As technology advances, there are many firms who started to adopt online businesses, including online conveyancing firms of course. The Online conveyancing process generally still remains, the only difference is the communication method which is through virtual meetings such as Google Meet, Skype, or general messaging.
However, some people are thinking – Is online conveyancing safe?” It is a reasonable concern given that the conveyancing process is not a small transaction. Choosing good online conveyancing firms such as My Conveyancing Specialist and taking basic precautions can increase the chances of you having a better experience.
Online Conveyancing: Making Conveyancing a Borderless Businesses
Online conveyancing is basically doing all the work of a conveyancing solicitor without physical proximity, which means it is not bounded geographically anymore. This can be seen as a threat to local conveyancing firms as the business was used to taking a hyperlocal approach as the only difference is the face-to-face meeting.
For online conveyancing, all of the legal aspects of the property transactions are handled by the solicitor, and all of the forms that need to be filled will be given via email or other online tools. The conveyancing solicitors will do all the work in the background such as property sales, property search, and drafting the contracts.
Once you are happy with your sale contract, your conveyancer online will help you exchange contracts with the buyer, and the property is yours! However, these are very convenient for basic transactions only. If it involves more sophisticated matters such as chains.
What Defines a Good Online Conveyancing Firm?
Good online conveyancing firms have one common trait – reliability. People look for a reliable conveyancing firm because the money involved is a lot. Thankfully, there are regulatory bodies that help us define reliable conveyancing firm.
So here are a few things you need to check out before engaging in any conveyancing firms.
Are They Accredited Firms?
If the conveyancing firm you engaged has been accredited by Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme, give yourself a pat on the back.
This scheme makes it compulsory for law firms offering conveyancing to follow a set of guidelines that ensures clients are protected and set the minimum professional standards for the industry. Checking your law firms beforehand is one of the best practices to ensure safe online conveyancing.
Are They Listed and Licensed?
If you are doing online conveyancing, you need to ensure the conveyancing solicitor is certified and proven to be legitimate. Thankfully, you can check whether they are licensed via the Law Society.
Here Are The Ways To Avoiding Conveyancing Fraud
Online conveyancing can be very convenient, but fraudulent cases are starting to pop out. These fraudsters pretend to provide online conveyancing services and asking you make a payment to a specific bank account. This method is usually done through emails.
As technology advances, these fraudulent emails can be look very genuine as they might be able to gain access to your personal information or even the email of your online conveyancer . Never be too careful about online impersonations, here are some ways to prevent yourself from being phished:
Call your online conveyancer
Make it a habit to call your online conveyancing solicitors when you are notified of a transaction online. Your online conveyancers will be able to tell you if they have requested the payment.
Send your money in separate transactions
Split the amount into 2 transactions, pay 10% of the full amount in tthe first transaction as a test. Call up your online conveyancers to make sure they have received it, then proceed to pay the remaining balance.
Conclusion
The one downside for us would be: As compared to standard conveyancing firms, online conveyancing solicitors don’t have a comprehensive local knowledge
The one piece of advice for online conveyancing would be – Never be too careful. Online conveyancing is certainly a good convenient service, however, given the nature of the conveyancing process, the money involved is very big. Online conveyancers should also look for solutions to increase security to make online conveyancing a much more pleasurable experience.