[AerBabe]

Does anyone have any first hand experience of conveyancing solicitors in the Southampton/Winchester area? Looking for recommendations AND 'don't-touch-with-a-bargepole's - both will be useful.

We're new to the area and no-one in my small office has bought locally in the last five years... That chap wasn't at all impressed with the company he used!

One of the local estate agents has recommended one and we might ask our landlord...although there are reasons not to do that right now...

[rikur_]

The best conveyancing I've experienced wasn't from a local solicitor - it was from a someone recommended to us (Battens Solicitors) based 100 miles away from us at the time. They just seemed to have efficient processes and were proactively on top of things (without feeling like a call-centre), used email, telephone etc ..... whereas the various recommended local solicitors we've used on other occasions seem to have been a time travel experience into an era where time moves slowly, paper is king, do nothing until proded and they just want to moan about how inefficient the other party's solicitor is. Admittedly our most recent experience is nearly a decade out of date.

My advice would be don't necessary stick to someone local - conveyancing can be done from anywhere.

[rogerb]

Earlier this year we used BPL solicitors, found via an online search. Cheaper and more efficient than a local fairly large outfit a couple of years ago.

[stevelup]

We used a giant faceless conveyancing firm when we moved last time. They were quick, efficient, every single document was logged on a web portal which you could log into and check progress. E-mail update automatically each time a search came in or whatnot.

Didn't have to chase them once, and they were relentless in chasing the other solicitors when they became tardy.

Entire process was done electronically right up until the very end when the final documents were physically signed.

To top it off, they were cheap...

https://www.beaumont-legal.co.uk

[defcribed]

There is no need these days to use a local firm. 'Local knowledge' is complete bolleaux - it's a simple administrative exercise and what you need is an efficient and competent administrator. Someone who calls you as soon as they have a query rather than next week, and who responds to your emails within the hour rather than within the fortnight. Most solicitors fail on this.

Roughly in that area, don't touch Bates's Solicitors with a barge pole. Rowberrys were quite efficient in my last sale/purchase.

[AerBabe]

Thanks all. We've been wondering about using an online firm. But there is one that I walk past to/from work... I wonder if there's any merit in being able to hammer on the window and kick their butts.

Out of interest, any thoughts on pros/cons of using the same solicitor as the vendors?

[cockney steve]

My father did it in the past. Luckily, there were no snags. In relative terms, Conveyancing is cheap as chips, nowadays, the arcana and archaic have been swept aside and the central land-registries are a difinitive source of title-deeds etc. Possible problems could arise with local searches. A joint Conveyancer , being human, could possibly have, or form a bias, favouring one party. Whether that would be relevant, I don't know.
Remember, you don't have to use a solicitor and in straightforward cases , DIY is simple, quick and extremely cheap!-but don't expect any positive interaction with the other-side's representative who will probably resent the intrusion into his hallowed territory and be as unhelpful and obstructive as possible.

Above is possibly worth what you paid for it!

[Flyin'Dutch']

Out of interest, any thoughts on pros/cons of using the same solicitor as the vendors?

They can only serve one master!

A good solicitor will make sure that all is unearthed before contracts are signed - a carp one will just hammer it through in the knowledge that problems are not all that common and by the time you may end up having to claim against them they will have gone out of business.

[defcribed]

You can't use the same solicitor as the vendor - it's a conflict of interest for the solicitor. They won't/shouldn't take the work.

Doing it yourself (if you're intelligent, thorough and a competent administrator) is probably the best option. The problem is that most mortgage companies won't allow it (they want someone with professional negligence insurance who they can sue if something goes horribly wrong) so it's really only an option for cash buyers.

[rikur_]

Remember, you don't have to use a solicitor and in straightforward cases , DIY is simple, quick and extremely cheap!

Ok if it's a cash purchase, but my understanding is that most mortgage companies will require a qualified conveyancer (not necessarily a solicitor, but not yourself) - as effectively they are acting on behalf of the mortgage lender as much as yourself.

[cockney steve]

^^^^^^^^^and that's not a conflict of interest

[PeteSpencer]

Out of interest, any thoughts on pros/cons of using the same solicitor as the vendors?

We were told in no uncertain terms that it couldn't be done which saddened us as the vendor's solicitor that we also wanted to use was a family friend.

Peter

[avtur3]

...... Out of interest, any thoughts on pros/cons of using the same solicitor as the vendors?....

We've just completed the sale of one of our two properties, the solicitor we used is local and known to us, we chose him for the sale because he knows our family circumstances, we've already used him for wills and power of attorney (which played a part in the sale). Plus there has been a 'gifting arrangement' around the distribution of the proceeds of sale so all ways round we decided to use him because of his involvement with, and understanding of, the other family matters.

The buyer of this property asked which solicitor we were using and they chose to instruct one of the other partners in the same practice, the person they instructed sits at opposite side of the same desk as our solicitor. Given that they are a very 'old school' type of a business I'm sure they wouldn't have done this if there had been any thought of conflict of interest.

It also turned out that our solicitor was acting for one of the purchases back up the chain from us. There were several delays in the sale process but none were down to lack of communication by our solicitor. Having said that there is another partner in the same practice who I wouldn't ask to stick a stamp on an envelope.