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Anon at 18.05, you are probably right. Two comments however. While conveyancing may be routine, it requires an experienced and knowledgeable eye to spot the possible problems, although competition on fees can prevent this happening. By way of an example: a house was sold a couple of years ago, in East Anglia. It was the 4th or 5th sale since construction in the 1970s. Not one firm of solicitors cottoned on to the fact the house shared a driveway with its neighbour, something not obvious from the plans (because the house was bang next to the road) and of course silent in the deeds. A physical inspection, or closer questioning of the seller/buyer, would have revealed the problem. It was resolved without much difficulty, but I shudder slightly when thinking that so many lawyers had missed this.

Second point: when conveyancing is undertaken by estate agents, or whatever name may be dreamt up for a new breed of unqualified conveyancer, fees will increase: the Government assumption that conveyancing can be almost automated and made 'more efficient' will multiply errors and facilitate fraud, and more will go wrong. Anyone in the business will have to be insured, and because of the likely greater number of problems, this 'title insurance' won't be cheap.

There may be an interim period of course when Cheapo House Sales Ltd goes bust rather than have insurance, but after a few of these scandals, and much hand wringing, the Government will require title insurance of some sort, so if Cheapo House Sales (2025) Ltd goes bust, it won't matter.

And solicitors won't be involved at all, fading to nothing more than half forgotten names on old deeds framed on pub walls.

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