Factory Conveyancing: The Unvarnished Truth
If you’re buying or selling a home, you’ll need a conveyancer.
In this article, we’ll look at what factory conveyancing is and whether it’s any good.
What is conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal term for transferring the ownership of a property from the seller to the buyer. Simples.
Conveyancers carry out important checks on the property you’re buying or selling, draw up a legal contract and file it with HM Land Registry so everything’s watertight.
What is factory conveyancing?
Factory conveyancing is a word some people use for bulk conveyancing services.
These services work on hundreds or thousands of cases simultaneously. Administrative staff and automated systems usually handle the work at a processing centre somewhere.
The big attraction of these services is that they’re usually cheap.
How it different from bespoke conveyancing
Bespoke conveyancing is the traditional type of conveyancing that has been around for years.
With bespoke conveyancing, a qualified solicitor or expert conveyancer personally manages your sale or purchase at each stage.
Pros and cons
You’ll have your work cut out finding a cheaper way of conveyancing than a factory conveyancing service. They easily undercut bespoke conveyancing on price.
But the big drawback is that, as they are price-led, they can’t offer you a truly personalised service.
If you have a query or problem with your home sale or purchase, it can be difficult to find the right person to resolve it.
If your case isn’t bog standard, factory conveyancing could struggle. For example, if it’s an unusual property, there’s a complex lease or a long, drawn-out chain.
A few years ago, the Legal Ombudsman even warned that conveyancing factories pose a potential risk to house buyers because of their focus on cost over service.*
Tips when choosing a conveyancer
The moral of the story is to consider service, not just price.
Yes, bespoke conveyancing costs a bit more. But, because a qualified solicitor or conveyancer is running the show hands-on, it can be tailored exactly to your needs.
You should get a more personal service. (And be able to talk to somebody or even pop into their office if you need to.)
Potentially, everything should run more smoothly and more quickly, too.
Before hiring a conveyancer, ask them if they’re experienced in handling your type of sale or purchase, if they foresee any snags, and how long everything is likely to take.
Ask people you know for recommendations and read conveyancers’ reviews online too.
Yes, a factory-type conveyancing service could be adequate for your home purchase or sale. And it’s likely to save you a little bit of cash.
But be aware of the cons as well as the pros.
Buying and selling the ethical way
We are proud members of the Ethical Agent Network (EAN).
A national group of independent agents who have been independently tested to ensure we meet strict standards of honesty, service, professionalism and community care.
To find out more about what we do and why we passed the EAN and are the only local agency in the network, contact us today.
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* Source: Law Gazette