The Law Society has published a new practice note urging conveyancers to adhere to Consumer Protection Regulations. The news means that conveyancers will have to maintain ‘consumer-friendly’ trading practices.
The ‘Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading regulations’ (CPRs) actually came into force in 2008 but recent regulatory changes have now made them potentially relevant to property transactions.
As a result the new practice note, published on February 25th 2016, outlines conveyancers’ obligations to consumers in a property transaction which focus on maintaining commercial practices that are fair.
Many of the obligations placed on solicitors under the CPRs are already covered by the obligations contained in the SRA Code and, provided that consumers are treated fairly, solicitors are unlikely to be in breach.
A recent survey of 5400 consumers, conducted by leading property data and service provider tmgroup in partnership with the Property Academy, the Home Moving Trends identified that 8 out of 10 home movers were looking for their conveyancers to be good communicators and part of ensuring that your firm’s commercial practices are transparent and fair is to offer good communication with clients.
Furthermore, consistency in quoting fees for your services to potential clients is vital, with the Quote Conversion Tool from tmgroup being a simple but effective service for conveyancers to help achieve this.
Completely free to use, the tool helps firms provide consistent, professional quotes easily to prospective clients and then convert the quote and order searches at the touch of a button.
Ben Harris, Sales & Marketing Director at leading property service and data provider tmgroup, said:
“This new practice note recognises the need for the conveyancing industry to become more consumer friendly. The recent consumer research we conducted with the Property Academy, Home Moving Trends, revealed that home movers wanted their conveyancers to be good communicators above all else and expectations are higher than ever. Our Quote Conversion Tool has already helped hundreds of customers to provide consistent, effective quotes for clients and, in doing so, adhere to regulations on fair trading practices.”
Learn more about Quote Conversion Tool
