Dangers of conveyancing factories

The Legal Ombudsman has warned consumers from using conveyancing factories in their most recent report entitled ‘Losing the Plot – residential conveyancing complaints and their causes’. The report highlights the dangers of using firms who focus solely on volume, and fixed fee commoditised work that fails to cater to the client’s requirements or provide sufficient client care. The report highlights that failures during the conveyancing process cause deep emotional distress to the client.

Shining a light on fixed fee services, the Legal Ombudsman has found that such agreements are geared mostly to simple transactions and fail to provide the flexibility required once the client’s matter encounters complexities. Fixed fee conveyancing services appear destined to encounter difficulties, as the fee quoted before commencing the work does not account for the issues that may only be discovered once the work has started. For this reason, the Legal Ombudsman found that many consumers were distressed to learn that their final fees were substantially larger than those originally quoted.

In stark contrast, firms who offer bespoke, high-quality legal services that are individually tailored towards their clients’ needs maintain excellent reputations. Such firms may be accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme, which provides the firm with a timetable and responsibility for the different stages of the transaction between the parties to enable a speedier and less stressful process. The Legal Ombudsman within its report encourages consumers to do their research and seek firms that maintain such reputations for client service excellence.

At Myerson, we pride ourselves on providing a bespoke, high-quality service which is tailored to fit your needs. We do not deal in bulk residential conveyancing or use automated systems to manage your matter, and our premium service ensures that you deal with the same solicitor throughout your transaction. We are accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme which means you can rest assured that your matter is in safe hands.

If you would like to speak to Myerson about buying or selling your home, please call 0161 941 4000 and ask to speak to a member of the Residential Conveyancing team, or email lawyers@myerson.co.uk.