Once you’ve found your dream home, waiting to move in can be frustrating, and there is nothing worse than feeling like you are being held up by unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy. You might begin to wonder – why are conveyancing solicitors so slow? There are a number of reasons, some of which are inside their control and some of which are not.
Chains
Negotiating contracts, carrying out checks and getting everything in place becomes much harder when there are multiple parties working to different agendas.
Volume of checks
It may seem straightforward to most people, but in fact there are a lot of different checks to carry out in relation to the buying and selling of property. For example, historical title checks, to make sure no one has a claim against the house you are buying; covenant checks, to ensure there are no restrictions which will stop you using your home in the way you’d like to; environmental checks, to make sure you aren’t going to be liable for costs associated with pollution caused by the property, are just a few. There’s even a check required to make sure you aren’t required to pay for the upkeep of the local church. You wouldn’t want them to get that one wrong – it would really cost you.
Workload
Some solicitors find that at certain times of the year the number of properties being bought and sold increases significantly. If they haven’t planned their workload quite right, or are missing other members of staff, they can find standards start to slip.
What can you do?
Be proactive
Keep in touch with your lawyers to find out what they are doing and when they expect to be finished with each stage. Exchange to completion, for example, usually takes 6-8 weeks. If it’s taking them longer, find out why. You may even be able to negotiate a discount if you feel they aren’t providing good service.
Respond quickly
It can be easy to let emails slip, but failing to respond or send necessary documents can slow the process, not just for you but for the whole chain (if you’re in one).
Conveyancing Store can help you to find a conveyancing solicitor who will manage your transaction efficiently and without delay. Contact us today to see how we can help.
