Half of homebuyers blame conveyancers for slowing down the purchase process

Thirdfort boss Olly Thornton-Berry says paper documentation, ID verification and cost all contribute to a negative experience.

Olly Thornton-Berry, Thirdfort

Nearly half (45%) of homebuyers say slow property conveyancing response time is a key pain point in the house buying process, research from risk management platform Thirdfort reveals.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, compliance and administrative procedures, including paper documentation and ID verification, contribute to a negative experience for people using conveyancers and property lawyers.

KEY PAIN POINT

The survey of 2,054 UK adults by YouGov also reveals three out of 10 (32%) homebuyers cite cost as a key pain point with a quarter (24%) taking umbrage with providing paper documents such as bank statements, utilities bill and payslips.

Just over one in five (22%) moaned about resupplying information already supplied to an estate agent or mortgage broker and for just over one in 10 (13%) complained about providing proof of identity.

It is more important than ever for home buyers to get their property transactions over the line quickly.”

Olly Thornton-Berry (main picture), Co-founder and Managing Director of Thirdfort, says: “Housing market uncertainty and rising interest rates mean it is more important than ever for home buyers to get their property transactions over the line quickly.

“Despite this, transaction times are increasing, creating stress and uncertainty for buyers and sellers. Conveyancers are a critical part of this puzzle.

 “Tech developments, such as Open Banking, and biometric verification, can help make compliance simple, fast and secure. Despite this, many conveyancers still rely on gathering paper documents.”

AUTOMATION

Thirdfort automates KYC, AML and Source of Funds verification using Artificial Intelligence, biometric verification and Open Banking. It also offers Secure Share which allows a buyer or seller to instruct their professional adviser to share a report with others involved in the transaction, such as estate agents.

The Neg reported last month how the Home Buying and Selling Group is asking estate agents to help test and pilot new ways of moving home as it continues its mission to overhaul the process with government help.

The Group, an informal mix of people from across the property, legal and finance sectors, has launched a Discussion Paper revealing ways in which the process can be improved. You can share your views on special LinkedIn page HERE.


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