Report comment

Its all down to referral fees. How in the name of *** can anyone be expected to act in an independent manner if they are buying the work. How has the SRA and the TLS allowed this to get to this stage? In contrast, we have to offer clients any commission on insurance as TLS was concerned that we were not going to be acting in the clients best interest, among other reasons (unlike the whole of the insurance industry, who seem to be able to cope wth this).

I have heard that some 'introducers' (a nice euphemism for paymaster) insist that as well as paying a referral fee, the hapless conveyancers have to agree to exchange contracts within a set timescale, regardless of what they find, and if the client makes any complaints, the conveyancers have to agree to pay the client £250 no questions asked.

How is there so much written and agonised over on conflicts of interest between acting for two clients, yet the elephant in the room of being pressured by a seller's online or bricks and mortar agent to act against your purchasers clients interest is ignored, especially where you have effectively brought this work. Its not an answer to say that the buyer has to be told because they don't read anything and are brainwashed by the sellers agent/builder/ etc/ that its all routine paperwork, plus they fall in love with the property.

Ban all referral fees is the only answer