solicitors / property / money laundering

[donna123]

We need our solicitors to do some work re property. They say that they need sight of bank statements or similar for ML reasons. The relationship with the solicitors is not totally arms-length, there is a bit of a personal relationship too, so I'm not keen on giving them this because I don't want them to know the balance on our account. The amount involved is less than £10,000.
Do they need to see the bank statement or is there some de minimus get-out clause.

You don't need bank statements to prove your ID. A utility bill would do.

You'll need to ring the firm to check this though.

It's not for proof of ID. It's to prove that the funds come from a legitimate source.

Collaborate is correct, we usually require original passports and utility bills so we can copy and endorse as originals. Have never requested sight of a bank statement. If they do persist however, do you have a separate bill account they could see rather than your main current/savings account?

Would you bank be able to write to solicitor directly to confirm the information?

This sounds wrong and have never heard of that. You do need to provide proof of ID under ML regulations but as far as I know and as shown here www.lawsociety.org.uk/choosingandusing/commonlegalproblems/moneylaundering.page that is it. If they still insist perhaps you could just get a letter confirming the funds are available from your account from your bank - this would confirm the info without revealing any details.

My BIL recently had dealings with a conveyancing solicitor re property and all they asked for was bank details (to pay the money in) proof of ID, passport, utility bill and proof of his current address. Nothing about the balance in any accounts

You should just need to explain where the money comes from, then pay it via a bank. If you deposit £50k cash then alarm bells will ring.