Beaumont Legal... are they really that bad?

MellowYellow

FTB, mortgage broker recommended Beaumont Legal.
But the reviews online are dreadful!
Should I avoid?

HampshireH

I used them. Had no problems.

Their communication was great. They were fast and their online messaging system and portal was brilliant as it stored all documents.

Surrey_EA

Usual advice is go for someone local, ideally following a recommendation.

Steer clear of large 'conveyancing factories'

KatieDee

I cannot speak for that firm specifically, but our vendor used one of the big "workhouse" solicitors and they were truly terrible. I think if she had chosen an alternative, potentially local solicitor, the sale would have proceeded much more quickly.

We used a local solicitor and he has been fantastic. He was actually cheaper than some of the large firms and had a lot of local knowledge which really came in useful throughout the process.

On the other hand, one thing to keep in mind is that people will rarely take the time out to review a good service, and are far more likely to be extremely vocal if they feel let down by a service. I also think a lot of people are a bit in the dark on what is actually required during the conveyancing process, and have incredibly unrealistic expectations.

Maybe give them a call and scope out how responsive they are? I know when I was looking for a solicitor, I left messages with a lot who either took a very long time to respond, or didn't bother to provide a quote at all. From the get go, I realised they probably weren't for me.

MellowYellow

Does it make any difference that it will be the mortgage broker dealing with them rather than me?
I’m very new to all this, as you can tell!

Surrey_EA

Your mortgage broker and your solicitor perform very different roles

MellowYellow

Yes I know that, but will they work a bit speedier seeing as it will be the mortgage broker on at them rather than me?
We have a deadline on this purchase, venders want exchange in 4 weeks...

GrumpyDil

Why would they be dealing with your broker? They will be your solicitors.

Surrey_EA

MellowYellow wrote: »

Yes I know that, but will they work a bit speedier seeing as it will be the mortgage broker on at them rather than me?
We have a deadline on this purchase, venders want exchange in 4 weeks...

Not sure why it’s likely to make any difference.
Your broker sorts out the mortgage, your solicitor sorts out the conveyancing. There’s not a huge amount of crossover.
Exchange in 4 weeks is very, very unusual.

MellowYellow

Right... it’s looking like I may have to find someone else, I’m finding the online reviews too worrying!

Why is exchange in 4 weeks so unusual? There’s no chain... I would have thought it was fairly straightforward ��!♀️ (Though clearly, I’m far from knowledgeable!)

Surrey_EA

The average sale takes around 12 weeks.

There are many variables that affect how long the process takes. 4 weeks is not impossible, but I would suggest it’s sensible to assume it will take longer.