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

PatzyG

The problem lies with Countrywide. If a borrower uses their own solicitor, which has been the case with our vendor, then everything needs to be double checked by Countrywide. Back in January we provisionally agreed a completion date of 15th March which considering we are in rented accommodation and our vendors are moving to an empty property should be totally feasible. We paid our deposit to the solicitors at the end of February, all contracts signed by both parties and since then nothing, apart from Countrywide having a couple of queries last Friday, nothing since. It's an absolute nightmare having no clue whatsoever when you might be moving and we have had to give notice on our tenancy. Perhaps these threads should be sent to Countrywide to show the misery they are causing to what is an already stressful time.

betmunch

glastolover wrote: »

Would appreciate if someone can confirm that if I instruct my local solicitor who CC quoted, that CC will not be involved and so I should be OK.

I believe Countrywide themselve would not be involved.

Whether you will be OK or not is down to the quality of the conveyancer you get. The reviews seem positive though so thats a good sign.

Good luck, and keep us posted

jonas123

I've been using HSBC and opted for my own solicitor as I thought it'd speed up the process, but actually it seems to make the process even longer.

My solicitor had completed all the work, but then had to send it all to Countrywide, who took a few weeks to go over it and then asked a load more questions.

It's such a pain, my seller is getting anxious and it's caused so much stress that I can honestly say it isn't worth the savings, especially if the sale falls through as a result.

I'll be writing a long complaint letter to HSBC when/if this ever ends.

betmunch

PatzyG wrote: »

then everything needs to be double checked by Countrywide.

This is the problem. It doesnt NEED to be checked again. HSBC are insisting it is though.

No other lender does this

SuzieSue

betmunch wrote: »

This is the problem. It doesnt NEED to be checked again. HSBC are insisting it is though.

No other lender does this

Actually, I am with HSBC on this one, I think it they are right to get it checked because of all the fraud which went on before the credit crunch, however, they should use a firm which can cope with the work, not Countrywide who can't.

PatzyG

betmunch wrote: »

This is the problem. It doesnt NEED to be checked again. HSBC are insisting it is though.

No other lender does this

Exactly it doesn't have to be checked again. I have no idea why HSBC have adopted this ridiculous policy.

Richard_Webster

Actually, I am with HSBC on this one, I think it they are right to get it checked because of all the fraud which went on before the credit crunch, however, they should use a firm which can cope with the work, not Countrywide who can't.

So what is that Countrywide are going to do that will prevent fraud, may I ask? Will fraud be prevented by asking to see a Tree Preservation Order affecting trees in the grounds of a block of flats where one flat is being purchased? That's the level of nonsense we get from separately represented lender's solicitors I'm afraid.

Fraud is about surveyors overvaluing property - about BTLers using ordinary residential mortgages, bogus companies certifying a borrower's income etc. A client who is doing something dodgy is more likely to let slip to his local solicitor something that doesn't stack up and sounds warning bells in the solicitor's head than a faceless organisation miles away who are simply looking at a load of papers and have no direct contact with the borrower at all.

There have been times over the years when I have had clients that were obviously lying to me and my professional reputation is more important than them and I would then take whatever steps were open to me to protect myself and the lender from fraud.

I was once acting for a girl who was supposedly moving to my area and buying a house. She was said to be moving from an other area to work as the local representative of a particular company. I didn't see the girl but her parents kept ringing and wanting to know what was going on and I asked when I would see XXX. "Oh she'll come down when she finishes work in [another area]." In the meantime I asked how I could contact them where were they living and they gave me an address. By chance this was next door to someone I knew. So I phoned and the friend told me that the neighbours were putting up this couple as a favour because they had had financial difficulties!

The lender had been writing to the chief office of this company seeking financial references for the girl. This address was a shed in a yard somewhere locally which the father visited and sent back letters to the lender confirming fictitious salary levels for his daughter the applicant.. Because of my local knowledge I was able to find that out and the lender was saved the embarrassment of lending in obviously fraudulent circumstances. How would CPL help in that kind of case? They would have no contact at all with the borrower and would have to rely on the borrower's solicitors to do those kinds of checks.

The point has already been made that for a lot of buyers the easiest way forward is to choose one of the 43 who will do the work for them and avoid silly questions that waste time and money.

