Online conveyancers - nightmare?

[Ynox]

Had an offer accepted on a property yesterday. In theory it ought to be a straight forward deal (no chain as we're first time buyers).

Has anyone got any experiences with the online conveyancing firms? Looks like I can save about £1k using them over a local firm, but part of me thinks the £1k is money well spent in case I need to shout at people in person! Plus there's always the benefit of local knowledge...

Cheers.

[Muncher]

Just don't.

[Pheo]

Supposedly straight forward deal for us turned into a 6 month pita because vendor had used a cheap ass online solicitor. I was telling them what to do as they had to involve bona Vocantia - oh and did nothing about it for two months. As they were Connells panel sols it was making them look very bad. Blacks iirc was the name

I went with a local firm. Although I had a few issues they were resolved when I discussed with a partner. Also cost wise wasn't much different.

Muncher excluded , I was amazed by the expected level of customer service given the costs, vs my job. If I did some of the things that appeared normal I'd be fired on the spot!

[Rude-boy]

I am surprised that there is that difference in fees unless you are looking at the headline £299+vat on the net before you look at the ID fee, the SDLT fee, etc., etc. which tends to bring prices closer. If there is really a £1k gap in the fees then I would suggest calling a few other locals, or discussing directly with the one you have already called what they are going to give you for that extra money!


Regardless 9/10 if there is a problem in a chain the root can be found where someone has gone for an on line factory operation.

[bigandclever]

Muncher said:

Just don't.

That ^^^, a million times over.

[forest07]

If you really want the property don't use online conveyancing. A mate of mine was trying to buy property which the owner was using one, he gave up. There SLA's on replying to his solicitor were unbelievable! Plus they kept losing documents etc. etc.

[Riff Raff]

Pheo said:

Supposedly straight forward deal for us turned into a 6 month pita because vendor had used a cheap ass online solicitor. I was telling them what to do as they had to involve bona Vocantia - oh and did nothing about it for two months. As they were Connells panel sols it was making them look very bad. Blacks iirc was the name

I went with a local firm. Although I had a few issues they were resolved when I discussed with a partner. Also cost wise wasn't much different.

Muncher excluded , I was amazed by the expected level of customer service given the costs, vs my job. If I did some of the things that appeared normal I'd be fired on the spot!

That was my experience too, selling my Father's property after he died - straightforward sale to a neighbour, so no chain. The buyer used an on-line firm to save costs. They managed to turn something that should have been done in a month into a four month nightmare.

My Solicitor was pulling his hair out at the end of the saga. I hate to think of the consequences of using one of these firms in a complicated chain.

[Tyre Tread]

About to move house and buy a property in another part of the country so a genuine and relevant question: Is there any benefit in using a Solicitor in close proximity to the property one is buying or is it pretty much irrelevant.

I'm wondering if Solicitors local to a property will know more of the local contacts and infrastructure of the area.

[Soov535]

Ynox said:

Had an offer accepted on a property yesterday. In theory it ought to be a straight forward deal (no chain as we're first time buyers).

Has anyone got any experiences with the online conveyancing firms? Looks like I can save about £1k using them over a local firm, but part of me thinks the £1k is money well spent in case I need to shout at people in person! Plus there's always the benefit of local knowledge...

Cheers.

Yep, that's a good shout. Spending several hundred grand on an asset in a transaction fraught with potential disaster and you're going to entrust this to a faceless moron rather than a properly qualified lawyer.

It'll be fine.








FFS.

[rednotdead]

A thread is emerging here

Don't, just don't. The buyer of our house used an online service and all the (significant) delays were caused by them. Comparing notes, our buyer saved about £150 over what we'd paid a local firm....

[Rude-boy]

Tyre Tread said:

About to move house and buy a property in another part of the country so a genuine and relevant question: Is there any benefit in using a Solicitor in close proximity to the property one is buying or is it pretty much irrelevant.

I'm wondering if Solicitors local to a property will know more of the local contacts and infrastructure of the area.

The honest answer is that it doesn't really matter that much. It is more important that you 'gel' and work with your solicitors than that they are down the road from the house you are selling or buying.

