Author: numan
A Rashid
Anita dealt with my flight delay claim, she was exceptional in explaining the process and kept me updated through out the claim. Payment received through the claim was received promptly
Help to Buy ISA – Deadline Approaching
The Help to Buy scheme launched on 1 December 2015.
The deadline for opening a Help to Buy ISA is 30 November 2019 with some lenders bringing forward their deadline date to 28 November 2019. This is therefore the last chance for homebuyers to obtain a 25% boost on their savings.
If you’re a first time buyer, you can save up to £200 a month towards your first home with a Help to Buy ISA and the government will boost your savings by 25%. That’s the equivalent of a £50 bonus for every £200 you save. You can receive a bonus of up to £3,000.
This means if you save £12,000, the government bonus will boost your total savings to £15,000. This is the maximum amount you can claim. The minimum bonus is £400, so you would need to save at least £1,600 to qualify.
The property you buy must be valued at less than £250,000 throughout the UK, or £450,000 in London.
The government bonus will be paid to your conveyancer on completion of the property purchase, which means it cannot be used towards your exchange deposit.
Although the scheme is set to close on 30 November 2019, this will have no effect on those who already have an account.
It costs only £1 to open an account and it is therefore recommended to any first time buyer who doesn’t have an account already, to open one with one of the many banks who offer the scheme.
Further information is available at :- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-isa
Are all conveyancing solicitors the same?
When you are looking to purchase or sell a property the first thing you have to think about is who will manage the legal aspects of the transaction. In the internet age there is a wealth of information about how to buy and sell your own home and even do the conveyancing yourself and save yourself the legal fees that a solicitor may charge (you still have to pay the land registry fees, searches and stamp duty).
The most common way of finding a solicitor is either by doing a search on the internet, using a conveyancing comparison website or via a recommendation from a friend. There are many excellent conveyancing solicitors in Manchester and just as many awful ones so making an informed decision about which conveyancing solicitor you use becomes even more important.
What should you look for in a conveyancing solicitor?
Are they a member of the Conveyancing Quality Scheme?
The Conveyancing Quality Scheme is a law society accreditation scheme for solicitors that practice residential conveyancing. The scheme ensures that solicitors follow best practices, meet the highest technical standards and meet the requirements of lenders and insurers alike.
How many reviews do they have?
Customers are quicker to post a negative review when they have received poor customer service than they are to post a positive one. Does the conveyancing solicitors have reviews on one or more of the following sites:
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- Trustpilot
- Feefo
- Review Solicitors
- Rated Solicitors
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Reviews offer you a good indication of how good a practice is from the people that have used their service. Look out for standard identikit responses that may be fake reviews and also be wary of those companies that don’t have any negative reviews. Things do sometimes go wrong and a company with a healthy positive ranking with the occasional negative ranking that responds to the reviewer in order to solve any problems displays a company that is proactive in maintaining good customer relationships.
Are they fully transparent on their fees?
Many people are attracted to low headline prices such as “Sell your home for only £99”. Whereas this price is attractive to those looking to save on their conveyancing fees the reality of this is often a false economy.
These prices are often followed by asterisks where you can find caveats to the service offered. The law requires conveyancing solicitors to be fully transparent on the fees they are charging. They are required to detail ALL the fees they intend to charge in their client care letter. The £99 conveyancing deal is often littered with additional charges for any additional checks required, fees for letters being sent out, vital searches and fees to the land registry.
Do they have a physical office or do they employ home based solicitors?
Whenever you do a search on a conveyancing price comparison site or low cost conveyancing website you can expect to get a call from one of the websites sales representatives asking if you need any additional information or help. They will tell you about their service and how to instruct them. What they won’t tell you is that they will not be dealing with your claim themselves – they have a network of freelance solicitors around the country to which you will be referred to.
These solicitors often work from home hence giving you no face to face contact should you need it. When you are dealing with hundreds of thousands of pounds you should look to employ a firm that has a strong online and physical presence to you. Knowing where they are based and knowing they have an office with an established team will give you a level of security and option to meet face to face.
Will you be dealing with the same person every time?
When you establish a relationship with a conveyancing solicitor you want to know that the person dealing with your transaction will be with you from the inception of the transaction through to its completion. Having to deal with a different person every time that may not know the intricacies of your property deal can lead to mistakes being made and deadlines missed. Ensure that you know the name of your file handler and ask for them by name if you ever need to call.
Are they regulated by the SRA and displaying the SRA Logo?
All members of the SRA (solicitors regulation authority) have to display the SRA logo on their website. This is a clickable logo which should take you to a website confirming that the company that owns the website is a member of the SRA.
Conclusion
- Don’t fall for headline figures – ask questions about the additional fees you may incur and insist on them in writing
- Do check Google and Trustpilot reviews
- Do ask to speak to one of the partners if you have any issues or things go wrong
- Do ensure the solicitor is a member of the Conveyancing Quality Scheme
- Do send all of the documents requested in a timely fashion – this makes the process of buying or selling your home as seamless as possible
- Do shop around and get a handful of quotes to use as a guide to expected costs.
CONTACT US
Interested in learning how we can help you manage your conveyancing? Get a FREE consultation with one of our conveyancing solicitors by contacting us today on 0161 249 5087 or email us at property@versuslaw.co.uk. If you prefer, you can use our online conveyancing calculator.
