Countrywide Conveyancing/HSBC - avoid like the plague if you want to complete

julsthomas

Very interesting thread, found myself reading the posts and nodding away as we have hit the same problems with our house sale. We chose high street solicitors with a good reputation but unfortunately our buyers chose Countrywide Conveyancing and its been a major headache.

We have spent two weeks trying to exchange, they have lost our buyers deposit, contracts and yesterday they couldn't even find them on the system. They are horrendous!

We are at the stage where we can't play any longer and are remarketing tomorrow for the weekend buyers.

I would advise anyone not to use Countrywide for their own house conveyancing and to be aware of problems if their buyer is using them. We are not accepting a new buyer who is using this firm as I will probably be deceased by the time exchange takes place!

TrixA

We have a mortgage application in with HSBC at the moment. We are using our own solicitors, who are on the HSBC panel and I believe that means they will also be acting for HSBC. Perhaps I'm not understanding correctly, but why would Countrywide need to get involved?

Jpw

Where to start?

They wont call or email you, letter only, slowing down the whole process.

Letters are poorly written, bad grammar, bad punctuation. Spelling mistakes and words repeated ( obviously cut and paste)

Constant requests for us to take out indemnity insurance, boiler first then pipes under extension, all unnecessary and not needed.( and I wonder of the legality!)

We have to chase constantly, request for our ID over and over again even though sent in.

Simple sale has now taken 8+ weeks due to countrywide and the slow process.

Buyers solicitor asking for extra surveys that are not needed, countrywide don't seem to know the LAW and are not acting in our interests! We have to research and contact other parties. ( so what are we actually paying for here?)

Customer service a complete Joke, they actually get stroppy and rude with you, We are paying for a service that is not being delivered!!!

My advice - AVOID.

Jpw

TrixA wrote: »

We have a mortgage application in with HSBC at the moment. We are using our own solicitors, who are on the HSBC panel and I believe that means they will also be acting for HSBC. Perhaps I'm not understanding correctly, but why would Countrywide need to get involved?

My advice, stop the process with HSBC and try with halifax, you will get rejected by HSBC. ( unless you have 15% plus deposit and no other commitments such as kids.) we are squeaky clean and have a hscbc mortgage but the 2 kids now make us not able to re-mortgage with HSBC, no problems with the Halifax.) look on line for HSBC mortgage rejection rate!

Andrew_Cottrell

TrixA wrote: »

We have a mortgage application in with HSBC at the moment. We are using our own solicitors, who are on the HSBC panel and I believe that means they will also be acting for HSBC. Perhaps I'm not understanding correctly, but why would Countrywide need to get involved?

My mortgage is with HSBC. I used a panel solicitor who also acted for HSBC, and I do not recall Countrywide being involved. So long as you as you use a CQS accredited solicitor, I believe it is safe to disregard the previous reported problems regarding HSBC.

social_media_exec

Just to add that Countrywide are still horrendous and take 4+ weeks just to forward house related enquiries to the Land Registry. :mad: We can't really do anything about it because it's the vendor who uses them. I am in a process of launching a social media campaign to reinforce the message that they should be avoided at all cost, or potently even banned.

staceykb84

Hi,

I'm a FTB, just had offer accepted and AIP with HSBC. Am I right in assuming that if I select any conveyancing accredited solicitors then Countrywide won't be involved at any point in the process?

Thanks

Harassed_seller

Wish I had read these posts before we put our house on the market. We are at the end of a chain of four and two of the four are using countrywide conveyancing.......Had no idea how bad there were but everything that has been posted previously we are experiencing. Things have got so bad now that the estate agent has intervened at the bottom of the chain and complained to CC and insisted on a reconciliation meeting this afternoon between the two solicitors acting for numbers one and two in the chain. The rest of us have been ready for weeks and it's just one delay after another. We have been promised exchange for weeks and always on a Friday another query is raised.
This chain started out in November and we joined it at the end of January 2014 and it's now June!
Would advise anyone buying or selling to check if CC are involved in the chain and if so avoid it.......
Will post if we ever do get to move..........

chesneyoctopus

I thought that instructing a solicitor in another part of the country was not a good idea, as it is better to stay local. I am not sure if using a solicitor in Australia is a good idea...................

MIKE770

I used a local solicitor twice now and it took 6.5 - 7 weeks to final completion, no hassle it caught out all the estate agents who were ringing to get up dates and to be told I am on my way to give them the keys, otherside definatly not ready but got their monies pretty dam quicker than they had thought, exchanged within 7 days in the end, travelling to new destination rang the othersides estate agent and said I will be there in 30 minutes to be told no keys, told them had my money I am on the bridge and want to get into my new property, in property within 1..5 hrs, no body told the estate agents in both cases state of play.