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

pinkteapot

Just to stress again... The problem seems to be with Countrywide Conveyancing. You can get an HSBC mortgage and NOT have Countrywide involved.

When choosing your solicitor, just make sure they're on HSBC's panel - if they are, they can act for HSBC. Get quotes, choose the solicitor you want, phone HSBC to check that solicitor can act for them before you instruct. I've moved several times with several different solicitors and not found one yet who couldn't act for HSBC. HSBC will appoint Countrywide to represent them if you choose a solicitor who's not on their list.

We bought a house last year and did the HSBC mortgage application over the phone*. From initial phone call to mortgage offer being received was 15 days (and a valuation survey had been done in between). No complaints at all. Mortgage was sorted long before the conveyancing was finished.

* Much as I'm a fan of HSBC mortgages, their online application system is awful and we had several problems before giving up and doing it by phone. Save yourself the pain and just ring them.

Darkslider

Not going to say too much as I'm (hopefully) nearing exchange using CC as a FTB. But the pattern of asking irrelevant questions, asking for paperwork to be returned before it's been sent, and asking questions they've already received the answers to has all happened already. Luckily our vendors are moving into an empty property so there's only two houses involved, I'm just hoping there's no further delays here on in.

Our offer was accepted mid November last year and our portal is still showing as vendors replies to enquiries as outstanding, despite CC having had comprehensive answers to everything they've asked.