A small number of conveyancing solicitors have begun charging clients for providing undertakings, it has emerged.


The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has seen examples of firms using an attention-grabbing figure for conveyancing work - such as £250 - which is then supplemented by undertakings at £90 each, and also overheads such as postage and photocopying, potentially tripling or more the original quote.



Tim Miller, an LCS casework adviser, said that while the LCS may frown on solicitors charging for undertakings, there is no rule against it. However, the problem was a failure to give clients full costs information, and specifically that four or five undertakings would be required to make the transaction go through.



Similarly, the LCS is seeing an increase in charging for items that are typically included in the firm's overheads, and Mr Miller said the issue again was full disclosure in advance to the client about how much this could amount to.



Conveyancing work currently accounts for around 30% of complaints at the LCS, of which about a fifth relate to inadequate costs information.



Neil Rose