The property market is incredibly busy and disrupted because there are not enough Conveyancers to do the work.
Experts have left the profession in droves. These are professionals who are no longer prepared to be treated with a lack of respect and courtesy. No one wants to be constantly chased and criticised for issues outside of their control. Conveyancers are doing their best in difficult circumstances and battling endless time-consuming regulatory requirements. Constant chasing slows matters down. It does not speed them up.
Conveyancing is highly pressured and buyers and sellers are under immense stress. However, that does not excuse bad behaviour. Conveyancers are frequently shouted at and abused. The bombardment of passive aggressive emails is relentless. The result being that expertise is walking away. When you lose this is it any wonder timescales increase exponentially.
The experts who can do it quickly and properly are dwindling and it is impossible to recruit or train new staff. Who wants to be a Conveyancer with all these hurdles. What is the incentive?
Public perception needs to change. People need to work with Conveyancers NOT against them.
If your Conveyancer requests a document then provide it. Arguing about the intrusive nature of the request, when theit hands are tied, does not help. They cannot dispense with the request because it causes you inconvenience.
Prepare for your conveyancing. It is not possible for your Conveyancer to find your planning or building regulations certificates. You will need to have them to hand.
Surely we want the same thing. Completion and the protection of the public and mortgage lenders.
If the Conveyancer cannot sign off on your file, then it WILL NOT complete. Demanding completion because a completion date has been agreed will not be successful. Not because Conveyancers are trying to be awkward but because they do not want to be struck off for negligence, removed from a lender panel or have their insurance revoked. They cannot afford to waive due diligence to proceed for you.
Completion dates that parties agree in advance may not synchronise with the legal work involved. It is not possible to agree completion dates at the outset as there are too many variables. Even the simplest matter, and minimal chain, takes time. Government data suggests that completion takes 8 to 12 weeks.
Completion can only occur when each Conveyancer in the chain agrees they can sign off their file. This means they can certify the property has good title and there are NO issues that may affect resale or remortgage. Likewise there must NOT be anything which could affect property value. Why would you want it any other way?
If we are not there yet - it is not happening.
Abusing the Conveyancer will NOT get you there.
I am not alone in saying this:
