Buying a house remotely in another city. Solicter?

Falafels

eddddy said:

A London solicitor might be much more expensive than a Birmingham one.

FWIW, I got quotes for a property transaction from a south London solicitor, and a solicitor from a 'quiet northern town' - the London solicitor's legal fee quote was 3 times greater than the Northern solicitor.  (Plus the quality of service I got from the Northern guy was far better than I get from London solicitors.)

But I'm not sure the same would apply to a Birmingham solicitor.

The main challenge with using a remote solicitor is ID checking - if you can't get to their office during office hours with your ID documents, you have to get certified copies etc.

When I was looking to move from London to Birmingham, I contacted several south London solicitors and was told it would be cheaper to hire one in Brum. It was. I've recently hired a new (to me) solicitor. Their offices are still not open, but we dealt with the ID problem by me taking a selfie with my passport, and also a scan of the passport, and emailing that to them. 

MessedUp

can a buyer use the same solicitor as the vendor?

davidmcn

MessedUp said:

can a buyer use the same solicitor as the vendor?

Maybe, but it's an incredibly bad idea. Might be better to start your own thread if you want to discuss it. 

hannah2283

I live in London and am buying on the south coast. I’m using a solicitor based in the city I’m buying in. Cheaper than a London solicitor. All my ID checks have been done online via a secure link. So there’s no need to go to the solicitor’s office in person.