focuses on stopping illegal activity and in particular, money laundering through property transactions in the UK.
“Without a thorough, clearly documented AML compliance framework aligned with HMRC standards, an agency would risk severe repercussions, including significant financial penalties, reputational harm, and potential criminal proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.”
Hunters Bingley & Shipley’s use of Coadjute’s Assured Compliance service ensured they were well-prepared. The service provided a multi-layered compliance framework, practical training, and hands-on support:
- Training and implementation: Coadjute delivered in-depth training on the Assured Compliance framework, helping the team understand key AML requirements and how to apply them in practice.
- Auditable record keeping: Coadjute worked with Hunters Bingley & Shipley to implement detailed record-keeping and internal controls that are easy to audit.
- Audit preparation: The agency received additional support from Coadjute in the form of mock audits and refresher sessions to ensure full readiness for the HMRC review.
With Coadjute’s Assured Compliance solution, Hunters Bingley & Shipley now operates with a stronger, more efficient AML framework, ensuring compliance with confidence and ease.
HMRC auditors praised Hunters Bingley & Shipley’s new compliance approach, noting the ease with which they could verify processes through Coadjute’s digital platform. The clarity, organisation, and accuracy of the agency’s records stood out.
In addition to passing the audit, Hunters Bingley & Shipley has significantly improved its branch’s efficiency by working with Coadjute. The reduced administrative burden has allowed staff to focus more on client relationships and service quality, which in turn has meant their buyers and sellers have benefited from a faster and smoother transaction process with fewer administrative hurdles.
