Rachel Wright, Consultant Technical Head of Convey-Assist shares their reflections and resolutions for 2023 and beyond.
2022
Another tough year for conveyancers. The SDLT holiday saw transactions practically double overnight. Coupled with the lingering pandemic, conveyancers are physically and mentally worn out. Is it any wonder that ‘many very good solicitors are leaving the profession’?[1] Will there be anyone left in 2023 to check titles?
Convey-Assist was created to help alleviate some of this pressure and 2022 saw demand for our services skyrocket as firms struggle to balance load and capacity. 2023 is likely to see the market returning to pre-pandemic instruction levels perhaps easing that pressure but 2023 is also the year when the focus will heighten on the provision of up-front property information, but what might this mean when that information highlights a significant issue. Who will take on the responsibility for rectifying that defective title?
Today, with increasing numbers of reports that experienced conveyancing practitioners are more and more difficult to find many law firms simply don’t have the resources to undertake more complex transactions or resolve title defects. Unregistered properties, new builds, complex leaseholds, and shared ownership not to mention defective leases can cause unnecessary delays. However, whatever the issue (you name it, we’ve seen it) our newly expanded team of expert conveyancing lawyers thrives on the complex.
So, our New Year’s Resolution is simple. We promise to be there for all those conveyancers who need our assistance whether reviewing and advising on up front information or checking those complex titles. With over 50 years’ combined experience in conveyancing, let us help.
Rachel Wright
www.convey-assist.co.uk
[1] ‘Bringing the House Down’ by Eduardo Reyes – 20th September 2022 (the Law Society Gazette) quoting Sarah Dwight of the Law Society’s Conveyancing and Land Law Committee