I got a copy of the list from someone who was getting a HSBC mortgage. There are some obvious factory firms on there that I wouldn't touch but there are others that I simply don't know that are probably OK.

All you can do once you have the list from HSBC (and you must insist on being given it) is look at the websites of the solicitors in question to get a feel for the kind of operation they are and maybe phone for a "quote" without letting on that HSBC are involved to see what they are like. They may quote you a higher figure than they are allowed by HSBC to charge - but presumably once they know it is a HSBC case they will have to charge HSBC's rates.

It is more about service than going to some comparison website and going through the cheapest until you find one that is on the list, because the cost should be the same whichever one of the 43 you go to.

(It will be interesting to hear how far the magic list do actually keep to the rates HSBC have prescribed - someone at a firm that is on the list said that the rates were about £200 less than they would normally charge!)

.

SuzieSue

Richard_Webster wrote: »

S
There have been times over the years when I have had clients that were obviously lying to me and my professional reputation is more important than them and I would then take whatever steps were open to me to protect myself and the lender from fraud.

I was once acting for a girl who was supposedly moving to my area and buying a house. She was said to be moving from an other area to work as the local representative of a particular company. I didn't see the girl but her parents kept ringing and wanting to know what was going on and I asked when I would see XXX. "Oh she'll come down when she finishes work in [another area]." In the meantime I asked how I could contact them where were they living and they gave me an address. By chance this was next door to someone I knew. So I phoned and the friend told me that the neighbours were putting up this couple as a favour because they had had financial difficulties!

The lender had been writing to the chief office of this company seeking financial references for the girl. This address was a shed in a yard somewhere locally which the father visited and sent back letters to the lender confirming fictitious salary levels for his daughter the applicant.. Because of my local knowledge I was able to find that out and the lender was saved the embarrassment of lending in obviously fraudulent circumstances. How would CPL help in that kind of case? They would have no contact at all with the borrower and would have to rely on the borrower's solicitors to do those kinds of checks.

.

But what HSBC are trying to stop is fraudulent solicitors, not honest solicitors like you who wouldn't take on work if they thought there was a fraud going on. As you know, before the credit crunch there were crooked solicitors working with borrowers to defraud mortgage companies.

Countywide would not be able to do much about the father pretending to be his daughter's employer if the father was clever enough to not make any mistakes, but then neither would you if you hadn't had a friend who lived next door to the father.

As with life in general, a few dodgy solicitors have made life difficult for all the honest ones.

glastolover

Richard_Webster wrote: »

I got a copy of the list from someone who was getting a HSBC mortgage. There are some obvious factory firms on there that I wouldn't touch but there are others that I simply don't know that are probably OK.

All you can do once you have the list from HSBC (and you must insist on being given it) is look at the websites of the solicitors in question to get a feel for the kind of operation they are and maybe phone for a "quote" without letting on that HSBC are involved to see what they are like. They may quote you a higher figure than they are allowed by HSBC to charge - but presumably once they know it is a HSBC case they will have to charge HSBC's rates.

It is more about service than going to some comparison website and going through the cheapest until you find one that is on the list, because the cost should be the same whichever one of the 43 you go to.

(It will be interesting to hear how far the magic list do actually keep to the rates HSBC have prescribed - someone at a firm that is on the list said that the rates were about £200 less than they would normally charge!)

.

I asked HSBC for the list and they told me they wouldn't give it to me and I had to contact CC direct. I could try again and try insisting.

It sounds from what you say that my local one who seem like a reputable long standing local firm from their website will be a safe bet for me. As long as HSBC use them too, I guess I should be OK.

southerly123

I am an FTB, have mortgage approved with HSBC, I will need to exchange contracts on the property v quickly to avoid losing the house. What is your advice? I have already spoken to a local solicitor who I know to be good but is not on the HSBC panel. Should I ditch him and use someone on the HSBC panel (but not Countrywide)? Or can I use him and insist HSBC use a solicitor for their side who is not Countrywide? Is there any way I can find out who is on the HSBC panel? Please help!! Many many thanks in advance, I am so stressed. I just want to avoid Countrywide and have someone efficient dealing with everything.