G Ryder
The service and advise that we received from Versuslaw was exceptional. We had numerous issues with the house that we were buying and the team at Versus law guided us through the process whilst always looking out for our best interest.They were always prompt in responding to any question that we had and would update us on a regular basis. Thanks again to Nicola, Nick and Francine
J Bevington
Natalie was amazing, she was so patient with our buying a first house questions and very efficient. She would check in via email and we wouldn’t need to chase her for information. Would 100% recommend.
Mark
Excellent, professional and friendly work from Nick, Nicola and Natalie. They were flexible and very helpful in pushing along the sale despite several hurdles. Would definitely use again in future and would recommend others do so too
MP Jones
Can I just say many thanks to Stephanie and your company for what you have done for me.
I have always found Stephanie, to be so professional, and so helpful with all the dealings that I have had with her during my claims for compensation, I don’t know what I would have done without her and your experience and advice and guidance. I would recommend yourself Stephanie Pyle and your company Versus Law Solicitors to anyone who requires a solicitor or to process future compensation claims etc.
What the demise of Thomas Cook has taught us
Thomas Cook, the UKs oldest travel company, has collapsed creating unmitigated global turbulence. More than 150,000 UK holidaymakers have been left stranded, forcing the UK to launch the largest peacetime repatriation in its history.
To say that the demise of Thomas Cook has been a disaster is an understatement. In the coming months and years, much will be discussed about the failure of this once illustrious travel company.
Last week talks failed to agree a proposed £150million bailout, with the UK government telling stakeholders that a cash injection would do little to staunch the fiscal haemorrhaging. Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, defended the decision by saying that a cash injection from the state would only have kept Thomas Cook afloat ‘for a very short period of time’, and that the business had ‘systemic issues.’
Insiders at Thomas Cook have publicly said that the company is exploring ‘every possible option’ to secure a rescue deal with more than 20,000 jobs at risk globally, including 9,000 in the UK. Just yesterday Condor, a German airline owned by Thomas Cook, has been the recipient of a £336million bridging loan from the German government to continue operating whilst the airline searches for a new owner.
So, why did Thomas Cook fail, where their any historical indicators, and what lessons can the travel industry take from this?
Why Thomas Cook Failed
From a financial point of view, Thomas Cook failed because it was unable to secure the investment needed to keep the business afloat throughout the winter period. However, to assume that this is the only reason is a mite naïve.
The emergence of customer-centric, low-cost flights and cheap online package holidays, unstable global weather patterns, and grossly inflated director salaries have all been contributed to the demise of the travel business.
However, it has been asserted that Thomas Cooks’ complacency to embrace innovation and modernisation, choosing to rely on its brand to steer the business through difficult times, and the uncertain political landscape are primarily responsible for its demise.
Indeed, Brexit has forced many holidaymakers to reassess their plan, especially with the uncertainty around what will happen leading up to and immediately following the UK leaving the European Union on the proposed date of October 31st.
Historical Warnings
As shocking as this news is, there have been historical warnings that it appears Thomas Cook has failed to heed. At the start of October 2017, Monarch, a popular UK airline based out of Luton airport announced its immediate closure.
As reported at the time, a myriad of factors was blamed as the cause of the business’ collapse. Monarch cited a stuttering exchange rate (their income was sterling currency but their business costs paid in dollars), uncertainty around Brexit, the saturation of the travel market and the rise in terrorism, with the airline having to close some of its more popular routes to Egypt’s Sharm-El-Sheikh and Tunisa, as key reasons for the airlines failure.
On face value it seems as though Thomas Cook has failed to heed the historical warnings. When monarch went bust, the government spent £60million to help stranded passengers get home. Based on current information, the cost to bring stranded Thomas Cook passengers home is likely to be notably more – a factor that may have influenced any potential bailout decision.
Lessons for the Travel Industry
The first, and most obvious lesson, the travel industry needs to learn is to pay attention to emerging trends in their sector. In the transparent digital age, one where value is paramount to not only a business’ success but its survival, an established brand isn’t enough to guarantee a future.
Why would consumers choose to travel with a brand like Thomas Cook when they can get a more competitive cost with another airline? Cost comparison online platforms means that it has never been easier for consumers to see if they’re getting value for the service provided.
The failure to adapt business models to reflect the changing times is something that travel companies can ill afford to do. Understanding what customers want, how they want to buy and when are all questions that the travel industry needs to ask.
Then there’s the element of trust. No doubt customers will be asking themselves can they trust travel companies with their money. In the wake of Thomas Cook’s demise, The Guardian published a story about Jet2 ramping up its prices. Is this supposed to assure an already jaded public that travel companies have the best interests of their customers at heart? View the full article here.
It seems clear that the travel industry should be making strides to assure customers, not looking to profit from a dire situation, and are here to provide a valued service to them.
The news of Thomas Cook’s demise is still raw. The full affects will only be analysed when the dust has settled. However, it’s clear that the travel industry should be focusing on service and value, evolving to meet customer’s needs and reflecting the contemporary online commercial environment. This, initially, is a start to regain the trust of an already jaded public.
If you’d like to learn more about flight delays or how you can make a claim for a delayed or cancelled flight, boarding denial, missing a connecting flight, bad weather or an airline strike contact us today. Alternatively visit our dedicated flight delay website.
C Keen
Absolutely superb service from Nicola Nolan. Highly trust and recommend. Honest attention to detail.
S Masood
Hi Anita just to let you know my family and i was very pleased with the service you provided, especially you, having been amazing, normally I wouldn’t follow through with this but you helped me so much by keeping in touch with me and explaining everything I needed to know and do, I really appreciated that and i have recommended versus law services to my relatives and continue to do so if anyone requires assistance from you. Once again many thanks for dealing with our claim so efficiently. Your services are superb.