The average UK property transaction is completed almost seven weeks over its expected date due to the absence of conveyancers, according to new research.
Some 30% experienced an average delay of 6.4 weeks because their property lawyer was not in the office, 25% were not told when their lawyer would be back and 27% did not know when their property lawyer would return, the study from When You Move has found.
The research also shows that 24% found that their property lawyer was on personal leave, such as a holiday and 27% said their case was not worked on while they were away, delaying the process by an average of 5.5 weeks.
Some 29% experienced an average delay of seven weeks due to the reasons above while 31% experienced an average delay of eight weeks due to other reasons.
The survey also found that 29% of respondents said that during the sale or purchase of their property, they had to speed up the process themselves by chasing for updates and pushing through on processes.
A quarter said that lawyers offered the lowest level of customer service that they encountered during life’s major transactions and 21% would not use the same lawyer that they’ve used previously due to their poor customer service.
‘Ensuring transactions are completed with greater efficiency, transparency and speed is fundamental to delivering a consumer-focused service for all those buying and selling homes in the UK,’ said Simon Bath, chief executive officer of When You Move.
‘Consumers should no longer be put off by the lengthy conveyancing process and the bricks and mortar industry should be able to stick to its promise of completing transactions by the projected date whether your conveyancer is away or not,’ he pointed out.
He explained that the firm offers a digital solution that is designed to work alongside the expertise provided by estate agents and legal professionals to ensure the transactions are streamlined, cost effective and time efficient for all those involved in the property transaction, from start to finish.
‘Digitalising the process will create a central hub for all communication, document storage and provide real-time updates for all parties meaning it is not dependent on physical presence to progress. We are living in a time where we are able to track every item and we should be able to do the same for the most important transactions of our lives,’ he added.