Recent news from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is that they have announced a fee freeze for conveyancers falling under their authority. This freeze will mean an unchanged fee of £400 for probate or conveyancing, with both continuing to cost £475.
As mortgage rates are increasing and buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase a new home, this bit of conveyancing news should fall on welcome ears for both conveyancers and buyers alike. Against the emergent issues of inflation, the CLC believe this will be of some help for conveyancing solicitors to continue providing quality services against rising costs. Meanwhile, buyers looking to step onto the property ladder or purchase a new home will also benefit.
Encouraging quality services
According to the CLC’s chief executive Sheila Kumar, this fee freeze comes alongside a thorough review process. While these fees will be frozen, the percentage of turnover will still depend on practising fees.
All of this is in order to encourage conveyancers to provide the best services. Reputable conveyancing solicitors have an important job in the home buying and sales process. Therefore, it is vital that their pay is reflective of the overall thoroughness and importance of the service they provide. The CLC aims to protect and support any conveyancers within their regulation, allowing them to do the best possible job for the buyers and sellers they serve.
Finding the right conveyancer
If this news comes as a welcome surprise and encourages you to take the leap towards becoming a homeowner even in these tough times, it is important that you find a conveyancing lawyer you can trust. A conveyancer such as Sam Conveyancing should ideally be able to give you a fixed quote for your property purchase. Regulation by the CLC will further allow a reputable conveyancer to continue serving you, the buyer or seller, in the best possible way without being too affected by inflation or rising fees.
On top of this, the right property solicitor should also be easy to communicate with, friendly, and approachable with regard to any questions you have throughout the buying process. A regulated conveyancing solicitor should be able to assist its customers with any overarching issues and lead them to the finishing line in the conveyancing process with ease.
What does this mean for buyers?
They can be assured that the home buying process hasn’t become even more complicated. The fee freeze protects conveyancers regulated by the CLC from having to increase their own prices. As such, they’ll be able to maintain reasonable prices for those looking for conveyancing services and aid them in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Those looking for a conveyancer should ideally look for a CLC-regulated property solicitor, and use recommendations and online reviews as key inputs. A good conveyancer will offer fixed, transparent pricing, an easy-to-follow and fully-supported process, and excellent communication. The latter is particularly important when it comes to the conveyancing process, which is frequently seen as stressful by new buyers.
The verdict? This news from the CLC comes as a welcome relief for regulated conveyancing solicitors and should mean that they can continue serving the market to the best of their abilities. For homebuyers, it means a welcome input on prices in this challenging period.