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

PatzyG

Same here still waiting - as I wrote before we signed our contracts and deposit paid on 23rd February, everything has therefore been ready with ourselves and our sellers (it is just us and them in the chain) but here we still sit waiting and waiting for Countrywide to give a response. I just read an article in "Mortgage Strategy"where some estate agents are advising customers not to use HSBC. It is getting beyond ridiculous now.

covcouple

Ive had a look around and First Direct, Cumberland Building Society and Co-Op seem to be offering equally competitive deals and not just for a fixed term either

Any views/experiences of these welcome

fladda

We too have been having nothing but problems with Countrywide Conveyancing. However, as we are selling a property and not buying, there is no mortgage company involved on our side. We only used CC as they were recommmeded by our Estate Agents (a large national). Against my better judgement, I didn't use a local solicitor for conveyancing - and this has come back to bite me where it hurts - mostly in extreme stress and wasting vast amounts of time.

Unfortunately, our buyer is also using CC. That's potentially trouble squared.

Trying to deal with CC has become an almost full time job. Phone the call centre five times and speak to five different people, and probably get five different answers to the same basic question :-(

Countrywide sent the contract for my mother to sign, with the wrong name written on the contract.

Then we received two letters from Countrywide in the same post, both post-marked the same day. One letter asked us to send CC the deeds to the property we were selling, the other letter contained the deeds from the Land Registry (i.e. CC already had them) !

All the other problems we've had are still too painful to try and write about at the moment. Our buyer has said that they will pull out of the sale if we do not complete before the stamp-duty deadline later this week. However it now appears that our CC solicitor (who seems to be the only one progressing the sale) is on vacation all of this week. Who knows what will happen, but things do not look good at CC at the moment ?

If CC are like this with propery sales at a low level, how would they cope if propoerty sales were back at pre-slump levels ?

Fladday

Thrugelmir

fladda wrote: »

If CC are like this with propery sales at a low level, how would they cope if propoerty sales were back at pre-slump levels ?

Fladday

One would imagine that there is a bulge of work in the pipeline coinciding with the end of the stamp duty holiday this week.

Every purchaser will be expecting priority treatment which merely adds to the problem. As resources are diverted away from the tasks in hand.

(Merely said in a business perspective not in defence of CW. )

kingstreet

fladda wrote: »

We only used CC as they were recommmeded by our Estate Agents

Would that estate agent perchance be a member of Countrywide group?

Richard_Webster

HSBC have changed their version of Part 2 of the CML handbook yet again - now they will accept personal local authority searches under certain conditions!

This sounds very much like Countrywide telling them that's the way they do it so, if HSBC want to use them that's the way it must be - and how annoying for those who had to pay out for two forms of local search because HSBC changed their minds earlier and said they wouldn't accept them!

nikhild

We are in the same position as everyone else; trying to complete before Friday. Like everyone else, all our contracts etc for both sides have been signed and ready to be exchanged.

Also, there was no mention of Countrywide from the HSBC broker. Also, we are on the fee-free mortgage and there is nothing in any correspondence nor from the broke about any fee that countrywide are charging of £192 (or so) which comes out of the drawn down funds. My solicitor told me about this from a letter that had been sent to him (not to us) from Countrywide directly.

Countrywide have flat out lied on a number of occasional to HSBC/our solicitor about our case. The latest being yesterday when they assured HSBC replies had been sent to our solicitor yesterday. Nothing arrived, and we followed up with HSBC this morning who confirmed, that actually, nothing had been sent.

We are going to the Ombundmasn if/when we finally complete on our flat. Getting it complete before Friday is looking like a distant hope.

The estate agent and my solicitor are now point blank refusing to take on anybody with a connection to countrywide (Buyer/Seller/Borrower).

HSBC should pay the stamp duty of anyone who misses out this Friday because of this poor, poor firm they have engaged. The lack of communication is appalling. Absolute disgrace.

auroan

I finally got into my new home on the 9th of March. I too had a nightmare from start to finish. I ended up project managing the whole interface between Countrywide, HSBC, o'Neil Patient(who we're appointed by Countrywide) and my solicitors.

I had an official documented complaint with HSBC and CW. From this I managed to get contact info for 3 people within the organisations that allowed me to act in a way that pushed things through and stopped documents taking for ever to be turned around..... But it was very time consuming and stressful doing it that way.

I could fill pages and pages with the hassle I had. Because CW/O'NP sat on some important documents brought to light by searches... my mortgage was pulled and re-issued for a lower amount 4 days before completion !!!!!!! Luckly I had the money to cover the difference... but I's hadn't, I'd still be renting now.

All I can say is stay WELL AWAY from HSBC mortgages.

mkc2bad

I'm trying to complete before Friday also. I'm so close, contracts signed, deposit for my mortgage sent etc, but HSBC/countrywide are saying they don't accept personal searches still and haven't subscribed to the CML handbook? When I quizzed them further, they changed their minds and said they will accept personal seaches, providing you are using one of their panel of solicitors? Is that right, or a load of bull****? Looks like I'm going to be screwed and will have to find the extra 2+k to pay the stamp duty

Richard_Webster wrote: »

HSBC have changed their version of Part 2 of the CML handbook yet again - now they will accept personal local authority searches under certain conditions!

This sounds very much like Countrywide telling them that's the way they do it so, if HSBC want to use them that's the way it must be - and how annoying for those who had to pay out for two forms of local search because HSBC changed their minds earlier and said they wouldn't accept them!

kingstreet

Auroan - So you used O'Neill Patient because they were on the HSBC panel and you STILL got Countrywide? Did anyone explain to you why it was necessary for two panel firms to be involved in your case, when it's quite clear it's supposed to be one panel firm OR your solicitor plus a panel firm to act for the bank?