Following recent research carried out by Smoove that found 49% of those who have bought a home in the UK over the past 12 months said  dealing with conveyancers is the most stressful part of the transaction process,  YouConvey boss Eddie Goldsmith has called on the industry to change.

He says the issues that the research raises are a ‘running sore’ for the conveyancing industry, which has been a constant issue ever since he started working as a conveyancer during the 70s.

Proper resourcing

“I would urge all conveyancers to take on board Smoove’s findings and make sure that they have sufficient resources available to guide customers through what is a strange and unfriendly process,” he says.

“This will pay significant dividends and ensure that customers know that there is someone they can talk to, and it will not cost them a fortune in extra legal fees.

“Secondly, and this may be more contentious, is some advice to all conveyancers using technology such as Digital ID and Source of Funds apps.

“These are absolutely great, but if all you do is take on more customers without the human resources to handle the workload, then you are not solving the problem but actually aggravating it.”

There is a maximum realistic case load of live files that can be run by a good conveyancer.”

Goldsmith adds that, from his long experience in the conveyancing industry, there is a ‘maximum realistic case load’ of live files that can be run by a good conveyancer and support staff, and that managing this right level of cases is vital to providing a good level of service and communication to customers.

“I know many conveyancing business owners who are looking for their teams to run increasingly high numbers of live cases, and, quite simply, if this is not the right ratio, it is very likely to let down and dissatisfy all those customers,” he says.

Higher charges

“And lastly – something even more contentious – conveyancers need to charge more for the work that they do. When a cup of coffee and a cake can cost £7 and the weekly shop over £100 and still have nothing in the bag to actually eat, then to charge £400- £500 to deal with such an important service is simply not enough.

“Conveyancers should all review their charging models and the number of files they expect their conveyancers to run and adjust their prices accordingly.

“This will immediately relieve conveyancing departments of some of the financial and budgetary pressures, but will also improve the job satisfaction of the conveyancers who are constantly under pressure from demanding customers.

Top-line vanity is often bottom-line insanity.”

“Top-line vanity is often bottom-line insanity. The right balance between work volumes and income will allow conveyancing businesses to invest in increasing resources, both people and technology, to provide the level of service which customers rightly deserve.

“In my opinion, it’s all quite simple and just needs the foresight, planning and implementation to succeed.”