5 Reasons to Use a Local Solicitor Rather Than an Online Conveyancer
Online conveyancing services promise low fixed fees and a slick digital experience. But buying or selling a home is one of the biggest transactions most people ever make, and there are good reasons why a local solicitor often proves to be the better choice.
Search online for conveyancing quotes and you will quickly find a range of national, web-based services offering headline fees that look hard to beat. For a process that many people find stressful and confusing, the promise of a simple online portal and a low price is understandably appealing.
Yet moving house is rarely as simple as ticking boxes on a website. Properties have quirks, chains break, mortgage offers expire and problems surface at the last minute. In those moments, who you have acting for you makes a real difference.
Here are five reasons why a local solicitor is worth considering before you instruct anyone.
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A named local conveyancing solicitor who knows your file
Many online conveyancing services operate a high-volume model. Your matter may be progressed by a team rather than an individual, contact is often through a portal or call centre, and you may speak to a different person each time you get in touch.
With a local firm, you will usually be given a named solicitor or conveyancer and a direct phone number or email address. That person will know the history of your transaction, understand your circumstances and be able to answer questions without first having to read up on the file.
When you are waiting anxiously for news on exchange, or need a quick answer for your estate agent, that continuity is invaluable.
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Local knowledge of the East Sussex property market
Every area has its own characteristics, and a solicitor who works in East Sussex day in, day out will already be familiar with them. This might include:
- How long each local authority takes to return searches, and when to order them
- Local issues such as flood risk, mining searches, chancel repair liability or radon
- The estate rentcharges and management company arrangements common on nearby new-build developments
- Particular developers, landlords or freeholders and how they tend to operate
- The local estate agents, mortgage brokers and surveyors involved in your move
Those established working relationships matter. A local solicitor who knows the agent and the solicitor acting on the other side of the transaction can often resolve a sticking point with a phone call, rather than a chain of emails through a portal.
Local knowledge also shapes the advice you receive about the property itself. Our recent guide to school catchments and other practical points on location shows just how much a solicitor’s searches and enquiries can tell you about an area before you commit.
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Face-to-face support from your conveyancing solicitor
Not everything in a property transaction can, or should, be done remotely. There will be documents to sign, identity to verify and, in many cases, things to explain.
A local solicitor can:
- Meet you in person to go through the contract, title and search results
- Explain complex documents such as leases, restrictive covenants or declarations of trust in plain English
- Verify your identity face to face, which helps to protect you against the growing problem of property fraud
- Witness signatures on transfer deeds and mortgage documents where required
- Advise on related matters at the same time, such as updating your Will, making Lasting Powers of Attorney or recording unequal contributions to the purchase
If you are buying a flat, for example, understanding the difference between leasehold and freehold before you commit is essential, and it is far easier to grasp in conversation than from a message on a portal.
For first-time buyers, older clients or anyone who simply prefers to sit across a desk from the person handling the biggest purchase of their life, that accessibility is hard to replicate online.
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Problem-solving when your property transaction hits a snag
A surprising number of transactions throw up something unexpected: a missing planning permission, a breach of covenant, an unregistered piece of garden, a defective lease, an absent landlord or a chain that collapses the week before exchange.
High-volume, process-driven services are designed to move standard transactions along efficiently. Anything outside the standard flow can become slow and frustrating, with limited scope for a case handler to exercise judgement.
An experienced local solicitor is used to dealing with the unusual. They can assess the risk, advise on the options (an indemnity policy, a deed of variation, a retention or a renegotiation) and speak directly to the other side to keep things moving. That expertise is often the difference between a transaction that completes and one that falls through. Our case study on navigating complex property transactions shows what that looks like in practice.
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A regulated local firm you can hold to account
Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, must hold professional indemnity insurance and are subject to strict rules on handling client money. If something goes wrong, there is a clear route to redress through the firm’s complaints procedure and the Legal Ombudsman.
Some online conveyancing websites are not law firms at all but comparison sites or introducers that pass your details to a panel firm you have never heard of. It is always worth checking who will actually be acting for you and who regulates them.
A local firm’s reputation also depends on its community. Recommendations from local agents and repeat business from local families are its lifeblood, which is a strong incentive to get things right. Many people find that the solicitor who handled their house purchase becomes the firm they return to for their Will, their next move, a family matter or when they later need a solicitor for a remortgage.
Are online conveyancers cheaper and faster than local solicitors?
Online services often quote a lower headline fee, but the gap can be smaller than it first appears. Disbursements such as searches, Land Registry fees and Stamp Duty Land Tax are the same whoever you use, and some low-cost quotes add charges for leasehold properties, gifted deposits, new-build purchases or dealing with your lender. Solicitors are required to publish clear pricing information for residential conveyancing (you can see our residential conveyancing pricing online), so it is easy to compare like for like.
It is also a mistake to assume that online means faster. The speed of a transaction depends on how quickly searches are returned, how responsive each party is and how efficiently problems are resolved. These are all areas in which a responsive local solicitor can have the edge.
Set against the value of the property, the difference in fees is usually modest. The cost of a delayed or failed transaction (lost survey and mortgage fees, a collapsed chain, an expired mortgage offer) is rarely modest at all.
Questions to ask before choosing a conveyancing solicitor
Whoever you are considering, it is sensible to ask:
- Who will be handling my file, and what are their qualifications and experience?
- How will I be able to contact them, and how quickly will they respond?
- Exactly what is included in the fee, and what might cost extra?
- Are you on my mortgage lender’s panel?
- Who regulates you, and what insurance do you hold?
- Have you dealt with properties like this one before, whether leasehold, new-build, shared ownership or listed?
The answers will tell you a great deal about the service you can expect.
Speak to our conveyancing solicitors in Eastbourne, Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings
Moving house is a significant financial and emotional step, and the right legal support makes the whole process smoother. Our residential conveyancing solicitors have been helping people buy and sell homes in Eastbourne, Bexhill-on-Sea, Hastings and across East Sussex since 1981, and the team is accredited under the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. You will have a named solicitor who knows the area, knows your file and will see your move through from offer to completion.
To request a fixed-fee conveyancing quote, call us on 01323 644222, email enquiries@stephenrimmer.com or book a free initial 30-minute consultation.