Can I make a complaint about vendors solicitor?

Tiglet2

We expected draft papers to be sent over based on the MoS in the first couple of days and would make sure our clients had all this information and were on top of it. But you can't predict how long your clients take to instruct a solicitor, make an initial payment for the solicitor to start work, how long the solicitor takes to send out all the paperwork or how long the client takes to send it back

The Memo of sale merely informs everyone of their contact details buyer/seller and their solicitors and sale price and isn't always correct, particularly if there has been a change of solicitor. This only forms part of the information needed to send out draft papers.

ThePants999

It's not bloody rocket science, though. Any sufficiently motivated purchaser/vendor should be able to instruct a solicitor and make a down payment within one business day of the offer being accepted. Sending out paperwork is a matter for a secretary, not a solicitor/conveyancer, and should again incur basically no delay at all - my last sols actually sent it out WITH the request for the down payment, rather than waiting until after I'd provided it.

The only bit of this that has any excuse for a delay is the vendor filling in the TA6, fixtures/fittings etc, since that's a chunk of work and forms part of the contract. Again, though, if they were actually ready to sell their house, this shouldn't take any significant time either. We had ours back to our solicitor electronically on the same day we received them.

Perhaps if everyone stopped making excuses for slow conveyancing, we'd stop having to put up with it so much. Well done Okrib, sounds like you earned your commission!

wesleyad

ThePants999 wrote: »

Perhaps if everyone stopped making excuses for slow conveyancing, we'd stop having to put up with it so much. Well done Okrib, sounds like you earned your commission!

I agree, it's something that really seems stuck in the 20th century as the world moves on. The one thing that might change things is that now every google search also brings up reviews, and these will start to really hamper bad solicitors.

But the whole system needs a reboot, taking months to sell in 2018 is just crap.

SmashedAvacado

Most conveyancing solicitors are slow. They use the fact that they don't have everything as an excuse to do nothing. All they need to commence work is to ID their client, take a down payment, have an engagement letter signed, and address details. That enables them to contact the buyers lawyers which enables the buyers lawyers to get their searches started.

The whole process from starting to being ready to exchange is easily done in a month for a freehold flat in an established area. It rarely is because the market has come to expect this process taking ages.

davidmcn

SmashedAvacado wrote: »

That enables them to contact the buyers lawyers which enables the buyers lawyers to get their searches started.

The buyers' lawyers don't even need to wait to hear from the other lawyers before getting their searches started. And if they cared more about getting the transaction done, they wouldn't opt to get their searches from sources which take several weeks. It all appears ridiculous from the perspective of someone north of the border.

diggingdude

Out of interest are you actually wanting to make a complaint and improve service or are you hoping for compensation?

Surrey_EA

davidmcn wrote: »

The buyers' lawyers don't even need to wait to hear from the other lawyers before getting their searches started.

Quite right.

The excuse I frequently hear from buyer's solicitors is that they would prefer to receive the Land Registry plan of the property being sold, along with the draft contract, from the seller's solicitor before commencing searches as this confirms that the seller is also motivated to make the transaction move ahead, and helps to avoid search fees being wasted unnecessarily.

MaMoneyMaMoney

Thank you very much to all of you who have provided useful information. For first time buyers this is gold and very useful to know.

And double thank you to all of those who DO NOT tolerate situations like these. It's appalling that in the one of the biggest economies in the world, with technological advancements, etc we have to hear about this. It's unacceptable.