Coadjute has announced a strategic shift to focus on full-service anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, putting the fight against financial crime at the centre of its future plans. As part of this initiative, the company has appointed property broadcaster Phil Spencer as an ambassador.
Spencer, known for presenting Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location and other property programmes for more than 20 years, is a familiar voice in the UK housing market and widely recognised for his advocacy of professionalism and transparency in property transactions.
The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of the UK property sector for financial crime. The government’s National Risk Assessment identifies property as high-risk, with an estimated £10bn laundered through the sector annually. Regulators have stepped up enforcement, putting estate agents and conveyancers under pressure to verify source of funds and beneficial ownership effectively.
Coadjute notes that much of the market still relies on basic digital ID checks, which confirm identity but do not always establish the origin of funds or ensure a risk-based approach to transactions.
“Screening is not the same as anti-money laundering,” said Dan Salmons, CEO of Coadjute. “Regulation requires firms to understand and manage risk — not just confirm someone has a passport and a bank balance.
“Property is attractive to criminals because it is high-value, complex and historically fragmented. If compliance is treated as a box-ticking exercise, gaps emerge and those are the gaps bad actors exploit.”
Coadjute’s compliance platform combines technology with specialist oversight to manage identity verification, source-of-funds analysis, enhanced due diligence and ongoing monitoring within a structured governance framework. The company says its strategic shift reflects a broader ambition: to move the sector beyond fragmented checks towards consistent, auditable compliance embedded at the heart of property transactions.
Spencer commented: “Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most people will ever make. Trust in that process is essential. Strengthening compliance isn’t about red tape, it’s about protecting consumers and the integrity of the market.”
Backed by major lenders and industry stakeholders, Coadjute says it plans further announcements in the coming months as it expands its compliance capabilities.
