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

Welsh_Andy_3

Hi All,

Wish I had read this thread whilst I was searching for my mortgage! Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

I have engaged HSBC and I believe as I did not specify they have enlisted CC as their reps. We just received through our final searches today and have sent all of our info off too CC to get permission to exchange contracts. Can someone please give me an idea of what to expect from now on particularly with respect to timelines?

I believe they advertise a 2 day turnaround of all of our information to allow exchange and then want 11 (or maybe 6 judging by some responses?) to draw the funds down. Have people found this to be quite a reasonable expectation? Is there anything I can do to speed it up?

many thanks in advance.

glastolover

@timmyt - I have taken your advice, and contacted two further independent mortgage advisors today.

http://mortgages.themaps.co.uk/
&
http://www.jb-mortgages.co.uk/

These both advertise as being fully independent and being "whole of market" advisors.

The first has already come back to me and told me that they cannot beat the HSBC deal, and told me that they would say I am doing well with that.

I await to find out (today!) whether the second comes back with anything different, but I somehow doubt they will.

I hope these advisors fit your criteria of an "IFA Mortgage Advisor", I would appreciate if you can clarify as I asked before what you mean by this or even give me a recommendation.

As I hope I have showed, I am open to listen to opinions, but I am afraid the evidence says to me at the moment that the HSBC is very good. Others are close, but it cannot be beaten.

Thanks to all for your input!

kingstreet

Proxy wrote: »

I was told who I was getting.

I Don't deny that comes down to luck.

I didn't think it was supposed to work like that. All the documentation I've read suggests you have the right to choose, that a firm can't just be "foisted" on you.

Hopefully, people insist on someone other than Countrywide when they read this thread.

You are the example of why any HSBC borrower should ensure they get to avoid Countrywide whenever possible. At least one firm on the panel (hopefully more) is offering a good service. It is luck you found them, but hopefully your story will encourage others...

I still find it annoying I'm having to suggest a "workaround" so HSBC borrowers aren't mired in conveyancing problems they shouldn't have!

glastolover

I will be choosing, and making sure it is not CC thanks to this forum!!

To update on my last post, the 2nd IFA came back to me just now, and also cannot beat HSBC.

Timmyt - this is why I couldn't agree with your earlier posts that implied (or categorically stated) that any "proper" IFA would be able to get me a better deal. I took you up on your challenge, and I cannot see that my original thoughts were not correct.

I hope I am not wrong, I think I will be completing my HSBC application tonight... please do come back and educate me more clearly if you can!

Thanks.

richyt_2

We have been trying to complete on our mortgage through HSBC for a month now. Everything is in place, everyone in the chain is ready to go and the only thing holding it up is Countrywide with us.

I think Countrywide are too busy to handle the amount of work sent to them by HSBC. Our solicitors have found that it takes countrywide around 10 - 14 days to respond to any correspondence.

We recently waited 10 days to be told we needed to sign a document. It's pretty obvious that our file is sat on a desk with many others waiting to be worked on.

One other thing we noticed is Countrywide has insisted on getting every possible search done which has also held up the proceedings. In respects to the "Church" search, we insisted it wasn't needed as there isn't a church anywhere near the house but we still had to get it done and pay the extra fees. - Guess the result... No church near property thanks for another £40 for telling me that.

When complaining to HSBC about this poor service we didn't get anywhere at first so we asked to speak to the manager at the call centre. This did help at first as the manager at HSBC did come back to us regally but unfortunately they were not able to change anything in the process apart from agree with us that the service was unacceptable.

I also tried going into the head HSBC branch in Leeds city centre to see if I could complain to someone higher up but was told they could only ring the same people I could.

The main problem I've found with this process is there seems to be nobody coordinating between HSBC and Countrywide. HSBC don't seem to know what is going on or have the means to push any mortgage through.

My advice to anyone thinking of getting a mortgage with the HSBC is see if you can NOT use countrywide as the conveyancers. If you do make sure you get on the case early or you'll be waiting a very longtime to get anywhere.

If anyone knows where i can complain to with HSBC please let me know, we have logged every bit of correspondence with them throughout this process so we can try and claw back all the unnecessary costs it's created.

Good luck to everyone else who's in the same situation

AdamS_CivilServant

glastolover wrote: »

I will be choosing, and making sure it is not CC thanks to this forum!!

yes, I aim to do the same (use one of the 43, but not countrywide), although it sounds like they might not let us choose. Glastolover - please let us know how you get along with choosing, and I shall do the same (probably going to submit application this weekend).

Pierredelarue

I can only confirm all of the Horror stories you have read on this forum regarding the performance of Countrywide Premier property lawyers as they are known in full. We are hoping to exchange today for completion on this coming Thursday just as we have been trying to exchange since the 8th March. Every day its been something else they have requested even though it has been previously provided. To them its all a game we have to play but I can honestly say I handle stress every day of my working life but this has been something else. HSBC themselves have been fine. The staff at the centre realise the policy changes timing is all wrong coinciding with the first time buyers holiday ending. They have been helpful as they can be BUT......they cannot speed up CW. BTW for the record, CW have to issue to HSBC a certificate allowing exchange to take place and notifying them to release the funds. HSBC will do this given very short notice at the moment. Do not lose hope those hoping to exchange and complete all this week. It can still happen.

pjcox2005

Same here, offer accepted in Jan, ours and the sellors solicitors doing an efficent job but can't complete because of Countrywide not responding.

Particularly annoying was being told:

- They can't speak to us as the bank is the customer (despite us paying the fee).

- That we complicated the process by choosing a third solicitior (our own), suggestion being they would be quicker if we had appointed them for everything.

- That stamp duty cases (i.e. first time buyers, below threshold) were being prioritised despite us paying the same fee.

We have complained today to the financial ombudsman which will hopefully get them moving sooner and will also be feeding back to the law society to add to their list of people who have had issues and been impacted by the working relationship between the two.

pjcox2005

Welsh_Andy wrote: »

Hi All,

Wish I had read this thread whilst I was searching for my mortgage! Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

I have engaged HSBC and I believe as I did not specify they have enlisted CC as their reps. We just received through our final searches today and have sent all of our info off too CC to get permission to exchange contracts. Can someone please give me an idea of what to expect from now on particularly with respect to timelines?

I believe they advertise a 2 day turnaround of all of our information to allow exchange and then want 11 (or maybe 6 judging by some responses?) to draw the funds down. Have people found this to be quite a reasonable expectation? Is there anything I can do to speed it up?

many thanks in advance.

I can only go by my own experience but all documents they needed (and funds drawndown) were with them by 12 March, stressing we wanted to exchange on 16 March. Despite numerous chases, they have still not engaged with us or solicitor to provide a timeline of when they will review and are therefore still waiting for a date to exchange. So 8 days and counting!

Sunnylooloo

Deep sigh after reading this story!! Someone else who is deeply unhappy with Countrywide!!

I have just sold my house through Mann Countrywide and my poor purchasers had the whole Countrywide Service shoved down their throat.... must start my own thread on the whole sorry experience - suffice to say we are NOT paying our full bill to Mann Countrywide because of the shocking service of Countrywide!!

My solicitor was disgusted at the way Countrywide operate - one phone to them took her 17 minutes to even get through and she has said she never ever wants to have to work with them again!