Tag: conveyancing

Conveyancing is the process of transferring the legal ownership of a property from the existing owner to the new owner. If you’re buying or selling your home, you’ll need a conveyancer to do your conveyancing for you. Not all solicitors undertake conveyancing and some, like us lot at Clutton Cox, specialise more than others.

So what should you look for in a conveyancer when moving home?

There are services out there that may initially appear to be more cost effective, but the law firm might also be based at the other end of the country to you.

The Legal Ombudsman, the head honcho for complaints, believes that this type of service delivery is more likely to work if your transaction is straightforward without any particular issues. You may be taking a risk if anything unusual, or unexpected, crops up during the transaction you may need to see your solicitor face to face; not easy if your lawyers are at the other end of the country or indeed in another country.

The individual responsible for your case may not have the same qualifications or experience as the lawyer on your local high street, which could mean that the advice you get may not be as informed as you’d like it to be. You can read the Legal Ombudsman Guide here.

On the other hand, if you value great service, you should be able to find the right lawyer willing to give you what you want and not just what your conveyancer thinks you need. After all, no two house sales are the same.

25 Questions To Ask Yourself About What Conveyancing Service You Want

Will your conveyancer:

Understand the unique nature of your matter?
Assign you to a case number and a case handler. Buying a home is one of the most expensive things you’re ever likely to do. Why risk it?
Shut up and listen carefully to what you have to say?
Have a commitment to what we call the 4Cs of client care.
Explain what they were going to do and why and not just assume you knew and already understood?
Help you understand the reasons behind what was going on rather than just telling you what was going on?
Keep you informed when you want to be, and how you wish to communicate, be it by letter, fax, email, text message or in person?
Avoid conveyancing jargon and write to you in plain English
Make sure they were accessible when you want them to be?
Keep their promises?
Keep to deadlines?
Involve you in major points of the work?
Show an interest beyond the work at hand?
Be helpful beyond the task for which they were paid?
Guarantee to return every call within a couple of hours or at least by the end of the working day?
Tell you your call is important, yet there are not enough staff to answer the phone to you and you are put in a queue?
Assign you to this team or that, only for you to have to explain yourself over and over again because you are dealing with someone different each time?
Provide common sense solutions to problems without making a song and dance about it?
Counsel you and give you a helping hand, when the stress gets too much?
Give you a loyalty discount next time you use their services?
Give you all the charges before we start to work for you and no nasty bill shock?
Make it easy for you to make contact so you don’t have to take time off work?
Give you a guarantee that you can always speak to the lawyer dealing with your matter?
Provide you with unrivalled local knowledge, and not just on legal matters?
Above all, provide testimonials from clients proving they don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk