The Challenge

In February 2025, Hunters Shipley were chosen to undergo a detailed 5-hour HMRC audit of their AML practices. 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.

The Solution

Fortunately for Hunters Bingley & Shipley, Coadjute’s Assured Compliance solution provided comprehensive AML support, ensuring compliance through multiple layers of protection.

• Training and implementation of the Assured Compliance framework: Assured Compliance is a service based on a detailed framework covering legislation and regulatory guidance, business level AML guidance, and detailed client level AML workflows. The team provided Hunters Bingley & Shipley with in-depth training and guidance on the framework ensuring the team understood why certain processes are required and how to implement them.
• Easily auditable and stress-free record keeping: The Coadjute team worked with Hunters Bingley & Shipley to implement detailed record-keeping and internal controls that are easily auditable.
• Additional support during HMRC audits: Our experts helped Hunters Bingley & Shipley to prepare by performing mock audits and running refresher sessions on the regulatory requirements ensuring everything was clear and they had all the information they needed

With Coadjute’s Assured Compliance solution, Hunters Bingley & Shipley now operates with a stronger, more efficient AML framework, ensuring compliance with confidence and ease.

The Results

Upon their review, HMRC auditors confirmed the effectiveness of Hunters Shipley’s compliance approach under Assured Compliance. They noted that under Assured Compliance they were able to easily access well-organised documentation on Coadjute’s digital platform and quickly verify compliance in all required areas. They specifically highlighted the clarity and accuracy of the agency’s record keeping and transactions, describing them as “gold standard.”

Beyond passing the audit, Hunters Bingley & Shipley has significantly improved their branches efficiency. 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.

This strong compliance foundation provides Hunters Bingley & Shipley with lasting protection against regulatory risks and has placed the agency in an extremely confident position for future audits.