A group of property professionals, among them a number of estate agents, has devised a new system designed to speed up property transactions that has led to the completed sale and purchase of a house in just four weeks.
The Plymouth Area Property Professionals Association (PAPPA) adopted a standardised property information questionnaire and sales protocol at the beginning of February.
It was this questionnaire that helped lop several weeks off the sale and purchase of a property in Peverell, Plymouth, which took four weeks instead of the more usual eight to 12 weeks.
The change comes after law panel members of the association – who are all using the document as part of the house purchase and sale contract – say that currently 50% of property transactions are held up by important questions either not being raised or directed to the wrong person.
As part of the new initiative, there is a simple-to-follow conveyancing timeline to help buyers and sellers understand what happens at every stage of the sale or purchase, the length of time it could take and who does what and when in the process.
PAPPA chairman Ben Dreher, director at estate agent Mansbridge Balment Plymouth, which was involved in the house sale, said: “The rationale behind adopting this new property information questionnaire was to speed up and simplify the property transaction process for everybody involved – and we have done just that.
He added: “We now have a clearer system in place, which cuts out unnecessary questions and streamlines the process.
“I am pleased that we have been able to contribute to such a swift and successful outcome.
“This particular sale is a classic example of property professionals working in tandem and establishing clear and simple lines of communication to combat any unnecessary delays.
“It went like clockwork and I am grateful to everyone in the process who helped to make it happen that way.”
Both Thompson and Jackson and GA Solicitors are part of the law panel associates of PAPPA that have played an instrumental role in drawing up the new questionnaire and protocol, led by Julie Milton of Brights Solicitors LLP.
Alongside Mansbridge Balment Plymouth, solicitor Neil Keatt of Thompson and Jackson represented the buyers, while Tracey Flack of GA Solicitors worked on behalf of the vendors.
Other Plymouth solicitors to adopt the questionnaire are fellow PAPPA law panel associates Wolferstans, Nash and Co, Curtis and Woollcombe Young.
Other agents, surveyors and property management firms that are members of PAPPA include: Plymouth Block Management, Maitlands, Stratton Creber Commercial, Smeaton Homes, Moving On estate agents, Plymouth Homes, Lang Town & Country, Monk & Partners, Barron Surveying Services, City Sales, Millington Tunnicliff, Alan Cummings & Co and Shobrook & Co.
4 weeks max has to already be the target to get to an exchange. We certainly set that out in our letters to lawyers so there is no mistake.
As for this article it would be interesting to know the specifics i.e
1. do the public have to use a certain conveyancer – so one has to judge the quality of the conveyancer to see if the 4 weeks is worth risking
2. are estate agent and/or conveyancing prices the same whichever solicitor is used…
3. clearly a pre-done form won’t shave off the additional 8 weeks, maybe 2 at most (as most law firms take 2 weeks to send the property information form to a buyer) so where are the 8 weeks in total saved from
– how we lop weeks off is by regular chasing of slow lawyers weekly, copying in client and estate agent to email chasing, replying to enquiries within 48 hours (not 3 weeks), cutting through silly FENSA and GasSafe enquiries (by directing them to the respective websites for bits of papers and getting their surveyor to verify compliance etc
4. the newly designed Property Information Form – does it reply to more questions than the current TA6? If so, be very careful, as that exposes clients to far more representations, any one of which they could find they are sued on if proved false at some point in the future l(ast thing a conveyancer wants is their client suing them by saying “I am told that that question is not normally asked/answered, why did you get me to answer it”)
5. again, that newly designed form, are the clients sent this by their conveyancer, so the conveyancer can vet the answers before it is finalised (last thing a conveyancer wants is their client suing them by saying “I didn’t have to say all that information as a reply, why didn’t you advised me on my answers?”) OR does the estate agent get them to fill it in, and then it is circulated with the Memo of Sale.
– I act for a client where the estate agent sent an expanded version of the TA6 with their Memo of Sale to both lawyers which they had clearly had the seller fill in without legal advice, as I have only just been instructed. I got cross, saying “that is far fuller than a seller needs to answer, and I was never involved to help them, now you have sent it to the buyers lawyers, I am either going to have to advise my client on it as it stands or we expressly revoke the buyers ability to rely on it and we go back to the regular TA6 form!”
But I am sure PAPPA have sorted out all the above….so bring on the 4 week deals, happy to be opposite them.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
Tim Higham, a few thoughts:
– Which law firms do you use who ‘take 2 weeks to send the property information form to a buyer’ and why don’t you ask them to send it sooner or just send it yourself?
– Why do you chase slow lawyers only on a weekly basis, not more often?
– You reply to enquiries within 48 hours? Many agents have a three hour rule for this.
What’s impressive about PAPPA’s initiative is that they are doing far more than writing a letter to a solicitor explaining that the target for exchange of contracts is four weeks; rather they are being proactive in helping Plymouth people to make their move quicker and less stressful, simply by breaking down the ‘us and them’ barrier that exists between some agents and solicitors. No doubt this will also reduce the rate of fall-throughs if it continues well, and could prove to be an inspirational model for others to emulate in the future.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
Which law firms do I use? We are a law firm. You appear to view me as an estate agent.
Focus on improving the quality of the actual conveyancer who law firms employ and you secure mega fast deals.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
The “them and us” attitudes arise from not understanding how the transaction process works in practice. It is all very well and good stating that exchange should take place in 4 weeks but that assumes that what needs to be done to be able to give a certificate of title to the lender can be done in that timescale. How anyone can say how long it should take before making any enquiries or searches is not clear to me.
Estate Agents do not instruct the lawyers in the transaction process. They are not the client. The lawyer’s obligations and duties-clearly established and regulated by the SRA-are to the client and the lender. Daily repetitive phone calls or phone calls to chase a response to an email on the same day get in the way of our effective and efficient service to the client and the lender. Our experience is that often the intervention of the estate agent generates heat-and unrealistic expectations-instead of light.
I hope that PAPPA does work and can be rolled out. Something must be done to address unnecessary/template questions. However that something is not persistent communication by estate agents or misleading information being given to the client about timescales or “delay”.
We resist the offers of assistance and enquiries from estate agents so we can concentrate on doing our job for our client and so we can offer the same level of service to all our clients and achieve our aim which is to make sure our client and the lender buy a property with good title and no surprises. Put another way: understand the efficiency and quality of the service offering from the lawyer before deciding that there is real delay and chasing is necessary
Our efficiency and systems are geared towards our professional and regulatory obligations-not the pursuit of a quick sale at any cost.
It would also help break down the “them and us” if more estate agents understood how the property transaction process actually works and what it involves. I remember one very enthusiastic Sales Progression individual ringing us to complain that we were taking too long to get and report upon searches. We told her how long it can take to get them, She told us we were “lying” (very professional!!) and she rang the local authority who told her we were right and when she complained to them about how long it took they told her “goodbye”. Understanding can be achieved through training rather than allowing myths and legends and a “canteen culture” to inform.
Rather than insisting “things can be done more quickly” why not understand what the process actually entails so you know what real delay looks like-and build relationships with those firms who offer a quality service not a cheap and/or potentially negligent one.
If you would like a copy of our Guide that we provide to clients about the process then email felicity@emmersons-solicitors.co.uk It is free.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register