The average UK property transaction takes on average almost 7 weeks longer than expected due to the absence of conveyancers, according to new research.
30% of homebuyers experienced an average delay of 6.4 weeks because their conveyancing solicitor was not in the office. 25% were not informed when their lawyer would be back and 27% had no idea when their property lawyer would return, the study from When You Move revealed.
The research also shows that 24% of people found that their property lawyer was on personal leave and 27% said their case was not worked on while they were away, delaying the process by an average of 5.5 weeks.
Some 29% experienced an average delay of seven weeks due to the reasons above while 31% experienced an average delay of eight weeks due to other reasons.
The survey also found that 29% had to speed up the sale or purchase of property themselves by chasing up their conveyancer.
A quarter said that lawyers offered the lowest level of customer service that they encountered during life’s major transactions and 21% would not use the same lawyer that they’ve used previously due to their poor customer service.
Simon Bath, chief executive officer of When You Move said ‘Ensuring transactions are completed with greater efficiency, transparency and speed is fundamental to delivering a consumer-focused service for all those buying and selling homes in the UK”.
‘Consumers should no longer be put off by the lengthy conveyancing process and the bricks and mortar industry should be able to stick to its promise of completing transactions by the projected date whether your conveyancer is away or not,’ he pointed out.
He explained that the firm offers a digital solution that is designed to work alongside the expertise provided by estate agents and legal professionals to ensure the transactions are streamlined, cost effective and time efficient for all those involved in the property transaction, from start to finish.
‘Digitalising the process will create a central hub for all communication, document storage and provide real-time updates for all parties meaning it is not dependent on physical presence to progress. We are living in a time where we are able to track every item and we should be able to do the same for the most important transactions of our lives,’ he added.