Something similar has happened in the UK with the ...

2010-08-14T10:37:01.627-03:00

Something similar has happened in the UK with the usual government delays to streamlining the conveyancing system.

There are some things you can do to save money though. We run a conveyancing site in the UK and these are the criteria that all firms have to meet before we'll promote them through the site:

1. They must be "fixed fee". In other words you pay what's on the quote and not a penny more. NEVER hire a conveyancing solicitor on a "per hour" basis!

2. The quote has to be "complete". It must include all expenses, search costs, registration fees and sales tax.

There are too many dodgy solicitors who offer "cheap as chips" quotes that sucker people in ... until they get the final bill, which is for hundreds more than they expected.

3. Look for "no completion - no fee" solicitors. Not sure how common they are in Oz, but it's becoming widespread in the UK.

This way if your transaction falls through you don't pay the legal fees (though you'll still have to pay any expenses that have already been incurred on your behalf).

4. Finally, make sure they're a conveyancing specialist (or have a specialist conveyancing department).

This may sound "so obvious", but it's worth mentioning because if you do get a solicitor who rarely does conveyancing work (because they're also doing wills and probate and divorce and ...) then a) it'll take them longer and b) they're more likely to make a mistake. Not good.

Hope that's useful for you - if you can get a solicitor who ticks those four boxes you should do ok!

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Something similar has happened in the UK with the ...