"It’s something of a cliché in our sector that firms can only work as fast as the slowest conveyancer in a chain, but it’s said so often because it is true."
Last week’s National Conveyancing Week has hopefully not only provided a raft of useful information to conveyancing firms themselves, but has also acted as a much-needed springboard in terms of focusing greater attention on conveyancing itself, the firms who conduct it, and the outcomes they achieve for their clients.
Certainly, as a business that works as a conduit between both advisers and agents, and some of the best conveyancing firms in the country, we can see the positives that can be achieved as a result of these strong relationships and the trust the former place in the latter in order to deliver the results both they and their clients want and need.
In a sense, the National Conveyancing Week has already achieved a great deal, because I certainly saw more market ‘chatter’ about conveyancing and the firms that carry it out, than I certainly would have done in any ‘normal’ week, and shining a light on the sector and its participants is already a win in my book.
For as long as I can remember, this is essentially what we have been doing as a business, particularly in the advisory space. Urging advisers to consider who their clients use for their conveyancing and to occupy the space that often exists between client and firm.
Far better, we have always suggested for the adviser to not only provide advice on the mortgage but to also point the client in the right conveyancing direction, to use specialist firms that do this every day of the week, who are completely immersed in the sector, the process and its needs, and to position themselves as an able communicator to the client while that process is being undertaken.
And, for the most part, I think advisers have got that message, and for those that do use our platform, I would certainly say they have a very strong opinion of the conveyancers they use and the pivotal role they play.
You may have seen recent research from Groundsure which suggests 92% of advisers believe conveyancers are a vital part of the process, and there appears to be a softening of views around the increased level of work conveyancers have to do, and the increased workloads they have been tackling, particularly throughout last year.
Certainly, at times of great activity, there have been pressures and faults and cracks have appeared, however I also know that the conveyancing firms we work with have been addressing the underlying issues that might have caused this, most notably, securing the right amount of resource and upskilling their workforces, in order to be able to cope with those periods of peak activity.
It is not perfect by any means, but many firms have put a significant amount of investment into their own businesses in these areas, and as a result, I certainly think users of Broker Conveyancing and our panel firms, are getting a good quality service and excellent value for money.
Faults of course remain. Most notably with the process itself, and conveyancers in many instances are not just having to work in a still predominantly paper-based environment, but also with a large number of firms who dabble in conveyancing but are not what we would call specialists by any stretch of the imagination.
It’s something of a cliché in our sector that firms can only work as fast as the slowest conveyancer in a chain, but it’s said so often because it is true. However, advisers again have the opportunity to ensure their clients are not simply opting for their non-specialist family firm of solicitors who don’t have the resource or expertise others have, and who are more likely to result in a slower process because of that.
Instead, as mentioned, advisers are in a perfect position here to provide clients with conveyancing recommendations, to have them serviced by specialists, to give them the very best chance of completing within the desired timescale, and to also ensure they get paid for their mortgage advice in a quicker timeframe and earn extra income as a result of their conveyancing work.
It is a win-win in that respect, and I know clients are incredibly grateful for those advisers who are fully involved in their conveyancing needs and can steer them in the right direction.
We need more events like National Conveyancing Week to educate and inform consumers about the process and where they can secure quality conveyancers, but we also need it to register with other stakeholders, such as advisers, so they can be increasingly active in this space in order to help fill the need that is so clearly there.
