Don’t only ask your lawyer ‘what will it cost?’ – if you want peace of mind there are more important questions

Residential property transactions represented 25% of all complaints in 2018/19.  The high proportion is likely to be because buying and selling homes is the most common interaction members of the public have with lawyers.  The most common causes of complaints include failure to keep informed, failure to reply and delay or failure to progress matters.

Difficulties, obstacles and delays can always arise in property transactions from reasons outside the lawyer’s control.  These can include delays in receiving the results of local authority or other required searches, lack of information about planning and building regulations or title issues with the property being purchased.  Nevertheless, it is important that the lawyer keeps their client fully up to date, giving realistic timescales and advising on the obstacles causing delay.

Communication is key to the entire transaction, so the buyer or seller knows the process of a conveyancing transaction, timescales, any likely problems and is kept up to date.  Communication between the respective parties’ lawyers is also important; it is frustrating for a lawyer not to hear from the counterparty nor to be told what is happening up or down a chain of transactions.  Lack of communication happens all too often.

Therefore, before you place the sale or purchase of your most expensive and important possession – your home – ask whether you will know the individual lawyer who is to work for you, whether they answer the phone themselves and whether they undertake to keep you informed about what is happening.  Having that confidence may cost more but will give you peace of mind and make the whole process easier for you and minimise stress.

Our residential property team is always happy to answer these questions.  Please contact Will Thomas or Michael Taylor if you wish to discuss buying or selling a house or apartment.