PROTOCOL MYSTERY

In 1994, the Law Society issued the following guidance to the profession concerning the National Conveyancing Protocol: 'The third edition of the protocol reverses the previous requirement that sellers carry out the local authority search on the property.

As from the date of the third edition of the protocol (1 May 1994), the local authority search is to be obtained by the buyer's solicitors at the buyer's expense.'Today, the following is typical in an opening letter from a seller's solicitors: 'We propose utilising the National Conveyancing Protocol, except that we will leave you to carry out your own local authority search.It seems that, more than seven years after this change was made to the Protocol, many conveyancing solicitors have still not heard about it.Richard Green, solicitor, Salisbury, Wiltshire