Problem with Solicitor

benson2221

I've had a really disappointing experience with my solicitor. Right from the beginning, communication has been a major issue. Despite my requests for more detailed information, her emails are consistently brief, leaving me unsure of what steps to take. This lack of clarity has caused unnecessary delays as we've had to engage in constant back-and-forth exchanges, with many of my questions left unanswered.

Moreover, her sluggishness in requesting the management pack has only compounded the delays. I've seen the correspondence with the opposing solicitor, who rightfully complained about the extensive time she took to obtain the necessary documents.

Adding to the frustration is a deed of variation required for the sale of my property. While I understand there were complications in determining the responsible company, it's taken over a month to locate them. I've been forced to take matters into my own hands, making calls to management companies myself in a race against time to secure the property I'm moving into. Despite my urgency, my solicitor relies solely on emails for follow-up, neglecting the effectiveness of direct phone calls. In fact, it was only after I personally reached out to the company handling the deed of variation that progress was swiftly made following a brief 10-minute conversation.

Given these ongoing issues, coupled with a few others, I'm seriously considering lodging a complaint against my solicitor. I'm aware of their notorious reputation for such behavior, and while my previous conveyancer wasn't ideal, this experience has been nothing short of a disaster. I'm now facing a 50/50 chance of losing my purchase, which is incredibly distressing.

Any guidance or advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this.

theartfullodger

See here....
https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/public/for-public-visitors/using-a-solicitor/complain-about-a-solicitor

Tiglet2

benson2221 said:

I've had a really disappointing experience with my solicitor. Right from the beginning when was the beginning and more importantly, when did draft contracts on your sale get sent out and when did your solicitor receive the draft contracts from your seller's solicitor?  Is there a chain below you, and/or above you?, communication has been a major issue. Despite my requests for more detailed information, her emails are consistently brief, leaving me unsure of what steps to take. This lack of clarity has caused unnecessary delays as we've had to engage in constant back-and-forth exchanges, with many of my questions left unanswered.  Of course, clients do like to know detailed information about their sale and/or purchase, but this doesn't help the solicitor get on with their work.  They get bogged down by all their clients wanting updates every couple of days.  Their priority is to do stuff that actually progresses the transaction.  Updating clients doesn't progress the transaction so is not considered a priority.

Moreover, her sluggishness in requesting the management pack has only compounded the delays. I've seen the correspondence with the opposing solicitor, who rightfully complained about the extensive time she took to obtain the necessary documents.  Her sluggishness or the management company?  Management Companies are well known for their slow response times.  The solicitor would first need to find out how much the management company's fees are before asking you to provide those fees and then they would order the pack.  They don't order a pack before they are in funds.  It can be quicker if the client pays the management company directly rather than to the solicitor and then from solicitor to man co.

Adding to the frustration is a deed of variation required for the sale of my property. While I understand there were complications in determining the responsible company, it's taken over a month to locate them. You know your property better than the solicitor does and you know who you deal with for service charges and ground rent.  You should have provided your solicitor with their details so that they had a point of contact to enquire about the DoV.  I've been forced to take matters into my own hands, making calls to management companies myself in a race against time to secure the property I'm moving into. Despite my urgency, my solicitor relies solely on emails for follow-up because they need everything in writing.  A phone call might solve the problem but an email would still need to be sent just to confirm the call so a phone call is costing them time, neglecting the effectiveness of direct phone calls. In fact, it was only after I personally reached out to the company handling the deed of variation that progress was swiftly made following a brief 10-minute conversation.

Given these ongoing issues, coupled with a few others, I'm seriously considering lodging a complaint against my solicitor. I'm aware of their notorious reputation for such behavior, and while my previous conveyancer wasn't ideal, this experience has been nothing short of a disaster. I'm now facing a 50/50 chance of losing my purchase, which is incredibly distressing.  If you really feel you have been let down then look at their terms of engagement to find out what their complaint procedure is.  You don't want them to stop work while they work on your complaint.  Is this a large volume business?

Any guidance or advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this.

My comments in bold above.

FlyMeSomewhere79

Tiglet2 said:

benson2221 said:

I've had a really disappointing experience with my solicitor. Right from the beginning when was the beginning and more importantly, when did draft contracts on your sale get sent out and when did your solicitor receive the draft contracts from your seller's solicitor?  Is there a chain below you, and/or above you?, communication has been a major issue. Despite my requests for more detailed information, her emails are consistently brief, leaving me unsure of what steps to take. This lack of clarity has caused unnecessary delays as we've had to engage in constant back-and-forth exchanges, with many of my questions left unanswered.  Of course, clients do like to know detailed information about their sale and/or purchase, but this doesn't help the solicitor get on with their work.  They get bogged down by all their clients wanting updates every couple of days.  Their priority is to do stuff that actually progresses the transaction.  Updating clients doesn't progress the transaction so is not considered a priority.

