Has anyone changed solicitors half way through?

WhereshallIwander · 2023-08-10T08:29:37+00:00

.... their conveyancing? My solicitors are not replying to emails and calls go to answerphone. Just wondering if anyone had successfully changed and did it help?

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 10/08/2023 09:31

I'm 8+ weeks in and enquiries have yet to start.
Searches are done.

No mortgage, empty house, no chain

OP posts:

DepartureLounge · 10/08/2023 18:18

My buyers did.

It helped in the sense that it was the last straw in a long list of timewasting shenanigans from them, and we finally lost it and threatened to put the place back on the market unless they pulled their finger out, which they duly did.

I'm not sure that's the answer you're looking for, but suffice to say, it does happen - and it's got to be better than using a solicitor who appears to have got lost on the golf course.

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 10/08/2023 21:54

DepartureLounge · 10/08/2023 18:18

My buyers did.

It helped in the sense that it was the last straw in a long list of timewasting shenanigans from them, and we finally lost it and threatened to put the place back on the market unless they pulled their finger out, which they duly did.

I'm not sure that's the answer you're looking for, but suffice to say, it does happen - and it's got to be better than using a solicitor who appears to have got lost on the golf course.

Thank you.

I'm finding the whole thing stressful as they just won't communicate. I used different solicitors for my sale which went smoothly and completed in 11 weeks but because I was buying in England I chose an English firm to do it.
They would always reply to messages or phone calls even if a day or so after. This one goes weeks without any correspondence and that's only if it's me initiating it.

OP posts:

NutellaNut · 10/08/2023 23:19

Yes, currently selling my late mother’s house and the first solicitors did absolutely nothing for weeks, zilch. When we informed them we no longer wanted them to act for us, they didn’t even reply, which says it all. Current ones so much better.

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 10/08/2023 23:53

NutellaNut · 10/08/2023 23:19

Yes, currently selling my late mother’s house and the first solicitors did absolutely nothing for weeks, zilch. When we informed them we no longer wanted them to act for us, they didn’t even reply, which says it all. Current ones so much better.

Thanks, did you have to pay for their work so far ( if they did any?!)? ----

OP posts:

DepartureLounge · 11/08/2023 10:00

Sorry to be slow - this is for a purchase in England, yes?

I can recommend someone if you like @WhereshallIwander

Frecklespy · 11/08/2023 11:14

When you say half way through the conveyancing, do you know what has been done and what hasn't been done from the solicitors side?

It does sound as though your solicitor is swamped with work and cannot give any priority to his cases, but please understand that instructing a new solicitor will cause a delay, as much of the work already done will be repeated.

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 11/08/2023 11:56

Thanks departure. It needs to be someone who can do shared ownership. I'm buying 25% share with Heylo.
All the searches are back and have been for a while (Heylo so these so my solicitor didn't need to).
Survey back a while ago.

From what I gather, he hasn't started the enquiries yet and this is what everyone is waiting for. He still has not replied to emails or calls.

We are nearly 9 weeks in.
The house is empty.
I am buying the share in cash (no mortgage).
Heylo buy the property and I buy the share from them.

Heylo told me a few days ago that sellers are waiting for enquiries to start.

OP posts:

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 11/08/2023 11:58

Frecklespy · 11/08/2023 11:14

When you say half way through the conveyancing, do you know what has been done and what hasn't been done from the solicitors side?

It does sound as though your solicitor is swamped with work and cannot give any priority to his cases, but please understand that instructing a new solicitor will cause a delay, as much of the work already done will be repeated.

Do they have to start from scratch?

I don't think he's done much ( see above).

I have not seen any draft contract yet either to sign.

OP posts:

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 11/08/2023 11:58

It is in England.

OP posts:

Fuckingfuming1 · 11/08/2023 12:05

Yes I have, and it was extremely straightforward and easy. The first lot tried to charge me. I told them to stick it on the basis they done nothing for the first month. Not even sent out the memorandum of sale.

pensterino · 11/08/2023 12:08

We've certainly changed when ours were useless. The particular bit of grief which galvanised us came when we had actually told them we were worried about covenants and they didn't bother to tell us about the ten PAGES of restrictions; we didn't know about them until six weeks after the solicitors received them. But we pulled out of that property at the same time as sacking them.

For anyone buying or selling, my advice is to spend the bit extra and use a proper, established firm of local solicitors. In my experience, the specialist conveyancing firms use mostly teams of freshly minted law graduates with poor grades from rather average universities; generally speaking, they're fairly unmotivated and incredibly slow at turning stuff round. One was so incredibly awful - we wound up spending thousands more as a result of their delays - that I told the estate agents when selling that I wouldn't deal with anyone using them.

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 11/08/2023 12:11

pensterino · 11/08/2023 12:08

We've certainly changed when ours were useless. The particular bit of grief which galvanised us came when we had actually told them we were worried about covenants and they didn't bother to tell us about the ten PAGES of restrictions; we didn't know about them until six weeks after the solicitors received them. But we pulled out of that property at the same time as sacking them.

For anyone buying or selling, my advice is to spend the bit extra and use a proper, established firm of local solicitors. In my experience, the specialist conveyancing firms use mostly teams of freshly minted law graduates with poor grades from rather average universities; generally speaking, they're fairly unmotivated and incredibly slow at turning stuff round. One was so incredibly awful - we wound up spending thousands more as a result of their delays - that I told the estate agents when selling that I wouldn't deal with anyone using them.

I'm wondering if I should go back to the ones who sold my house (11 weeks this July). They are in Wales though and I'm moving to England. Does that matter?

They always replied to my emails quickly and kept me posted on progress.

OP posts:

Original poster

WhereshallIwander · 11/08/2023 12:13

Pensterino, they are not local but based near London. They are not cheap and office based.

OP posts:

DepartureLounge · 11/08/2023 12:17

I've PM'd you, OP.

Frecklespy · 11/08/2023 12:33

WhereshallIwander · 11/08/2023 11:58

Do they have to start from scratch?

I don't think he's done much ( see above).

I have not seen any draft contract yet either to sign.

Show quote history

Pretty much from scratch.

You/your solicitor can send them the searches and the Land Registry documents, though they can take an age to do this as there will no incentive for them to do this quickly.

The seller's solicitors will need to amend the contract and send out the draft paperwork again.

Your new solicitors will raise their own enquiries as they need to rely on their own due diligence, not on some other firm's enquiries.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 11/08/2023 15:28

I did. I went with the estate agents' solicitors initially, but they were very difficult to communicate with and everything needed to be done using their odd online portal. I changed to a local firm where I could easily speak to them via the phone and drop things into the office, and everything sped up dramatically. Definitely worth doing, or I don't think I'd have ever got anywhere!