Agents vs conveyancers – debate rages on over upfront information
Quentin Thatcher of Fells challenges conveyancers who say making upfront info mandatory won't work, saying "this surely can only help".
Estate agents have rejected a claim by conveyancers that mandatory upfront information would do nothing to ease problems with the homebuying process.
The Conveyancing Task Force (CTF) had said the move would repeat the mistake of HIPs (Home Information Packs) during the noughties, and could even make the homebuying process worse.
Lender behaviour and bottlenecks at local authorities and the Land Registry were major causes of delays, according to the CTF.
And the task force, which is made up of 21 law firms, also called for the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) to raise estate agent standards.
It was responding to a consultation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the future of homebuying.
Agents speak out
Now, agents are speaking out against this claim, saying upfront information would definitely help.
James Bedford, Partner at Bedfords in East Anglia, reacted to the CTF statement, by saying: “And that’s why the system is taking four months just to exchange a contract!”
And Quentin Thatcher, Head of Sales & Lettings at Fells New Forest Property (main picture), says: “I don’t understand the issue with providing more information upfront, this surely can only help?
“I agree the legal process should start earlier with all protocol documents completed at the point a house goes on the market.
Tweaking round the edges won’t help.”
“The house buying process needs an urgent overhaul, and as an agent of 36 years it is long overdue. Tweaking round the edges won’t help,” he says.
He goes on to say: “I have always thought qualifications are needed for estate agents, but these only work if they’re policed.”
Of course up-front information helps. Finding out the day before you’re due to exchange that the property has been underpinned and there’s no information telling you what works were carried out. Or, that the property is accessed over common land and that needs to be recognised, these issues dealt with prior to marketing would save a lot of time, money and heartache. Just establishing the basics – rights of way, known building faults, etc would be a start.