Yes there have been deals where having local knowledge has helped sort things out but usually that local knowledge only saves time by knowing directly where to go or what to do. As an example there are a number of developments near to me that were constructed in the 1970's when they pioneered Oil fired c/h systems in each property but with a common tank supplying all. It didn't work out and by the 1980's was off line. The legacy of that is that some properties have had the rights for the oil co, etc, removed and the covenants not to have your own oil tank removed but there are lots that are the same as the day they were build in terms of the legal title. When I get one of those I know exactly what is required within minutes of looking at the docs. and there are 3 main variations, each with a different way ahead. The first time I had one of these it took about an hour to work all the permutations and so on through. Add to that that I know that the oil co.s have no interest and have shown none for over 12 years with these I can also advise as to likely risk. An out of towner might be a lot more jumpy, or might miss it entirely as one did last year when I was selling...

[Ynox]

Sold on a local company.

Not worth fking about with to save a grand or so. Cheers for the replies (including the sarcastic ones!).

[Tyre Tread]

Thank you Rude-boy.

[Steve57]

I'll throw a spanner in the works, our one worked out fine, the only thing that held our sale up was the local solicitor going into a meeting while mid completion so ended up completing the following day after we had moved.

[Rude-boy]

Ynox said:

Sold on a local company.

Not worth fking about with to save a grand or so. Cheers for the replies (including the sarcastic ones!).

Make sure, in a nice way, not a pushy one, that they are aware of how close you were to going online and that it was the promise of better service, etc that swung it for you.

Don't be afraid to ask questions or 'push' if you are concerned at the lack of things happening at any time. I try to make sure that Clients know where I am at and when I expect to be back to them. They should be doing the same and if they don't get back to you when they say they should have then there is no harm in calling (or even better in my camp, as it allows me to reply when I am not in the middle of another file, e-mailing) and asking what the score is.

I have clients who would ask me to wipe their nose and take them to the bathroom if they thought they could get away with it and Clients who pay the same for me to only contact them when it's ready for me to report and them to sign - each client is different and should be treated as such, that is why you are going this route, you are an individual and your sale and purchase are individual properties. Even if they are Bovis boxes there will be variations and quirks.

Good luck, a decent conveyancer should mean that that is at least one less thing for you to worry about!

[Rude-boy]

Steve57 said:

I'll throw a spanner in the works, our one worked out fine, the only thing that held our sale up was the local solicitor going into a meeting while mid completion so ended up completing the following day after we had moved.

There is/are good and bad everywhere, rather surprised by the meeting thing though as that should stop nothing, or at worst only provide a short hold up in the chain. Even then for it to throw an entire completion out suggests to me that there is a lot of background to that such as last minute exchanges and delays further up chain in passing the money through.

I had one deal just pre Christmas where we were 2 in the chain of 4 and the on line bods dealing with property number one didn't bother sending the money to me until noon, it arriving with me about 12:30. That's three and a half hours wasted and left me and the two other solicitors involved (ignoring amended SCS 5th Ed contract times for those who know what they are reading ) less than 3 hours to shift the money on at least 3 more stages...

[Pheo]

I'd actively try to avoid properties or buyers where they are tryng to use an online factory now (as best as one is able)... simply due to the hassle.

[Little Lofty]

As mentioned you probably won't save as much as you think anyway, the headline £299 legal fee is just the tip of the iceberg, all the other disbursements which add considerably to the overall cost will be pretty much the same no matter who you use. I use a local conveyancer and its approx £800/900 to buy all in.

[Jobbo]

I can't see how the saving can be a grand. If you're just buying a property, even personal service from a recommended local solicitor isn't likely to cost £800+VAT in their fees (total £960). Searches, Land Registry fee, SDLT etc are all the same. If the online outfit did it for nothing but the cost of disbursements, there wouldn't be a £1000 saving.

[Sir Bagalot]

In the past six years I've bought two places.

First one used a local firm. Was lied to. Was charged £150 to check over a tenancy agreement and had no choice but to pay it. Felt held to ransom. They ignored communications.

Second one used online guys, completely different. Great email communication and always returned calls within 24 hours.

Disbursements will be the same. For service and credit checks saved about 60%