Can I sack solicitor??

missile

MissMessy wrote: »

Feel like an utter fool... Do people agree its better to cut and run even at a cost to us-to ensure the smooth running of our purchase?

I would not say you were foolish. Many people give more thought to choosing which socks that their solicitor.

IMHO it is important to establish a longer term relationship of mutual trust and respect.:A

MissMessy_2

ginvzt wrote: »

We are dealing with Beaumont Legal for our purchase. Good thing we are buying from our landlord and he is a great (and forgiving) guy.

The latest 'joke' by Beaumont legal was sending a cheque (!!!!) for the deposit money (over £20k) to vendor's solicitors instead of electronic transfer. I was shocked.

We also had to find another solicitor to witness us signing some mortgage papers, and that cost us nearly £100 on top of all the fees we paid Beaumont.

I would sack them - but we are nearly there with completion, it is the last bit that is left. I hope they will not mess this up. And I am definitely going to ask them to confirm that the funds will be transferred using telegraphic transfer, for which there is a fee in the quote (and the one we paid already, together with the stamp duty money).

Thank you...

This is what I mean, I would rather cut and run now at the begining and swallow the money. Its not about how fast they can complete the transaction at all, in fact the opposite. I know we will not be able to exchange and complete within 6 weeks and for that they will charge us extra!!!

Abode advertise an all in price but its far from it... on the terms and conditions there is a list as long as my elbow of extra fees some of which are totally unjustified I feel... yes i know serves me right for signing on the dotted line!

An extra £100+ if you wish to exchange and complete on the same day..

An extra £99+ vat for requesting searches

An extra god knows how much if you do not complete within 6 weeks


The communication, care and interest just is not there and as the old saying goes "you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"

MissMessy_2

Oh by the way I have just discovered why Abode have completely ignored my complaint(s)

In the T&C it states that Beaumont Legal pay for all of Abodes offices etc... ah it all makes sense. I bet there are no panel of firms at all just Abode and Beaumont..

I wonder if any digging would confirm they are just one company as I have never read of any other firm begin used when it comes to Abode??

MissMessy_2

Ok this is what they have done so far-

Sent out terms for us to sign which we returned
Requested searches
Chased up sellers solicitor for draft contract..

Searches cost £109 and they reckon they will charge us £99+ vat for getting them???
So thats our £250 gone eh??


Is it standard practice to have to give your solicitor your Stamp Duty at exchange of contracts?

Beaumont have stated we must do this and their terms say we will not be intitled to any interest between exchange and completion?

MissMessy_2

Sorry I know I have done loads of posts..

In the T&C it states their standards- they give timesacles which they will adhere to for getting back to the client ie within 1 working day for phonecalls and 2 working days for emails. On 3 seperate occassions this has not happened so is this not a breach of the agreement?

Richard_Webster

See comments below in red

The latest 'joke' by Beaumont legal was sending a cheque (!!!!) for the deposit money (over £20k) to vendor's solicitors instead of electronic transfer. I was shocked. You might be shocked but it is quite standard to do that. A few mega fussy seller's solicitor insist on the money being sent by TT, but why should a solicitor incur this extra cost for his buyer client when once contracts have been exchanged the location of the deposit money is not that significant in practice because the buyer's solicitor is bound by professional undertaking to send if required to do so? (If time is short between exchange andf compleiton it is often agreed that the buyer's solicitor holds it to the seller's solicitor's order until completion and sends all the money in one hit by TT on completion.)

As much I like to bash "factory conveyancers", I don't think this particular criticism is at all justified.

We also had to find another solicitor to witness us signing some mortgage papers, and that cost us nearly £100 on top of all the fees we paid Beaumont. A few lenders like First Direct actually insist that a solicitor witnesses the signatures on the mortgage deed and provides a certificate to that effect, so this may have unavoidable with your particular lender. If someone out of area asks me for an estimate when say First Direct are going to lend I point out at the beginning that there would be this extra cost and suggest they use a more local solicitor.

I would sack them - but we are nearly there with completion, it is the last bit that is left. I hope they will not mess this up. And I am definitely going to ask them to confirm that the funds will be transferred using telegraphic transfer, for which there is a fee in the quote (and the one we paid already, together with the stamp duty money).Completion is not the same as exchange and I cannot seriously believe that any solicitor would attempt to complete in any other way than by a TT/CHAPs transfer.

Gwhiz

Stamp Duty is payable on COMPLETION.

What are they on?!!!!!!!!!

Richard_Webster

Searches cost £109 and they reckon they will charge us £99+ vat for getting them???

If it wasn't clearly spelt out that every buyer would have to pay this £99 + VAT I would tell them you will complain to their professional body (SRA or CLC) for making this extra charge as it is is very obviously part of the ordinary work involved in conveyancing on a purchase and not something that is "extra".

Although I think it stinks and shouldn't be an extra there is some argument for saying that completing the SDLT form is an extra because it its relatively new form which was never part of the traditional work that solicitor id. (I don't think that washes with the average punter, but that's the argument for what it is worth.) However carrying out searches has always been an integral part of the job so I really do fail to see what this should justify extra charges.

Again and again, (having sought in a previous post to provide some defence where I didn't think it was justified,) I have to make the point that people are finding that it looked as if they would be paying say £250 plus VAT for their purchase conveyancing with a mortgage but ended up paying £600 + Vat when a local firm might have charged say £500 + VAT and stuck to it.

Trouble is that they get conned with these misleading adverts before they look at MSE.

MissMessy_2

Unfortunately Richard it was because of this site that we chose to go down this road..

On Martin Lewis' factsheet about purchasing Abode is mentioned as a company that "members" have had good experiences with. I am yet to find one genuine person who is a happy with the service they received...

I have made a complaint to MSE for advertising this company when so many members of MSE are unhappy with them.. we shall wait and see

It does say in the small print that they will assume there is a valid HIP in place and not do certain searches until asked otherwise. We provided the HIP from the seller and Beaumont said they couldnt use it as it was out of date (by approx 6 days) They said it had to be less than 6 months old? Is this correct? This HIp was done begining of April.

In the email they stated we could either do a personal or official search.. the official being cheaper. The solicitor said that as the official was better and cheaper then we should go with that.. in that email there was no mention of this charge of £99 + vat BUT it does state it in the t&C..