Lawtech start-up Legalito has announced a new partnership with Off Mains Solutions in a bid to reduce the time to sell properties without mains drainage, by obtaining more accurate information, more quickly.

Founded by Peter Ambrose of conveyancing firm, The Partnership, Legalito seeks to reduce the time and risks involved in property transactions. In its first year, it enabled over 1,200 lawyers to share over 100,000 pre-contract enquiries directly with each other, saving time and effort by eliminating thousands of emails and documents.

Enquiries have long been identified as the single most significant cause of delay in the residential transaction process, together with professional indemnity insurers confirming that it is the major cause of claims against property lawyers. However, there is currently no mandated or standard approach to which enquiries should be raised, and, more importantly, whether they are appropriate.

With over 4% of the UK housing stock, that is 1.1m properties, not currently on mains drainage, this means that lawyers have to deal with the issue of compliance and regulations frequently.  This highly specialist area requires expertise and training which is what prompted James Warren, a surveyor with over twenty five years’ experience, to set up Off Mains Solutions, a consultancy offering advice and expertise for domestic and commercial properties.

Peter Ambrose, CEO of Legalito, commented: “Lawyers tell us they are wasting hours on transactions dealing with numerous enquiries and issues that crop up late in a deal.  With over 2000 lawyers from over 900 firms registered with Smart Enquiries, we are in a unique position to help deal with this problem.

“This is particularly important in specialist areas such as properties not on mains drainage, which is why I’m so delighted to be working with James Warren, a respected expert in this field.  By making this expertise easily available, this will result in time savings, reduce issues and speed up transactions, which is what everyone needs right now.”

James Warren of Off Mains Solutions said. “My team and I are trying to remove the taboo surrounding private “off mains drainage”, whether that’s the terminology, regulations or the costs, it’s about demystifying the do’s and don’ts in this sector.  In the past, we have provided thousands of solicitors with copies of our questionnaires, which are invaluable to helping clients identify potential issues with their drainage systems.  This new opportunity to provide this information within Smart Enquiries is a huge step forward for us, and we look forward to helping more lawyers deal more efficiently with this issue”