The Fair Deal Conveyancing Register

Frequently asked Questions - Answered !


I don't live near your conveyancing offices. Will this slow things down ? .
In most areas of England and Wales there are a number of member practices registered with 'The Fair Deal Conveyancing Register' so you will, in general, if not always, have the option of dealing with a practice relatively local to you. However, if this is not the case, or you have decided to use a practice in a different part of the country for reasons of cost, it is true to say that dealing by post will generally not affect the time your transaction takes. In reality, if not done on-line, nearly all works relating to a conveyance are dealt with by letter regardless of your location either by Royal Mail or via another secure postal service like Hayes DX. With a 'full' postal service the only part of the process that is different is when it comes to signing contracts or mortgage deeds. Traditionally this is done by visiting your solicitor who would explain the salient points to you personally prior to signing. However, this method has potential pitfalls in itself. In reality the majority of clients will, when seeing their solicitor face to face, not even read the documents in question before signing, relying on the prudence of their Solicitor to point out what they consider to be the most important points. When something has only been explained verbally, the majority of what has been said will typically be forgotten within a very short space of time. When forwarding documents by post for vetting and signature, the Solicitor acting will send hard copies of not only the contracts themselves, but, where applicable, letters of explanation and copies of any supporting documents as they see fit. This gives you the opportunity to read the documents at your leisure and discuss any questions raised or concerns with your solicitor over the phone. It also negates the need to make an appointment with your solicitor, which in itself may take several working days to accommodate. Accepting that on occasions it can be useful and more convenient to use a local practice, particularly when time is of the essence, a full postal service can also save you time and avoid the need for you to take time off work when time is generally already at a premium.

 

Protection - What protection do we have using your service ? 

You have total protection in using our service. Our practice is run by qualified solicitors who are members of the Law Society. As well as being bound by Law Society rules ourselves, our staff are supervised by the partners in the practice. The Law Society demands that all solicitors have professional indemnity insurance in place. However, unlike most, we will not pass these overhead costs on to you.

 

If I am using your service can you also act for the other party  ?

Yes. In some circumstances our practice will be able to act for another party as well as yourself. For example, close family can often use the same practice. This aside, there are many solicitors across England and Wales registered under ' The Fair Deal Conveyancing Register' so if sharing a single practice is inappropriate in your case another practice, offering the same terms and conditions, can be easily located by contacting 'Central Administration' on 0800 0937100. Simply ask for a quotation requesting a different practice for the other party. There is, of course, no obligation of any kind as ultimately both you and any other party always have a free choice of solicitor.

 

Lenders - Will you be acceptable to my proposed lender ?

Yes. Although not all practices can be registered with all lenders the likelihood is that we will be able to represent your proposed lender. In the unlikely even of our being unable to represent your lender simply contact 'Central Administration' and request another practice that does specifically represent your proposed lender. The majority of practices on the conveyancing register are multi partnered conveyancing specialists of long standing and some of these will already be on the panel of even the most specialist lenders.

 

Time scales - How long will it all take?

It is difficult to give a specific response to this question. As a very general guideline a purchase will typically take 6 to 8 weeks depending on all the parties concerned being fully able to proceed. Likewise a remortgage will normally take approximately 10 working days from receipt of the deeds and the mortgage offer. However, please remember that transactions can take more or less time than this depending on the individual circumstances and events. If you want more specific guidelines on your own particular conveyance it would be more appropriate to speak to the actual solicitor handling your case once instructed.

 

How long is my quotation valid for ?

The fee element of this quotation is valid for three months from time of enquiry to time of receiving your written instruction, even if we increase our fees in the interim period. If you do not instruct us within three months of the date of this quotation please ring our administration centre on 0800 0937100 to obtain a revised quotation. Once instructed, fees are fixed based on the information given to us at outset. A sale & purchase quote allows for up to three months between completion of the sale and the completion of the purchase before increased fees can be applied. All in all, stability of pricing and value are the order of the day.

 

Are there any possible additional costs ? 

Your quotation includes all of the works required for a typical transaction. However, if you or your lender require us to undertake additional work for you, say, to create a deed of trust in order to identify and protect someone's investment in a purchase, this would be charged for as an extra. When undertaking additional works we always endeavour to offer a fixed fee, regardless of the length of time or complexity involved. This approach protects you. The majority of solicitors in this instance would simply charge additional works by the hour, which can be prohibitively expensive. Assuming a transaction is already in progress and the item has not already been included in you quotation the following fixed fees would apply for these works not normally undertaken in the 'average' transaction:

 

Possible additional fees:

Although all typical works required to complete your conveyance, including leasehold, leasehold flat, shared equity and stepped purchase charges, where declared to us, have been included within your fixed fee, it may transpire that some additional work may be required to complete your transaction. In this eventuality, where possible, we will apply fixed fees for the work in question. Examples of fixed fees for common additional works are given in the fee tariff enclosed. Where an issue cannot be resolved on a fixed fee basis, e.g. in the event of a dispute, we will agree a fee structure in advance with you. For clarity the enclosed list, although not exhaustive, covers a large number of the situations where additional fees may be applied.

 

 

 

 

 

The Fair Deal Conveyancing Register are agents for your chosen solicitor, The Fair Deal Conveyancing Register act as a sub office for administrative purposes only.

 

We comply with the Solicitors' Introduction and Referral Code published by the Law Society, and any Solicitor to whom we may refer you is an independent professional, from whom you will receive impartial and confidential advice.

You are always free to choose another Solicitor.