Moreover, her sluggishness in requesting the management pack has only compounded the delays. I've seen the correspondence with the opposing solicitor, who rightfully complained about the extensive time she took to obtain the necessary documents.  Her sluggishness or the management company?  Management Companies are well known for their slow response times.  The solicitor would first need to find out how much the management company's fees are before asking you to provide those fees and then they would order the pack.  They don't order a pack before they are in funds.  It can be quicker if the client pays the management company directly rather than to the solicitor and then from solicitor to man co.

Adding to the frustration is a deed of variation required for the sale of my property. While I understand there were complications in determining the responsible company, it's taken over a month to locate them. You know your property better than the solicitor does and you know who you deal with for service charges and ground rent.  You should have provided your solicitor with their details so that they had a point of contact to enquire about the DoV.  I've been forced to take matters into my own hands, making calls to management companies myself in a race against time to secure the property I'm moving into. Despite my urgency, my solicitor relies solely on emails for follow-up because they need everything in writing.  A phone call might solve the problem but an email would still need to be sent just to confirm the call so a phone call is costing them time, neglecting the effectiveness of direct phone calls. In fact, it was only after I personally reached out to the company handling the deed of variation that progress was swiftly made following a brief 10-minute conversation.

Given these ongoing issues, coupled with a few others, I'm seriously considering lodging a complaint against my solicitor. I'm aware of their notorious reputation for such behavior, and while my previous conveyancer wasn't ideal, this experience has been nothing short of a disaster. I'm now facing a 50/50 chance of losing my purchase, which is incredibly distressing.  If you really feel you have been let down then look at their terms of engagement to find out what their complaint procedure is.  You don't want them to stop work while they work on your complaint.  Is this a large volume business?

Any guidance or advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this.

My comments in bold above.

The trouble is, it is easy to sit back when you're not the one going through it and say there's nothing wrong with solicitors not communicating. But when you are the one in limbo it's vital to have communication, when like me you are living in boxes with the freezer switched off, your mail redirected and paying the gas and electric for your new house that the buyers solicitors have delayed you moving into at short notice because they have made mistakes.

When you are under pressure and need to meet deadlines it takes a toll on you if nobody is telling you what's happening! 

FlyMeSomewhere79

I empathize, my solicitor is great but it's been a nightmare when she couldn't get updates from my buyers solicitor and when she did it was things like "there was a query that had to go into the lender so it's delaying exchange and completion" - when you don't know what the query is you start panicking about whether it's a serious thing, could things fall through - the mind goes into overdrive!

Our delayed completions are impacting my partner's work commitments too so when he's had to delay something with his boss, he has wanted to have a good explanation to give him as to why.

artyboy

Providing regular and clear updates to a client is a fundamental part of 'getting the job done', it's not some sort of nice to have. One of the biggest causes for complaints for my clients in the past (in another 'progression' type business) was not being kept updated on progress. Things could be going well or badly, but either way, they want to know. Conveyancing shouldn't be a multi-week/month black hole for the client.

If a solicitor, (or their broader support staff) doesn't have time to do that, then they shouldn't be taking on new clients. 

Hoenir

FlyMeSomewhere79 said:

I empathize, my solicitor is great but it's been a nightmare when she couldn't get updates from my buyers solicitor and when she did it was things like "there was a query that had to go into the lender so it's delaying exchange and completion" - when you don't know what the query is you start panicking about whether it's a serious thing, could things fall through - the mind goes into overdrive!

Everybody in the chain has their own agenda. Everytime I've moved. I always say that I'll never do it again.  Often brings out the worst in people too.  Who initially appear friendly but you later discover they are just great actors. 

benson2221

I've had a really disappointing experience with my solicitor. Right from the beginning when was the beginning and more importantly, when did draft contracts on your sale get sent out and when did your solicitor receive the draft contracts from your seller's solicitor?  Is there a chain below you, and/or above you?, communication has been a major issue. Despite my requests for more detailed information, her emails are consistently brief, leaving me unsure of what steps to take. This lack of clarity has caused unnecessary delays as we've had to engage in constant back-and-forth exchanges, with many of my questions left unanswered.  Of course, clients do like to know detailed information about their sale and/or purchase, but this doesn't help the solicitor get on with their work.  They get bogged down by all their clients wanting updates every couple of days.  Their priority is to do stuff that actually progresses the transaction.  Updating clients doesn't progress the transaction so is not considered a priority.

