Conveyancing

[BreezyDuck]

Hi all,

I have a gifted deposit for a house the solicitors have requested for the giftor to go to the office to verify ID. The giftor lives in London and I live in the Midlands. Could there be an alternative option for the solicitor to verify the ID?

Ask them for a closer location at another solicitor if they don't have their own branch.

@Annony331 how does that work?

My brother had this. There are third party identity verification companies they could use.

Have you asked them if there is any alternative?

During covid I had a zoom call with a solicitor who had me hold up my passport next to me so she could check my ID and take a screenshot.

There are also third party services that some solicitors firms use to check ID.

Once approved they check your ID, photocopy it and verify they have seen the original. Bit like when you can't get to a probate office. They have a list of solicitors they will accept the info from. Sometimes they charge a small fee to verify and forward the info.

Ask if they have the option to verify ID with a link sent to a smartphone. Alternatively, they can go to a solicitor near to where they live for a small fee.

You need to ask your conveyancer what alternatives they accept. Some firms are more rigorous with their money laundering policy than others.