When moving house, the entire process can feel like a rush. Placing an offer on your dream property can be incredibly exciting. However, once that offer is accepted, there are plenty of things to do. One of the key details to arrange at this point is selecting a conveyancing solicitor. If you haven’t previously worked with a solicitor, it can be hard to know who to work with. The conveyancing process is complex and challenging enough without incompetent conveyancing solicitors. It is incredibly important to work alongside a professional who understands the process inside and out.
Incompetent conveyancing solicitors can make things go from bad to worse. The conveyancing process can become far more challenging and time-consuming. They might become difficult to communicate with, start to slack on important tasks or entirely lose track of your case. When trying to stay calm and collected, incompetent conveyancing solicitors might just tip you over the edge.
So, how do you choose a competent conveyancing solicitor? Ideally, you want to work with a licensed conveyancing solicitor with a great track record who offers a competitive price. At times this can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. In this article, we’ll guide you through our top tips for avoiding incompetent conveyancing solicitors. Alongside this, we’ll introduce you to the conveyancing geniuses at Moving Sorted. We have optimised the conveyancing process to give you complete peace of mind, away from the stress of incompetency.
The Implications of Incompetent Conveyancing Solicitors
Once you begin your conveyancing process, there is little to nothing you can do about incompetent solicitors. This results in an increase of stress and frustration throughout the entire process. If incompetent solicitors are left unchecked, small problems could escalate into major issues.
For example, incompetent solicitors may completely miss a key deadline for the exchange of contracts. This means that contracts are not exchanged on the agreed date, resulting in a costly delay. A delay like this can potentially result in you losing the property entirely.
When selecting a conveyancing solicitor, it is paramount that they are trustworthy and reliable. You will be trusting them to take care of your home purchase so it’s important to know they are competent. If incompetent conveyancing solicitors cause delays or lose track of information, they are not doing their job properly.
How to Spot Incompetent Conveyancing Solicitors
Realising that you are working with incompetent conveyancing solicitors can often occur too late into the process. Either you’ll have wasted weeks or months working with an incompetent solicitor. Or, you’ll feel trapped into completing the process with an incompetent solicitor because you’re too far gone. Either way, you are bound to experience a conveyancing process that is time-consuming and stressful. The aim of this article is to help you spot incompetent conveyancing solicitors before commencing the conveyancing process.
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Cheapest Option by far
Some solicitors are legitimately able to offer a highly competitive price for their conveyancing services. For example, online conveyancing has been optimised to be far more efficient and money-saving. However, if you discover solicitors advertising prices that are far below the rest of the market, you may have stumbled across your first red flag. In many cases, incompetent solicitors will cut costs by hiring inexperienced and unqualified staff members. This results in poor quality and unreliable service and can cost you in the long run.
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Cannot Guarantee a Clear Deadline
If incompetent conveyancing solicitors cannot guarantee a clear deadline for the exchange of contracts, you should proceed with caution. The conveyancing process, on average, takes between 8 and 12 weeks. If a solicitor is unable to give you an idea of the time it takes to complete the conveyancing process, they do not have a good deal of experience or expertise in conveyancing. During your time with them, you could find your solicitor missing deadlines. They won’t have your best interests at heart as they are likely focused on more valuable cases.
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Lack of Communication
Whilst it might seem unobvious at first, solicitors who can’t find the time to update you on your case demonstrate clear incompetence. It’s possible that you’ve been waiting for days on end for an email. Alternatively, your solicitor may be ‘in a meeting’ each time you contact them. The best solicitors will guide you through the process every step of the way. Each time your case reaches a milestone or there is an important deadline approaching, you should receive some contact from your solicitor. Not only does poor communication insight anxiety in the client, but it demonstrates a lack of consideration from the solicitor.
3 Top Tips for Finding a Competent Solicitor
Tip #1: Get a recommendation from a friend
The first and simplest way to choose a conveyancing solicitor is to select one that has been recommended to you by a friend or family member. If you know someone who has recently had a successful experience, ask them if they can recommend their solicitor.
Your friend should be able to give you an idea of how that branch works. You could find out whether their system is complicated to use, how easy they are to contact and whether they charge additional fees. Not only will this give you confidence in using their services but it ensures you always have someone to chat to about your experience.
Tip #2: Check their qualifications and experience
Another way to check out a conveyancing solicitor is to look at their accreditations. This will determine whether they are trustworthy and provide legitimate legal services. Online tools from ‘The Law Society’ could be pivotal in determining the legitimacy of a branch of solicitors. You have the option of searching for your solicitor’s firm, the individual or location using their ‘find a solicitor tool. If they appear on the list, you can check the branches or an individual’s accreditations. With the correct accreditations, solicitors on this list should be competent in their role.
Tip #3: Get a quote from Moving Sorted
When searching for a conveyancing solicitor, you want to know that you can trust the person you’re working with. The best way to do this is to get a quote from Moving Sorted. By arranging a quote online, we have streamlined the process of finding the right solicitor for your case. If you give us some details about your property, we can offer you competitive quotes for competent conveyancing solicitors.
At Moving Sorted, we only work alongside the most attentive and efficient solicitors. You won’t find any incompetent conveyancing solicitors when working with us!
Final Thoughts
For many buyers and sellers, working with a competent solicitor is a high priority. The property exchange process is notoriously long and challenging. Incompetent conveyancing solicitors only add to the dilemma of delays, complications and anxiety. Within this guide, we have included some of our key tips for spotting incompetent conveyancing solicitors, as well as how to find competent ones.
If you are looking for a quick and simple solution to your problem of incompetent conveyancing solicitors, Moving Sorted might be able to help. We are an online provider of conveyancing services that have optimised the conveyancing process. Previously, where conveyancing was tedious and complicated, there was room for incompetency. With Moving Sorted, conveyancing is simple, efficient and only provided by accredited, compassionate solicitors.
Get your free quote today from Moving Sorted and say goodbye to incompetent conveyancing solicitors.
