"While it’s great to receive good news that the conveyancing service is improving for clients, more needs to be done to raise awareness of what conveyancers do."
- Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance
Only two out of five UK adults (40%) are aware of what conveyancing is, while the number for those who are already homeowners is still only just over half (52%), despite the fact they would have used a conveyancer or conveyancing solicitor to secure ownership.
These are the results from research amongst 2,000 UK adults, conducted by the HomeOwners Alliance, on behalf of National Conveyancing Week (NCW).
Large numbers of those polled are unsure about the services a conveyancer will provide them with - 48% were unaware the conveyancer acts on behalf of both them and the mortgage lender while 40%, wrongly think, the conveyancer checks the structure of the property is sound.
More positively, the research found that three out of four home movers are satisfied with the service they received from the last conveyancing solicitor they used, while a similar number (74%) of those who bought their home within the last five years said they would use the same firm again.
However, homeowners also cited common delays they had experienced during the conveyancing process, including: delays in the chain; legal issues such as a lack of paperwork/guarantees/certifications and permissions; seller delays in coming back on enquiries; and mortgage/lender delays.
A majority said their experience of the conveyancing process could have been improved, with 38% of those saying they simply wanted it to be faster, 31% wanting more frequent communication from their conveyancer, and 21% wanting a clearer explanation of the legal process and the issues that arose.
Rob Hailstone, organiser of National Conveyancing Week, commented: “The immediate good news for our sector is that three out of four clients were satisfied with the service they received from the last conveyancer they used and would use the same conveyancing firm again.
“Indeed, almost one-fifth found their most recent conveyancing firm because they had used them previously. That is a positive in terms of providing an excellent service and being rewarded with a loyal customer that wants to keep on using you.
“Other means to find a firm included 21% who did so via a family or friend recommendation, while others took advice and a recommendation from other property market professionals, either a mortgage adviser, an estate agent, or others.
“This provides firms with a clear path in terms of making those professional connections, forging relationships with others within the property market ‘chain’, and ensuring ongoing excellent service leads to further work via these channels.
“What is however also clear from these survey results, is the need for far greater education in terms of what conveyancing is, what firms do, and in a wider sense, what clients can expect from the service they receive. This is certainly important in terms of managing customer expectations in a process which, on average, is taking over 20 weeks to complete.
“Part of the focus of National Conveyancing Week will be about highlighting ‘best in class’ conveyancing firms which clients can have confidence in instructing, but also trying to help firms put themselves in the shop window more consistently, plus of course improving service levels through better communication.
“Overall, we want to use NCW to support firms’ activities, to help drive greater levels of business, forge stronger relationships, and educate clients so they go into this process clear and confident on who to use, the service they are receiving, what they pay for, and to ultimately be satisfied with the end result.”
Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, said: “You can’t buy or sell a home without using a conveyancer and while it’s great to receive good news that the conveyancing service is improving for clients, more needs to be done to raise awareness of what conveyancers do. I’m particularly alarmed that 40% of people wrongly believe the conveyancer will check the structure of the building. This is the job of the surveyor, not the conveyancer.”
