What to look for in conveyancing solicitor?

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I've never had to sell a property before, so I am completely clueless as to how to find a good conveyancing solicitor. The estate agent has recommended a local solicitor they say they have used quite a lot, but I don't know whether to look elsewhere or just accept who they recommend. My previous dealings with 3 separate firms (2 for property and 1 for estate planning) have all been abysmal. I've looked at reviews online of the recommended conveyencer, most of which are good (although the agency is a large, national one, so reviews aren't really that helpful, as they don't mention which office they used, so the local office could be great or awful). About 12% are really awful and say the appalling service (primarily around dreadful communication and missing out key steps) has cost the individual the sale/purchase of their property.

What did you look for when you searched for a conveyancing solicitor to sell a property? Are there questions you wished you'd asked before appointing one? Is there something you'd do differently next time? What is a standard charge (I've been quoted a min. of £1800, but as some items are extortionate e.g. a £50 fee every time money goes in or out of their account, I can see how this estimate could rack up quite quickly).

Hi op

When I was buying and selling this year I was looking for someone I didn't need to do everything in person/by post because I'm all over the place with work so looked national- I looked at reviews and the one I used had very good trustpilots (onp solocitors)
For standard purchase I paid around £1300, for standard sale £700ish I paid this around 6 months ago.

They were helpful did everything they needed to do my solicitor was on hand via a online messenger if needed, loads was done via an app so I was very happy with their service,

https://onpsolicitors.co.uk/

Thanks @SalesMum , I really appreciate your response!

If you have a local Facebook group for your town/area search 'solicitor' or 'conveyance' to see who has been recommended locally (and who to avoid!) or just ask there in a post.

I've dealt with a cheapo 'big company' - lots of anxiety, hours on hold only to reach a different person each time in a call centre who has no idea about your case.

I'm now using a local firm on recommendation - much better experience, able to drop off paperwork at the office rather than post, get through to the same person on the phone everytime. Much better!

Don’t use the estate agent’s recommendation, they’re recommending them because they get a referral fee and the ones they recommend are often terrible. You want a local firm not a big national firm. Make sure they are on your mortgage lender’s panel (ask them if they are) or they’ll charge you extra, and make sure you get a fixed fee quote not a rate per hour.

Do not use Muve. Our buyer is using them and they have been absolutely atrocious. They don't reply to our solicitor, the buyer or the estate agent. A chain free sale (empty house, probate granted) to a first time buyer has not completed after we accepted an offer 13th August. We still have no idea when to expect completion.

Don't cheap out when it comes to legal advice, is one of the best bits of advice we ever got (from a solicitor friend. Incidentally, the best recommendation we got was for one of his colleagues who was young but amazing and eager for us to say how great he was to his senior colleague in a different area).

Your solicitor doesn't have to be close to you/the property, but often it's helpful to have someone local if it requires any local knowledge. Agree with PP about local FB groups and the recommended solicitor often being one they get commission from!

Good luck. It's a minefield. Might be worth joining the buyers/sellers thread for support :)

Disagree that they don’t need to be local. It makes life a heck of a lot easier if you can drop things off in person, go in person for ID checks and signing documents etc rather than having to post things back and forth.

Thanks everyone.

@Isthiscorrect Oh no, I am in similar situation and hoped that with such a straight-forward property (no chain, ready to move in, probate granted), the process would be quick.

@Isthiscorrect My Son and GF are using Muve, they are buying a flat, no chain involved, but so far all good. I wanted him to use the Solicitor we have used, but he is an old fashioned Solicitor who likes to meet you face to face and to have paper copies with signatures on, Muve seem to do everything online. We are only 5 weeks in and they aren’t in a hurry, so hopefully it will go smoothly, but there’s no telling my Son and GF what to do.

I wouldn’t place much emphasis on a Facebook recommendation. My experience has been that, like estate agents, hairdressers, tradesmen et al, the reviews are not necessarily objective and genuine.

Go for a local solicitor, not a conveyancer and definitely do not opt for an online on. I won’t name them, but the one we were persuaded to use was a nightmare from start to finish.

I'll second this! Our vendor chose them and nothing happened for 8 weeks! Literally nothing. She ended up changing to a local solicitor and it really set the process back as we lost 8 weeks.

Currently using Elite conveyancing Ltd, not a local company but they've been fantastic. Answering queries within hours and have been very on top of things, everything is online and all documents get uploaded to the portal so nothing can go missing or be unreceived. The price is reflected in this though, they aren't the cheapest and you're only as quick as the slowest link in the chain. As I said the vendors solicitors slowed things by 8 weeks which was stressful. But I highly recommend Elite.

Find one who is local with an office. Some days you just need to be able to knock on a door to get things done.

My buyer has his in London despite us and house being in the North. Total incompetence and they don't answer the phone or emails in a timely manner. I bet my last penny if the buyer could do a face to face this process would have been shortened by several months 😠

I used the estate agents recommendation but it was for a specific person at a local firm. The way I saw it they already had a relationship and money depending on it so it would be easier for some fires to be lit under the correct arses.

Worked well for me!

I was adamant I wanted someone local. Town I'm selling is has some unusual aspects around conservation areas which I'm in, so it helped to have local knowledge. Also for me, really wanted someone I could just take physical documents into in person, rather than risk important docs in the post, or risk delays. Also want to be sure it's someone I can feel very secure about making payments to - heard horror stories about email payment scams and knowing I can literally walk in to confirm account details etc in person is very reassuring to me.

I inadvertently tested the ones I approached which worked out quite well. I emailed various local ones and asked for a quote. (excluded a couple that have a bad rep)

One said they couldnt possibly give me any idea what it would cost

2 gave me an estimate, with no reference to having been asked for a quote.

One gave a quote with a list of possible extras. (and it was very reasonable)

I went with the one that had listened to me and had actually done what I asked, as I felt it boded well!

We are using Lets Move Conveyancing, they were recommended by some friends. They have been brilliant, responsive, pro active and just generally so good.

For me personally, I'd use a local conveyancer/solicitor. Time can be saved if something needs to be returned quickly and you can at least turn up on the doorstep if you don't get a response.

Phone around for quotes and get a general feel of how helpful the conveyance/solicitor or secretary are.

I'm was in a similar position to you (probate property, no chain) and went for this solicitor as it was the best value: www.premierpropertylawyers.com. I must admit that I was unsure as they are a large company and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to speak to anyone should I need to. However, I've been pleasantly surprised as they're efficient and responsive and my solicitor always picks up the phone on the first ring. I also like that I can track the process online easily. All in all a pleasure to deal with throughout the process. I'm completing on Friday, exactly 13 weeks after my offer was accepted!

We asked friends/colleagues for recommendations (not FB as you don't know if they're genuine), then asked three local ones for quotes. Then compared the quality of information provided in the quote eg breakdown of pricing. We asked about who would look after the case if the conveyancer was on holiday and chose the one who had a named contact.

Local is easier as you can drop things in so don't need to wait for the post.

We once used one of the big online conveyancers and it was a nightmare! Never again.

That's great news, congratulations! And thank you for the link, I will check them out.

This is why I am on the fence. I thought this too - surely the estate agent will help move the solicitor along, if necessary, if they're the ones recommending him? But you hear/read so many horror stories, it's kind of terrifying to make a choice!

Thank you everyone for your replies. I'm taking them all on board and looking up those suggested.

Personal recommendation all the way

Those saying local is better - is that still the case if the house is not in the same town? For me it's a couple of hours away from where I live.