How much is a local conveying solicitor worth?

[Andthenanothercupoftea]

Hi all

We've had quotes back for buying/selling from local solicitors and they are quite pricey. Our mortgage advisor (also a family member) did a quick search for quote from other firms.

There were some with 95%+ ratings which were over £1000 cheaper.

Is having a local solicitor worth £1000+ given that it's all done online anyway?

All opinions gratefully received!!

In normal circumstances, it can help to have someone you can speak to 'face to face' if needbe. But even most of the local ones are online only at the moment, and a lot is all digitial signatures and not sure how swiftly they'll be opening up again.

I'm actually going with a online solicitor, they just happen to be in the local area.

And my relative has just had to deal with a buyer's solicitor who is very local and very expensive... and very useless!

A local solicitor can be an advantage in that they should be familiar with the types of legal title that crop up in your local area. Where I practice, there is a high proportion of old 999 year leasehold titles with several title layers- we’ve had non-local solicitors tell their clients not to proceed because they don’t understand the title and think there is a problem, when there isn’t.

Check who will actually be doing the work - many firms have non-qualified staff doing the vast majority of the work rather than a solicitor

We've used only ever used one particular local solicitor so can't compare to anything else, but it is very handy being able to just pop in to drop documents off and pick up at their door.

Pre pandemic, when we were first time buyers we sat down with our solicitor so she could explain everything we were signing when it came to paperwork, our vendors were arseholes and she had the patience of a Saint. They were at the very cheapest end of all our quotes too, got at least 5 or 6 each time, some were ridiculous.

I've always used a non-local solicitors as I use a firm with a family connection. Never been a problem apart from you had to post things instead of dropping them round. I suspect it will all be online now though anyway.

I've always used the same soluciyor - at the moment she is handling two local sales and one distant purchase.
But I did buy and eventually sell a flat in a large complex, and she suggested I use someone more familiar with the property and the management and agents.
Unless there are characteristics and potential issues unique to your area, then it doesn't matter where they are - most are still WFH now anyway.

I used a cheap online solicitor. I was naive as it was my first purchase, but also I was buying my council property, so assumed it would be straightforward. How wrong was I

The solicitor was an absolute nightmare. She delayed absolutely every part of the process. I was 7 months pregnant at the time and really could have done without the stress. At 1 point I got so sick of her telling me she hadn't received the contract I called the council's solicitor, who informed me they couldn't deal with me but everything was complete their end and had been for months. My solicitor then went on holiday so I had to deal with someone else and guess what? The contract had been sitting on her desk all along. I sent numerous amounts of paperwork to her which she claimed must have got lost in the post... even when I'd resorted to sending it recorded.

In the end the council sent me a notice to complete, and I was in danger of having to start the whole process again. I must have spent a fortune sending things by special delivery after that point. I completed with days to spare. Never again.

I think a lot of online solicitors are cheaper as they take on so much work, hence the stalling tactics.

With my following sale and purchase I used a local solicitor. She was more expensive but worth every penny. She was thorough, prompt and always contactable. We were able to hand deliver all documents, which was great. I wouldn't hesitate to use her again.

You get what you pay for with conveyancing. If you go for a "cheap" online one you'll have no end of bother getting any information and deal with a call centre. They actually aren't cheaper as they have so many add-ones. They'll be a few for having a mortgage, a fee for photocopying etc.

Local firms can be quicker as they know the area, they don't waste time asking daft questions as they already know the answers. Ask around for recommendations, don't just use who the estate agent suggests as they will be getting commission for referrals.

Also, it's not all online. The process will involve paper documents that need to be signed. Easier to have a local firm so you can pick up documents and drop things off.

No, solicitor does not need to be local. Ask about response times,delegation arrangements, what happens if the sale falls through and any extra charges.

We've used a local solicitor for our current sale/purchase and she's been great. Really clear about what's needed, prompt responses to emails and they've had skeleton staff in the office so I could still hand deliver rather than post documents. Her local knowledge was also useful.

We used an online firm when we remortgaged a few years ago - absolute nightmare! They were really slow, and then kept sending stuff but without postage, which slowed everything even further. Kept getting my name wrong. I dread to think how difficult they'd of been to deal with if it had been a full sale and purchase! That all said, I've friends who have used online companies with no issue.

It's competence not locality that matters most. Paying more can be the right thing to do.. get recommendations

We have generally done local

for maybe non-tangible reasons: they have a stake in the local area and reliant on word of mouth referrals for furture business- I always think that they will want to ensure that their reputation continues. Its also good to support the local highstreet and keep profits local.

and tangible reasons: you can always go to the premises and kick up a fuss if they arent going as fast as you would like/ they need to see particular documents etc.

But not sure if thats worth £1000 extra

Being a conveyancing solicitor isnt really the most glamororus of jobs - I'm sure you dont study 2 years at law school plus training contract to end up doing essentially an administratibe job so conveyancing solicitors by their nature arent the top of the profession!

If you're making one of the most expensive purchases of your life, perhaps you should consider paying a little more for expertise. Locality doesn't necessarily matter but online solicitors have a sell it low price for a reason, usually there is one solicitor supervising many assistants. All fine, until your property has a quirk that they haven't come across and you'd better hope they spot it and deal with it.

If you are 1) buying and selling in a very short chain (i.e. a chain of 1!) and 2) you are buying a detached, registered property with no rights of way, easements, chancel repairs etc and 3) are not trying to meet a particular deadline, then a registered conveyancer would be fine. BUT you won't know about (2) until you're some way down the process.

I have seen sellers pull out and chains collapse and people being left literally homeless at 7pm on a Friday evening because of incompetent conveyancers. A local solicitor will know of common property issues in your area (for example in London, where 999yr leases with multiple layers are common). A local solicitor can be chased and will understand deadlines (and if they're good, will work hard to accommodate any deadlines). An online conveyancer will not give a crap and will happily log off at 3pm on Friday afternoon when you're waiting for funds to clear.

Please note that most of the work done by online conveyancers is not done by solicitors who spent two years at law school and did a training contract. If you're lucky, they'll be a registered conveyancers, otherwise they're just doing admin, with the work overseen by a registered conveyancer (or possibly a lawyer, who won't actually get his hands dirty with actual legal work!)

Even the best local solicitors do need a rocket up the arse sometimes - buying and selling a house is slow work. Searches and responses to questions can take ages, and because of that, conveyancers take on lots of other work while they're waiting for a reply for yours, and it it sometimes takes an age for your work to make it back to the top of the pile when a reply comes in.

We have the best of both worlds here: good local conveyancer who also comes in significantly cheaper than everyone else. Only a couple of people plus an admin person in the practice. They have dealt with straightforward and tricky purchase/sales for us, never had a problem with them.