When you are selling or buying a home choosing the right conveyancer to deal with the legal aspects of transferring property can be difficult. So, we cover in this blog 11 questions you should ask your conveyancer to ensure you hire the best one to make the house sale go as smoothly as possible.
Are you a member of any professional bodies?
Something you should do before hiring a conveyancer is to check if they are a member of a professional body. If you choose a licensed conveyancer then you want to look for one who is a member of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). Alternatively, if you hire a solicitor then you should look for one that is registered with The Law Society. Doing this will mean you know they are a professional and will handle the conveyancing properly. Selling or buying a home is a big financial decision so you want to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
How many conveyancing cases have you dealt with before?
It may be a good idea to ask how many cases they have dealt with before so you can get an idea on how much experience they have. They may not be able to give you an exact figure especially if they have been a conveyancer for a long time however, a rough idea will be helpful. You should also look for a conveyancer willing to give information about what type of cases they have done in the past, have they handled a case like yours before? And how long have they been doing their job?
How much are your fees?
This is an important question to ask as you will need to budget for the costs. Conveyancing fees can vary but are usually between £400 and £1,500. There are legal fees and disbursements involved with conveyancing. You may find that both the legal fees and disbursements are included in the overall cost however, not always. So, be aware of disbursements as extra charges. We cover all the costs involved with conveyancing in more detail in our blog post here.
At what point do I pay the fees?
When you pay the fees depends on the firm. You may find that you will pay the fees when you exchange contracts or when the sale has been completed. Or you may have to pay a deposit when you first hire your conveyancer and then the disbursements as you go. You want to make sure you ask the conveyancer at the beginning when you will have to pay, to ensure you have the money ready.
Who is going to handle the conveyancing for me?
If you are hiring a conveyancer from a firm then you should find out who will handle the conveyancing for you. It is important to ask this as you want to be able to build a relationship with your conveyancer and only work with them throughout the process.
Having this relationship will mean you can go to your conveyancer with any questions you have and only working with the one conveyancer means you can get in contact with them directly and won’t have to waste time repeating who you are each time you ring the firm.
Does my mortgage lender approve of you?
This is a good question because a lot of mortgage lenders have an approved panel of conveyancers that they will work with. Therefore, if your conveyancer is not on the approved panel then there is the chance your mortgage lender may not want to work with them. However, you should still be able to use your conveyancer but, there will likely be extra costs to pay.
Do you have any reviews or feedback from past clients?
Asking this question is a good idea as reading reviews means you can get an idea on the conveyancer’s past service. Also, people usually only take the time to write a review when the service has been really great or very bad. So, have a read and you should be able to get an idea on what the conveyancer’s performance is like.
How will you keep in contact with me and update me on the process?
You need to find out how your conveyancer will keep in contact with you during the house sale. Your conveyancer will likely communicate with you through email or phone but you may sometimes receive hard copies of documents.
You should also find out how often they update you on the house sale. This is a good question to ask as waiting to hear about the process of the house sale can be very stressful and you may find with conveyancers that they focus a lot on getting the sale moving and don’t have time to update you everyday. Which is why it is a good to know when you will get updates so you don’t spend time stressing you haven’t heard anything.
If you are wanting to have more frequent updates, then you should speak to your conveyancer at the beginning of the process to let them know that this is something you want from them. Most conveyancers will be willing to accommodate this.
How long does the process take?
The conveyancing process usually takes around 8 to 12 weeks, but this can vary depending on a range of factors. For example, if you are part of a chain and someone in the chain doesn’t do what they are suppose to, the whole process can be delayed. Alternatively, if you are a cash buyer then you may be able to finish the process quicker. Therefore, it is hard to give an exact time on how long the process will take.
Is there a way of speeding the process up?
Most sellers or buyers want the process to go as quickly and smoothly as possible. You may not be able to speed the process up however, asking this question means you can understand how to keep the sale on track. The best ways to do this is to fill out any paperwork that needs doing, return documents when asked and not late, always be contactable and have all documents you need ready so if your conveyancer asks for them there is no delays.
If there is a dispute how will you handle it?
Hopefully the process will go smoothly and there will be no disputes. However, it is good to know how your conveyancer will handle any problems that could occur. At the beginning of the conveyancing process you should receive a letter which usually includes the terms and fees but also their procedure for dealing with disputes. If this is not in the letter you should raise it with your conveyancer.
Summary
Choosing the right conveyancer can be hard so make sure you follow these questions to make sure you know everything you can about them. If you would like more help we cover everything you need to know before choosing a conveyancer in our blog post here.