(There is no chain either side. I am selling to first time buyers and buying from no chain. I have never asked for detailed information. She just would send documents and things I need to pay for but never be clear with what to do and where to send them to. On a few occassions she told me to send money to the wrong party. When I say short replies I am talking 3 to 4 words when I may have asked 2 or 3 brief questions. I have a family member who is a solicitor who I have sent the emails and she thought it was unacceptable)

Moreover, her sluggishness in requesting the management pack has only compounded the delays. I've seen the correspondence with the opposing solicitor, who rightfully complained about the extensive time she took to obtain the necessary documents.  Her sluggishness or the management company?  Management Companies are well known for their slow response times.  The solicitor would first need to find out how much the management company's fees are before asking you to provide those fees and then they would order the pack.  They don't order a pack before they are in funds.  It can be quicker if the client pays the management company directly rather than to the solicitor and then from solicitor to man co.

(The management company have not been great and definitely are notoriously slow. However when I made a phone call they dealt with it immediately. My solicitor was just firing off emails and not getting replies...surely after not getting replies you pick up a phone? I got the number from their website and called them.) 

Adding to the frustration is a deed of variation required for the sale of my property. While I understand there were complications in determining the responsible company, it's taken over a month to locate them. You know your property better than the solicitor does and you know who you deal with for service charges and ground rent.  You should have provided your solicitor with their details so that they had a point of contact to enquire about the DoV.  I've been forced to take matters into my own hands, making calls to management companies myself in a race against time to secure the property I'm moving into. Despite my urgency, my solicitor relies solely on emails for follow-up because they need everything in writing.  A phone call might solve the problem but an email would still need to be sent just to confirm the call so a phone call is costing them time, neglecting the effectiveness of direct phone calls. In fact, it was only after I personally reached out to the company handling the deed of variation that progress was swiftly made following a brief 10-minute conversation.

(In terms of knowing my own property of course I provided all details. There are 2 management companies involved in my property and both were initially denying it was their responsibility. My buyers solicitor are local to my area and they have dealt with the development that I live on. They informed my solicitor that they know E&M were the company that were responsible from past experience and she ignored them. She then went on a wild goose chase and ignored my pleas when I asked her to not chase the developers as they would no longer have an interest in the property. She also sent emails to wrong addresses that I was copied in and I had to alert her to her mistakes as this was costing time. I appreciate that an email would have to be sent to confirm anything from a phone call but she never would make a phone call. She would just email the generic email address that just auto replies with a 15 working day response. Once I decided to del with it myself it was dealt with 15mins after dialling the management companies number. 15 mins for me yet she had not had a response for 2 weeks)

Given these ongoing issues, coupled with a few others, I'm seriously considering lodging a complaint against my solicitor. I'm aware of their notorious reputation for such behavior, and while my previous conveyancer wasn't ideal, this experience has been nothing short of a disaster. I'm now facing a 50/50 chance of losing my purchase, which is incredibly distressing.  If you really feel you have been let down then look at their terms of engagement to find out what their complaint procedure is.  You don't want them to stop work while they work on your complaint.  Is this a large volume business?

(I have thought about how she would react to me complaining so I have been hesitant to say too much. I will have a look at t's&c's. It is a solicitor working for Setfords)

Any guidance or advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this.

cass88

I really feel for you mate, moving house is incredibly stressful. We're in the process now, 5 weeks in and waiting on property searches for our purchase to come back. It's crazy to think we're still accepting of a process this day in age, that takes this long and is fraught with this much risk.

Anyways, i agree. The difference between a good conveyancer and a poor one is one that works with a reasonable pace and keeps communication open. To say supporting a clients mental health through one of the most stressful times of their life by not communicating with them isn't a priority for a conveyancer is nuts!

My opinion is that with professions such as this, most people are competent but there is a minority that are indifferent. I've found small local firms tend to be the most personable and provide the best customer experience. Good luck

FlyMeSomewhere79

cass88 said:

I really feel for you mate, moving house is incredibly stressful. We're in the process now, 5 weeks in and waiting on property searches for our purchase to come back. It's crazy to think we're still accepting of a process this day in age, that takes this long and is fraught with this much risk.

