Which Conveyancing Solicitor?: Don’t let your Estate Agent Bully You!

Welcome to Day 4 of our special series of blog posts running every day in March. 

Today, we concentrate on advice given by Estate Agents about which conveyancing firm to use 

Knowledge is Power: Forearmed is Forewarned ; so when your Estate Agent demands you must use “their lawyers” as your Conveyancing Solicitor for the Conveyancing on your home, listen carefully, but don’t be bullied. 

Conveyancing Solicitors and Estate Agents working in harmony will give you the best chance of a stress free move.

But motivation to get you the best person for the job, has been eroded over the years by Corporate owned Estate Agents, who own their own firms of Licensed Conveyancers.

You need to be aware:

There are the Corporate Estate Agents who are forced to “push” Conveyancing to their sister companies.

This option is usually the most expensive. It involves high pressure tactics to get you to sign up to the Conveyancing service as soon as possible or face the prospect of being pestered until you make a decision

This option invariably results in a Conveyancing “factory” or “call centre” operation.

I have many examples, where Sellers and Buyers have been denied access or at best strongly advised against using their existing Conveyancing solicitors in favour of the more expensive “in house” solution.

There are Estate Agents who are paid to refer Conveyancing to Conveyancing firms of solicitors.

There are Conveyancing Solicitors, who are referred by the Estate Agent (the Estate Agent will receive payment)

This will include some corporate estate agents as well as independent agents.

The Estate Agent should disclose that they will receive a referral fee.

When it is a genuine arrangement (in the best interests of the client) the fee is for promoting the benefits of the particular Conveyancing services, and will involve streamlined Conveyancing with protocols of agreed service standards; telephone communication, updates etc, enhanced cooperation and is generally on a no fee no sale basis.

Alas, there is evidence that Estate Agents will go to the highest bidding Conveyancing firm or intermediary.

This will normally be a slightly cheaper option than the Conveyancing provided by corporate estate agents.

There are Estate Agents who recommend Conveyancing Solicitors

These Estate Agents will be invariably independent estate agents, owner run, who have worked closely with efficient and competent law firms and Conveyancing solicitors over the years, and whose services they are happy to recommend without payment.

This is also happens to be usually the cheapest option as well.

Conclusion:

Don’t accept the first offer of Conveyancing without doing your own research, by asking friends, family and finding out about the type of Estate Agent and the Conveyancing firm online.

You should decide who you would like to do your Conveyancing and then tell your Estate Agent whom you are using.

Top Tip:

If your Conveyancing firm tells you that your call is important to us but your call will be held in a queue until the next available case handler is available.

RUN A MILE and tell your Estate Agent you won’t be using that firm.

And Bully for you!

This blog has since been updated in 2015, click here to access it.