Property solicitors! Are there any out there worthy of the £200 they usually charge?
19 August 2010, 01:34 PM
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Property solicitors! Are there any out there worthy of the £200 they usually charge?
Seriously, I think I am going to lose the plot if I have to deal our solicitors again!
We have agreed to part ex our flat against a newbuild house by Ward & Partners. Their solicitors are asking for certain info on our flat which is fair enough.
However, one requirement from their solicitors is the location of any affordable housing in the area. I don't know the answer to this and I suspect even if I did when I first moved in 4 years ago, it has since changed.
So I ask our solicitor where to go for this info. His response: 'Try searching google for your local council planning number and ask them.'
Can't they do that?
Apparently the answer has to come from me! 
So I ring the council who were very helpful and are in the process of the getting the info for me. However, the lady that deals with this sort of thing is on holiday for 2 weeks from tomorrow and nobody else can help! So, if I don't get the info, the whole process is delayed by some **** who could have asked for this info yesterday.
Also, Marie and I have since married from when we originally moved in. So our applicant names don't match those that are on the deed. So he has asked for a copy of our wedding certificate. I have already supplied copies of our passports and I asked why wasn't this sufficient. Answer: 'I'm not sure, better send both'.
Seriosuly can't believe how lazy some solicitors are.
Rant over.......for now.
We have agreed to part ex our flat against a newbuild house by Ward & Partners. Their solicitors are asking for certain info on our flat which is fair enough.
However, one requirement from their solicitors is the location of any affordable housing in the area. I don't know the answer to this and I suspect even if I did when I first moved in 4 years ago, it has since changed.
So I ask our solicitor where to go for this info. His response: 'Try searching google for your local council planning number and ask them.'
Can't they do that?
Apparently the answer has to come from me! So I ring the council who were very helpful and are in the process of the getting the info for me. However, the lady that deals with this sort of thing is on holiday for 2 weeks from tomorrow and nobody else can help! So, if I don't get the info, the whole process is delayed by some **** who could have asked for this info yesterday.
Also, Marie and I have since married from when we originally moved in. So our applicant names don't match those that are on the deed. So he has asked for a copy of our wedding certificate. I have already supplied copies of our passports and I asked why wasn't this sufficient. Answer: 'I'm not sure, better send both'.
Seriosuly can't believe how lazy some solicitors are.
Rant over.......for now.
19 August 2010, 02:00 PM
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Some solicitors are a law unto themselves.
Being in the IFA industry, IFAs have a certain poor rep. However, even though you often hear of people complaining about their solicitor its never with the same amount of venom.
We did almost all the leg work for a clients estate and the cheeky solicitor still wanted 1% of the total for doing nothing more than a few forms.
And personally too, when we bought the hair salon for my wife one of the solicitors involved was terrible. I even had to ring the shop landlord for his bank details because the solicitors hadn't even advised me how to pay the flaming rent!!!
They are nearly all completely reactionary and do nothing unless you hound them (and even then some will charge you for every phone call!)
Not all are bad but experience dicates your view of them.
Being in the IFA industry, IFAs have a certain poor rep. However, even though you often hear of people complaining about their solicitor its never with the same amount of venom.
We did almost all the leg work for a clients estate and the cheeky solicitor still wanted 1% of the total for doing nothing more than a few forms.
And personally too, when we bought the hair salon for my wife one of the solicitors involved was terrible. I even had to ring the shop landlord for his bank details because the solicitors hadn't even advised me how to pay the flaming rent!!!
They are nearly all completely reactionary and do nothing unless you hound them (and even then some will charge you for every phone call!)
Not all are bad but experience dicates your view of them.
19 August 2010, 02:13 PM
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The location of Social Housing is a real issue .... and it does need to come from you, I'm afraid.
Also, the Marraige Cert. is a must if the names selling the property do not match the deeds.
Can't see the problems myself.
But, yes, Solicitors who charge £200 an hour for a Conveyancing Clerks job are ripping people off.
Also, the Marraige Cert. is a must if the names selling the property do not match the deeds.
Can't see the problems myself.
But, yes, Solicitors who charge £200 an hour for a Conveyancing Clerks job are ripping people off.
20 August 2010, 10:43 AM
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Ok, marriage certificate I can accept. But the social housing issue is very perplexing.
Once I spoke to the Wards sales lady, even she was surprised why this had been asked for by their own solicitor! So she said be honest and just say, you don't know. That was after chasing the council for 5 poxy hours yesterday.
Once I spoke to the Wards sales lady, even she was surprised why this had been asked for by their own solicitor! So she said be honest and just say, you don't know. That was after chasing the council for 5 poxy hours yesterday.
20 August 2010, 12:13 PM
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Welcome to the painful process that is house buying
Could be worse, the vendor could live in Spain, only be contactable via a PO box, have none of the requested documentation available, have solicitors and estate agents who were ******* useless. Still we got there in the end
Could be worse, the vendor could live in Spain, only be contactable via a PO box, have none of the requested documentation available, have solicitors and estate agents who were ******* useless. Still we got there in the end
20 August 2010, 02:16 PM
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The social housing enquiry near the property is something you couldn't possibly be expected to know the answer to. I'd be writing back to the buyer's solicitors and stating that they should rely upon their own searches and enquiries.
The only time I ever raise an enquiry regarding social housing is when buying a new build property because the developer should know where it is situated as they're obviously building the houses and the Section 106 Agreement (if any) will state the number of units that must be made available. Make sure you raise the enquiry on the property you're buying if it' a new build in a large-ish development. Don't want to move into your brand new house then find out you're surrounded by scumbags
The marriage certificate is a must for change of name, no way round that but not a big deal either to provide a copy.
The only time I ever raise an enquiry regarding social housing is when buying a new build property because the developer should know where it is situated as they're obviously building the houses and the Section 106 Agreement (if any) will state the number of units that must be made available. Make sure you raise the enquiry on the property you're buying if it' a new build in a large-ish development. Don't want to move into your brand new house then find out you're surrounded by scumbags
The marriage certificate is a must for change of name, no way round that but not a big deal either to provide a copy.
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