Service and Technology The way homes are bought and sold in the future is shortly set to change. The Government has invested over 15 million pounds in the e-conveyancing project and has enacted legislation to radically change the way conveyancing is carried out by way of the provision of Home Information Packs (HIPS). Some solicitors are embracing the technology and investing in the hardware required to make the most of the changes to the present system.
Andy Moston of Cotswold Conveyancing Centre explains:-
“the advent of the internet has improved the quality and speed of our service as pioneer users of Land Registry Direct we are now able to obtain evidence of client's ownership instantly. In addition we also routinely request Local Authority searches online with nearly every Council in the country and in some cases we can report that results have been returned in less than
24 hours. Those searches having in the past taken up to 4 weeks to process.
Mortgage lenders are starting to provide websites which solicitors and conveyancers can access to obtain deeds and mortgage redemption figures. The water authorities are also providing their drainage searches online, via the National Land Information Service. These activities have in the past taken anything up to three weeks to process, a delay which is now thankfully being eroded.”
Cheap conveyancing is not necessarily good conveyancing.
Technological and procedural improvements such as being available 7 days a week and “no move – no fee” come at a cost. If cost is the only priority for a customer they should consider carefully which firm they choose and check whether the advanced levels of service offered at Cotswold Conveyancing are available before they instruct a solicitor.
Andy Moston added:-
“Those firms which do not embrace the new technology and changes will not be able to offer their clients the quality of service they deserve and will inevitably frustrate the procedure and increase the stress of buying and selling our homes, something we all want to avoid”