L&C or EA convey solicited?

[penshens]

Both have recommended their own conveyancing solicitor, should I use one of them or chose my own?

Thanks

I have used L&C for mortgsge advice for 2 house moves and 2 remortgages and I would recommend them in a heartbeat!

However, their recommended solicitors were absolutely horrendous, and their survey firm would have been £300 more, I'll never touch any of their recommendations again! (And very surprised that they work with such crappy firms to be honest!)

I decided to go with a local reputable firm on the highstreet because it was easy to pop in if needed. Also, they had the all important local knowledge whereas the EA recommended firm was 20 miles away. Also, they were located in between my EA and the vendor's EA so ideally positioned.

Tbh I would go for a proper solicitor rather than a big conveyancing factory every time. But if you are determined to go with one of the two, go with L&Cs. That way, L&C can also put a rocket up them if their delays cause the mortgage offer to come close to expiry.

My local solicitor was fantastic. Replied to all my mails same day/next morning if they were sent lat afternoon and actually gave me legal advice when I needed it. And I could speak to her or her assistant. Not just given then next available call handler. Well worth the money imo. Use Google to find some with good reviews and then call them up for quotes and to ask the questions on the "how to find a good solicitor" on the HOA website

Definitely choose your own, local, bricks-and-mortar solicitors firm. (Local to you, or where the property you are buying is).

I've used L&C twice and thought they were great. I used the conveyancer recommended by the only estate agents I used first time round and they were so appalling I'd never use an online conveyancer again, nor one recommended by someone who's getting a kickback for it.

Search out recommendations for a local solicitor. I've worked in a solicitors (since moving house) and how well run the property department is, and how available the actual solicitor is to help sort out issues the clerks come across when processing the sale makes a huge difference. Local knowledge can also be really helpful if issues arise during the sale.

Ask people locally for recommendations. Look at reviews online.

A local solicitor's firm will cost more, but they may save you ££££ or even the sale itself in terms of keeping to schedule and resolving any issues in a timely fashion and having the knowledge and experience to do the job well.

The online conveyancers went along with demands from the buyer's solicitor that were just nonsense. I can't remember what it was now, it was a technical detail they wanted me to get insurance for, but it sounded wrong to me so I did my own research and sure enough, the buyer's solicitor had got the wrong end of the stick and the conveyancer had just gone along with it, not represented me or queried it, which was their job, I thought! Sorting it out put weeks onto the sale, my sellers on the other end were getting impatient and it could have cost me the sale itself.

We’re in the process of selling our flat and buying a house. We used L&Cs recommended conveyancer (O’Neill Patient) - absolutely appalling. Definitely avoid!

weirdly L&C were excellent brokers, no idea why their recommended conveyancer is so abysmal.

Is the EA recommended solicitor local? If so I would use them. Our EA have done a fantastic job of chasing the sols up throughout. Previously went with my own choice local sol and they were appealing. Lied about progress fobbed off on chase ups. Local sols tend to listen more to EAs who can put business their way.

It's good to have a local solicitor, yes. But it's much better to rely on recommendations from people who've actually used them, not people who have an incentive to recommend them.

Local solicitors can be great, they can also be awful. Ask around to find out who's good. I'd never take the EA's suggestion at face value.