Anyways, i agree. The difference between a good conveyancer and a poor one is one that works with a reasonable pace and keeps communication open. To say supporting a clients mental health through one of the most stressful times of their life by not communicating with them isn't a priority for a conveyancer is nuts!

My opinion is that with professions such as this, most people are competent but there is a minority that are indifferent. I've found small local firms tend to be the most personable and provide the best customer experience. Good luck

Couldn't agree more with everything you've said.

I'm in a chain of just two houses and three parties so ultimately a very easy and short chain in theory, nobody bothered with surveys, searches came back in about a week and a half, it's been pretty smooth bar the buyers solicitors playing havoc with our completions at short notice but it's still been a 4 month process and I don't understand why it has to take that long! 4 months of "am I moving to that house and if we are, when are we moving" and all the time getting more and more emotionally invested in it!

And yes I agree about incompetent minorities - us and and the people we are buying from used good local solicitors but my naive first time buyers Googled for cheap conveyancing and picked a solicitor over 100 miles away, they made several !!!!!! ups and are not so accountable at that distance.

We've lost our completion date last Fri because the buyers solicitor cocked up, then got told beginning of this week there was a query they had to put in to the lender which they left late to do and my mortgage funds take 5 days to draw down so this Fri we couldn't move - I got a call late yesterday afternoon to say they've done everything hyper fast including getting my funds and can you move tomorrow! You can't make it up! We couldn't move today because my sellers couldn't get out at such short notice so it's scheduled for Monday with contracts being exchanged today.

Can't wait for the end of this limbo! If I get a call to say the exchange has happened ok today I'm having a big glass of wine!

benson2221

cass88 said:

I really feel for you mate, moving house is incredibly stressful. We're in the process now, 5 weeks in and waiting on property searches for our purchase to come back. It's crazy to think we're still accepting of a process this day in age, that takes this long and is fraught with this much risk.

Anyways, i agree. The difference between a good conveyancer and a poor one is one that works with a reasonable pace and keeps communication open. To say supporting a clients mental health through one of the most stressful times of their life by not communicating with them isn't a priority for a conveyancer is nuts!

My opinion is that with professions such as this, most people are competent but there is a minority that are indifferent. I've found small local firms tend to be the most personable and provide the best customer experience. Good luck

FlyMeSomewhere79 said:

cass88 said:

I really feel for you mate, moving house is incredibly stressful. We're in the process now, 5 weeks in and waiting on property searches for our purchase to come back. It's crazy to think we're still accepting of a process this day in age, that takes this long and is fraught with this much risk.

Anyways, i agree. The difference between a good conveyancer and a poor one is one that works with a reasonable pace and keeps communication open. To say supporting a clients mental health through one of the most stressful times of their life by not communicating with them isn't a priority for a conveyancer is nuts!

My opinion is that with professions such as this, most people are competent but there is a minority that are indifferent. I've found small local firms tend to be the most personable and provide the best customer experience. Good luck

Couldn't agree more with everything you've said.

I'm in a chain of just two houses and three parties so ultimately a very easy and short chain in theory, nobody bothered with surveys, searches came back in about a week and a half, it's been pretty smooth bar the buyers solicitors playing havoc with our completions at short notice but it's still been a 4 month process and I don't understand why it has to take that long! 4 months of "am I moving to that house and if we are, when are we moving" and all the time getting more and more emotionally invested in it!

And yes I agree about incompetent minorities - us and and the people we are buying from used good local solicitors but my naive first time buyers Googled for cheap conveyancing and picked a solicitor over 100 miles away, they made several !!!!!! ups and are not so accountable at that distance.

We've lost our completion date last Fri because the buyers solicitor cocked up, then got told beginning of this week there was a query they had to put in to the lender which they left late to do and my mortgage funds take 5 days to draw down so this Fri we couldn't move - I got a call late yesterday afternoon to say they've done everything hyper fast including getting my funds and can you move tomorrow! You can't make it up! We couldn't move today because my sellers couldn't get out at such short notice so it's scheduled for Monday with contracts being exchanged today.

Can't wait for the end of this limbo! If I get a call to say the exchange has happened ok today I'm having a big glass of wine!

Thanks guys. As you both say it can be stressful and you do become so invested. I am literally at the final hurdle and have been since the new year. My solicitor had the wording for the deed of variation on the 9th of Feb and I asked her if she had forwarded it onto the other sides solicitor to check they were happy. She replied saying 'it should be fine, standard wording'. The draft deed was only sent on Wednesday. However today the other side have come back with amendments that could have been done weeks ago!!