A Quick History Of Residential Conveyancing

Since 1804 Solicitors have held a monopoly over the residential conveyancing industry.

Solicitors could charge what they liked because legally no one else was allowed to provide conveyancing services.

It was only in 1985 that our Government did anything about this. They acknowledged a new 'profession' and allowed Licensed Conveyancers into the game.

This chipped away a little bit of the Solicitors' monopoly but it didn't do much.

To date there's not even 1000 Licensed Conveyancers working in England & Wales.

The good news is that in the last 5 years the Internet has started to make an impact. It is now possible to find specialist conveyancing firms that are successfully undermining the status quo and providing home movers with the service they deserve.

If you can accept the idea that:

Then by looking carefully online you'll find that prices have fallen and efficiency and service standards have risen - considerably!

Local solicitors love to spread the idea that "local Knowledge" counts for something.

The truth is, all conveyancing solicitors have to carry out exactly the same local enquires and searches. Except in the case of tricky Leasehold property, "local knowledge" doesn't really play a meaningful part in the house conveyancing process.

Many of the contributors to this web site (property professionals from the house building industry) use solicitors that are based many miles from the developments they're selling.

Everything that needs doing is accomplished by; phone, post and email. It a system that's been working for years.

What is Conveyancing?

The conveyancing of a house is the quasi-legal process of transferring ownership of the property from one person to another.

I say "quasi-legal" because in truth, the house conveyancing process is mostly an admin task (only about 20% of the work requires any real legal expertise).

Is The House Conveyancing Process Really Necessary?

This may sound simplistic but nevertheless it's accurate:

The primary objective of the conveyancing process is to make sure you are buying the house you think you're buying - That's it!

Why Does The Conveyancing Of A House Take so Long?

Given that for a typical property the average house conveyancing timescale is around 8-12 weeks, you may be a little dismayed to learn that there's only about 8-10 hours of actual work involved.

Unfortunately for you, it's not quite that simple:

1. The unpredictability of chains and the negotiation of completion dates,
2. The mortgage application and approval process,
3. The woeful inefficiency of Local Authorities,
4. The added complexity of dealing with leasehold or "share of freehold" property,
5. The pursuit of larger profit margins leading to sub-standard levels of service from the overworked employees of many conveyancing firms...

These are the culprits that turn the 10hr job of conveyancing into a stressful and frustration ordeal.

The Bottom Line!

Take care over your choice of conveyancer because an efficient and experienced practitioner will navigate the steps involved in the house conveyancing process smoothly and quickly.

A rubbish one will cause you more frustration and lost time than you can imagine.

Related Conveyancing Articles:

>> Conveyancing In The UK (typical sale)

>> Conveyancing In The UK (typical purchase)

>> Does Good Cheap Conveyancing Exist?

>> Conveyancing Quotes & Hidden Costs

>> Conveyancing Fees Explained

>> Conveyancing Solicitors - Making Complaints

>> What is Online Conveyancing?

>> Why DIY Conveyancing is a Bad Idea

>> Glossary of Conveyancing Terms