For many people carrying out important business online is now second nature, so it’s not surprising that when it comes to buying a home, many people want the same convenience they are used to from the internet.
A growing number of firms are now offering exactly that convenience with online conveyancing. This means that by communicating with your solicitors by email, Skype and other online tools, you can carry out the entire process of buying or selling a property from the comfort of your home, or on your lunch break at work.
While this can save you a lot of time and effort, some people worry that handling such an important and high value transaction online might not be safe. Fortunately, if you pick a reliable conveyancing firm and take some basic precautions, online conveyancing is just as safe as the more traditional approach.
Choosing a reliable conveyancing firm
The first step to safe online conveyancing is to choose the right company to handle your property transaction. A good place to start is to check whether the company is accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. This scheme establishes minimum professional standards for law firms offering conveyancing, so accredited firms should be operating in a safe, responsible manner.
Avoiding conveyancing fraud
The other key issue to be aware of is the danger of conveyancing fraud. The most common type of conveyancing fraud involves scammers sending an email to you that appears to be from your solicitor, asking you to pay your deposit into a specific bank account. The account belongs to the fraudsters, however, and if you pay the money into it, it can be very difficult to retrieve.
These emails can be very convincing, as the fraudsters may have hacked into your solicitors’ email, allowing them to send emails from their account, or else they may have “spoofed” their email, making it appear to come from your solicitor’s account, even through actually it is from a completely different email address.
While this type of fraud can be hard to spot, there are two simple rules to stick by that can keep you safe. First, do not send any money to a bank account without first confirming with your solicitor over the phone that this is their firm’s account. Second, you can transfer a small amount of money to the specified account first as a test, then check with your solicitor that they have received it before sending the full amount.
Get safe affordable online conveyancing for property anywhere in England or Wales
Bird & Co Solicitors is a long-established law firm offering conveyancing services for properties across England and Wales from our 3 East Midlands offices. Our highly experienced residential property team offer online conveyancing for customers anywhere in the UK and across the world, making it fast, simple and affordable to safely buy property in England and Wales.
We are accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme, meaning you can be sure that we operate to the highest possible standards and can provide fast, efficient and cost-effective conveyancing for any type of property transaction.
To find out more about our online conveyancing service, call us today on 01476 591711 or use our contact page to find details of your nearest Bird & Co office.
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