A high-end property law firm has hit back at claims that solicitors are to blame for Britain’s ‘broken’ homebuying system, declaring that the real fault lies with lenders.

RSL LAW, based in central London’s Pall Mall, was responding to a report last week published by Santander, one of the country’s biggest mortgage lenders. The report, Fixing the Broken Chain, alleged that the length and complexity of purchasing a home is having a ’profound impact’ on consumers and the economy, with half a million failed transactions each year.

The study - which canvassed 2,363 respondents - found 38% of adults found the legal and conveyancing process difficult, citing delays and lawyers who were hard to contact.

RSL LAW, however, says the bank’s own figures reveal that mortgages are the main obstacle to completion. Of buyers surveyed, less than half (41%) said getting a mortgage offer was easy.

UK houses on street

Tatiana Sharposhnikova, founder and CEO of RSL LAW, said: ‘It is clear from the data that buying a home is too difficult for many, and this needs to change. However, our own experiences show that it is lenders, not solicitors, who are creating unnecessary issues for buyers by making it harder to access finance.

‘Santander can dress up their figures how they like, but banks must sit up and take notice of what their own customers are saying.’

Among the report’s other findings, being unable to agree on mortgage terms with a lender was cited as a chief cause of purchase failure, causing more than 1 in 10 purchases to collapse.

’This matches up with what our clients are telling us,’ Sharposhnikova continued. ’The challenges our clients often face relate directly to lenders: inconsistent qualifying criteria, lengthy approval timelines, and outdated communication practices that rely on slow email exchanges. This can manifest as banks backing out of mortgage agreements last minute, giving vague excuses about risk and funds, and leaving buyers with unanswered questions.’

She added: ’The reality is that law firms are there to find solutions to those issues. While the legal process can be complex, it ultimately helps buyers and families to find homes. Law firms on the whole need to be better at talking to their clients, and we are proud to be client-centric in our approach. Buying a home can be extremely stressful, and we owe it to consumers to make that process as simple as possible.’