Jul
13
Being employed by a firm of conveyancing lawyers I come across all kinds of customers . Some are; pushy, aloof, needy, relaxed, polite or aggressive but they all mostly have one thing in common - they want their transaction to complete as quickly and as smoothly as possible and the blame for any delays will always rest on the shoulders of the conveyancing lawyers , but is there anything the client can do to help oneself.
Fill In The Forms
At the start of your transaction your conveyancing solicitors will send you various simple forms to complete. It isn’t always easy to find the time to fill them out , and it can be a laborious job , but consider that your conveyancing lawyers cannot start work on your transaction until they are completed and returned . Bear in mind - the clock starts ticking not when you accept an offer (or have an offer accepted) but when your conveyancer receives your initial instructions.
At various stages there will be other forms to sign and return and again, any progress will usually be halted until you deal with these.
Ignore Conveyancing Advice From Well Meaning Amateurs
All the way through your transaction you’ll potential find there will be all sorts of people wanting to offer you the benefit of their wisdom . Family, co-workers , your mate down the pub to the estate agent or mortgage broker . Above all else, trust your conveyancing lawyers. They are the ones that are regulated and possess the answers and guidance you can rely on . In particular , some estate agents can attempt to get far too involved and although they been involved in a vast number of transactions, that doesn’t mean their legal knowledge will be up to scratch . What I am saying (and this is goes for all dealing with estate agents) is this, never take the word of an estate agent as gospel .
As a rule, if someone suggests that you do a particular thing or you are interested about any aspect of the transaction you should speak to your conveyancing lawyer and follow his advice . If you are not happy with the advice provided then you can speak to one of his superiors within the firm .
Don’t Overpromise On Timescales
The conveyancing process when acting for a seller is much more straight-forward compared to that of a buyer and generally therefore the seller’s conveyancing lawyers will leading the proccess . As a consequence the buyer is often pressured by the sellers and/or estate agents to set a date for completion. You need to ward off setting this date until you have spoken to your conveyancing lawyers to see what is genuinly achievable . Many transactions fracture because sellers become frustrated when deadlines which were never truly achievable in the first place are missed.
Make Yourself Easy To Contact
You should try to make sure you are contactable by your conveyancing lawyers as much as possible . Your conveyancing lawyers will be working 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday so try as best as you can to remain contactable during those hours . Above all else, definitely make sure you available at all times on the actual day of completion. Often there are last minute fires that need to be extinguished . If you are going to be away from home, or tied up in meetings, on a particular date that has proposed for completion then you might need to propose an alternative.
Keep Your Conveyancing Lawyers Informed
Always keep your conveyancing lawyers up to date with any developments in respect of the transaction. This might be proposed completion dates or changes in the price, or you might have decided to buy/sell some chattels or have a dispute with the selling agent over his fee. Your conveyancing lawyers may find certain things out from another source but don’t assume they will.
If you are going on holiday , make sure you let your conveyancing lawyers know. They may be able to get you to sign certain documents, or ask you certain questions, which will allow the transaction to progress while you are away.