Posted by John on December 8, 2011 under Choosing a Solicitor | Comments are off for this article
Save £850 on conveyancing solicitors costs: £850 is the average saving on a typical sale and purchase through our panel of conveyancing solicitors compared to using a high street solicitor (Survey of 52 high street solicitors, September 2010).
We work with HouseHop.co.uk to instantly compare quotes from a panel of the UK’s best conveyancing solicitors to find you the cheapest genuine conveyancing quote available!
Choose the type of quote you want by clicking on one of the following options:
All the solicitors on our panel are members of the Law Society and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Price promise:
The price you see is the price you pay. All the solicitors on our system have agreed to provide conveyancing quotes that are totally transparent.
Service promise:
Your quote will be cheaper than going direct to the solicitors.
Your solicitor will not charge you a legal fee if your sale, purchase or re-mortgage does not go ahead.
All our solicitors agree to rigorous service levels, which are constantly monitored to ensure all conveyancing work meets the highest standards.
Your solicitor will be able to start work immediately.
Online case tracking:
Your solicitor will provide you with a username and password to track the progress of your case online in real-time 24/7.
Remote conveyancing:
Your solicitor will handle your case remotely so you never have to visit their office.
Posted by John on May 10, 2011 under Choosing a Solicitor | Comments are off for this article
Is your conveyancing solicitor on your lender’s mortgage panel?
If not you could end up paying additional legal fees.
This is because your bank (if you’re buying with a mortgage) will want a solicitor to register their interest (security) in the property. If your solicitor is on your bank’s panel then they can act for both you and the bank.
If not there will be extra fees to pay to instruct separate solicitors for the bank. It also means there is more chance of things going wrong as there is another law firm to be kept in the loop.
That’s why it’s important to check whether your solicitor is on the bank’s panel. And if you’re instructing your solicitor before you’ve chosen your lender make sure that they are on the panel for all the major banks and can act for any bank you are seriously considering for your mortgage.
By checking in advance you can save yourself a lot of hassle and potentially several hundred pounds in legal fees and expenses. The recommended solicitors on our panel act for all the major banks.
Posted by John on March 28, 2011 under Choosing a Solicitor | Comments are off for this article
It’s been dubbed “Tesco Law”. From 6 October 2011 supermarkets will be able to offer customers legal services such as conveyancing, in direct competition to the country’s 112,000 solicitors.
The reforms were made possible by the Legal Services Act 2007, and already the Co-Operative has begun promoting conveyancing, employment law and personal injury services.
But what does this mean for customers? Will it be the same service at supermarket prices or will it be a case of “you get what you pay for?”
The reality is that to a large extent this process has been going on for some years when it comes to conveyancing. Online conveyancing solicitors with lower overheads and greater economies of scale have been undercutting High Street solicitors by an impressive average of £850 on a typical sale and purchase.
So “Tesco Law” looks like it will accelerate a trend that has been going on for some time. In fact, as far back as 1996 the Law Society (reminiscent of old school 1970s militant union “restrictive practices”) was trying to find a backdoor way of banning low cost conveyancing (see this article from the Independent).
The Law Society have since changed their tune on the matter and now say that the “Tesco Law” reforms will be good for clients. So are they right?
The answer is well, “it depends”. There are some very good low priced online conveyancing solicitors. And some who are best avoided. The trick is to make sure the one you choose ticks the right boxes:
1. Avoid firms quoting ridiculously low “too good to be true” fee rates – they always pad them out with lots of hidden extras and don’t include VAT. Instead, choose a firm that offers a genuine “fixed fee” quote that is fully itemised so you know exactly what you’ll pay in advance.
2. Look at customer feedback. Find a website that allows customers to give feedback directly, so that it’s not filtered by the solicitors themselves. That way you can find out what people really think – the good and the bad – and make a fully informed decision.
To compare instant quotes from genuine “fixed fee” conveyancing solicitors and to see real customer feedback click here: conveyancing.
Posted by John on November 27, 2009 under Choosing a Solicitor | Comments are off for this article
One of the first things you should do when buying or selling is instruct your conveyancing solicitor.
If you’re a seller this gives your solicitor time to prepare a draft contract and sort out the various forms and documents that will be required once you find a buyer.
If you’re a buyer it’s good to have your solicitor standing by so that when you do find a property you’re ready to move straight away.
Make sure that any quote you get is fixed fee otherwise the bill can rapidly creep up – especially if there are unforeseen complications: a few letters at £50 each soon add up. Also, check that disbursements (expenses) are included in the quote.
What happens between offer and exchange?
Even though your solicitor handles the legal process it’s good to understand the basics so that you know what’s going on and what to ask.
Here’s the broad outline. To see the process in more detail go to the Buying or Conveyancing for Sellers pages.
1. Seller’s solicitor sends draft contract to buyer’s solicitor
2. Seller gives their solicitor a copy of the HIP and this is passed on to the buyer’s solicitor and buyer
3. Buyer’s solicitor carries out property searches and looks for information affecting the property
4. Buyer’s mortgage lender values the property
5. Buyer gets survey done (optional, but advisable)
6. Buyer’s solicitor sends “preliminary enquiries” to seller via seller’s solicitor. Seller must answer these questions honestly – if they don’t know the answer they should state “don’t know”
7. Once searches and enquiries are completed and the contract agreed the parties are ready to exchange
8. Buyer and seller each sign a copy of the contract and “exchange” them. The solicitors usually take care of the exchange part so people don’t all have to be in the same place
9. The buyer pays the deposit
The contract is now binding and if the buyer pulls out they will lose their deposit (unless they were misled into signing the contract).
Completion
This is when the property finally changes hands. Through their solicitors the buyer pays off the remainder of the purchase price and the seller hands over the keys.
The buyer’s solicitor will arrange for the payment of and Stamp Duty (SDLT) and will register the transfer of the property with the Land Registry.
Our goal at Conveyancing Solicitors is to bring you the best conveyancing quotes available online.
We work with HouseHop.co.uk - the UK's leading online estate agency website - to find the best deals on offer from the UK's leading conveyancing firms.
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Save £850 on conveyancing solicitors costs: £850 is the average saving on a typical sale and purchase through our panel of conveyancing solicitors compared to using a high street solicitor (Survey of 52 high street solicitors, September 2010).
