Five things advisers should consider when recommending conveyancing

For a client buying or refinancing a property, arranging the mortgage and completing the conveyancing are ultimately parts of the same process, even though they are carried out by different professionals with very different responsibilities.

For advisers who advise on and recommend conveyancing services, this means there is good reason to give careful consideration to which firm is appropriate for the client and their particular transaction, rather than viewing the legal work as something which simply needs to be passed elsewhere once the mortgage application is progressing.

A suitable conveyancing recommendation can help provide a more rounded service, while giving advisers greater visibility of what is happening throughout the transaction and reducing the likelihood of clients choosing firms which may not regularly handle the type of work required or are not fully-equipped to do so.

So, what should advisers consider when recommending a conveyancer?

1. Understand the difference between price and value

Cost is understandably an important consideration for clients, particularly given the numerous expenses associated with buying a property, but advisers should ensure they understand what is included within the initial conveyancing quote before assessing whether it represents good value.

An apparently competitive headline price can become less attractive if additional charges are subsequently applied for elements of the service which the client might reasonably have expected to be included, with onboarding, digital journey or other administration fees all capable of changing the final amount payable.

Advisers should therefore look at the likely overall cost to the client rather than simply comparing the first number presented, while also considering what is being provided for that money in terms of service, communication and relevant expertise.

This does not mean the lowest-priced option cannot also represent excellent value, because there will be many circumstances where it does, but price and value should not automatically be treated as the same thing. The objective should be to understand what the client is likely to pay in total and whether the service being provided represents appropriate value for their particular needs.

2. Match the conveyancer to the transaction

Not every property transaction involves precisely the same legal work, which means the conveyancer who is appropriate for one client may not necessarily be the best choice for another.

New-build purchases, shared ownership, leasehold properties and transactions involving Help to Buy are examples where additional requirements may arise and where experience of dealing regularly with that type of work can be particularly useful.

A new-build purchase, for example, can involve developer timescales, incentives and requirements which may differ from those encountered during the purchase of an existing property, while shared ownership has its own legal and ownership considerations.

Help to Buy provides another useful example because remortgaging or redeeming an equity loan involves additional parties and processes, including Homes England, valuations and, in some circumstances, a Deed of Postponement.

The important consideration is not whether a firm describes itself as a specialist, but whether it has the relevant experience and capability to deal effectively with the work the client requires. This is likely to become increasingly pertinent if greater new-build activity or future housing initiatives result in a broader range of property and ownership arrangements being used to support homebuyers.

Advisers should therefore consider the transaction itself before recommending a conveyancer, rather than assuming every firm offering residential conveyancing will necessarily be equally suited to every case.

3. Consider current service, communication and capacity

Online reviews and ratings can provide useful information about the experiences of previous clients, but they should not necessarily be viewed as a complete assessment of the service a conveyancing firm is capable of providing today.

Conveyancing businesses experience changes in instruction volumes, staffing and workloads, and a firm which performed extremely well several months ago could subsequently be dealing with significantly greater volumes, just as a firm with historic service issues may have improved considerably.

Current service levels and capacity therefore matter alongside previous reputation.

Advisers should consider how clients will be updated, how easily they can obtain information when required, whether support is available when something needs attention and whether the firm regularly handles the particular type of transaction involved.

Where advisers work with a conveyancing distributor or panel manager, they should also consider what oversight is provided of panel firms and whether there is additional support available should difficulties arise.

The key consideration should always be suitability at the point the recommendation is made, rather than relying entirely on historic ratings or assuming all panel firms will provide precisely the same experience.

4. Consider how much visibility the adviser will retain

Maintaining visibility of a conveyancing case should not be confused with attempting to control the legal work, because responsibility for that work rests firmly with the conveyancer.

However, understanding where a transaction has reached can be extremely useful for an adviser who is continuing to support the client and manage the mortgage requirements alongside it.

Knowing whether searches have been ordered, enquiries remain outstanding or exchange and completion are approaching can help advisers understand the wider position and identify whether anything on the mortgage side might require attention.

This can become particularly important where a mortgage offer or valuation has an expiry date, or where delays elsewhere within the transaction could have implications for the finance being arranged.

Technology can make that visibility considerably easier, particularly where systems are integrated and information can pass between the conveyancer and adviser without repeated telephone calls, emails or duplicated data entry.

Advisers should therefore look beyond whether a conveyancer simply provides a portal and consider what practical information the technology makes available, how current that information is and whether it helps them understand the progress of the case.

Technology should also be supported by access to people when necessary, because not every query or issue can be dealt with through a status update.

5. Consider the client's complete experience

Clients are unlikely to judge their experience of buying or remortgaging a property entirely according to the individual responsibilities of each business involved, particularly when their principal objective is simply to get the transaction completed successfully.

For advisers, this means there can be considerable value in considering the wider experience they are helping to create. Leaving clients to find their own conveyancer without any guidance may result in them selecting a firm primarily because it has produced the cheapest online quote or has the highest rating, without understanding whether it regularly deals with their particular type of transaction or what level of service they can expect.

Providing a considered recommendation gives the adviser an opportunity to help the client make a more informed choice, while potentially allowing the adviser to remain closer to the transaction and provide support when it is required.

None of this transfers responsibility for the legal work or its outcome to the mortgage adviser, but it does recognise that arranging the mortgage is only one element of a purchase or remortgage.

A well-rounded service should therefore consider how the different professional services required by the client fit together, with the choice of conveyancer based on overall value, relevant expertise, current service, communication and the ability to provide useful visibility as the transaction progresses.