Online Conveyancing: How to Avoid Being “Ripped Off” By Online “Law Factories”
For the average homeowner saving hundreds of pounds on their conveyancing fees when they buy or sell sounds like a great deal, but mixed in with the great deals are plenty of solicitors firms who are just waiting to rip them off.
The problem is that while internet based conveyancing solicitors can now compete very effectively with their high street counterparts on costs, there are always a few “bad apples” threatening to spoil things for everyone else. These are known as the “law factories”.
“Law factories” offer “too good to be true” deals to lure in unsuspecting clients. Of course, these deals don’t include all sorts of hidden costs and a quote that started at £99 can easily turn into a £500 plus bill. Not only that, but “law factories” cut costs by cutting corners. This often means terrible customer service and, worse still, can even mean poor legal work.
So is it possible to benefit from the much cheaper online competition without getting caught out by an online “law factory”? The answer, according to John Tighe, founder of the property website YouMove.co.uk, is to look for an online firm that meets these four criteria:
1. Find a “conveyancing specialist”
Your solicitor should have an established reputation and specialise (or have a department specialising in) conveyancing.
2. Get a “fixed fee” quote
Never hire a solicitor on a per hour basis. This is how costs skyrocket. And don’t accept a quote that is fixed fee providing that there are no “unforeseen complications”. Such a promise is not worth the paper it’s written on: “fixed fee” should mean exactly that.
3. Get a “complete” quote
A fixed fee quote is no good unless it includes all costs. A favourite trick of dodgy firms (both online and high street) is to give low headline quotes to get your business and then add on lots of expensive hidden extras. Your quote should include all disbursements (expenses) plus VAT.
4. Get a “no completion – no fee” quote
As many as 1 in 3 property transactions fall through, meaning that one of the biggest unexpected costs when moving is additional legal fees.
To protect yourself against this find a solicitor who will work on a “no completion – no fee” basis. That way if you can’t complete you will be spared the legal fees (though you will still have to pay any expenses that have already been incurred on your behalf).
So, these are the four criteria for finding a good online conveyancing solicitor. All very well, but how can you be certain whether they’re in the good category of competitively priced conveyancing specialist or the bad category of cheap “law factory” without doing lots of exhaustive research?
The simple answer is to find someone who’s already done the work for you. All the solicitors on an online comparison panel should meet the four criteria set out above. In addition they should have agreed to maintain a high level of customer service, all be members of the Law Society and all be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.
Look for unedited customer feedback on each firm available on the comparison website – feedback that comes direct from clients and so can’t get filtered by the firms themselves. If the standard of customer feedback is not high enough it’s likely that the offending firms will be dropped from the panel before too long.
Author Bio: John is the founder of property website YouMove.co.uk. YouMove have prepared a Free Report entitled: The 4 Steps to Choosing a Conveyancing Solicitor (so you don’t get “ripped off”). Click here to compare online conveyancing quotes from YouMove’s approved panel of conveyancing solicitors.
Category: Real Estate
Keywords: conveyancing quotes, online conveyancing, conveyancing solicitors
