Taylor Scott International News
The legal conveyancing process when buying a home in the UK is often seen as too complicated and slow and in need of modernisation, according to a new survey of home owners. Some 42% felt their experience of the process was too complicated and slow and only 4% of felt the process was quick while 23% felt it need to be brought up to date, the YouGov poll for land, environment and property data firm Landmark Information Group. With home buyers becoming more aware of environmental risks that could affect properties following high profile flooding events, the emergence of sinkholes and other such land based risks, some 37% agreed that the home buying process would be improved if all environmental search information was provided online, instead of through the post. To add to this, 22% said they were confused and relied on the guidance provided by the solicitor when receiving the environmental search reports, in order to summarise the key findings and interpret the risks. When asked whether enough environmental information is provided as part of the home buying process, 785 people from the total 1,314 respondents provided an answer, of which 26% felt that not enough information was provided to them by their solicitor. ‘With everything being digital in today's world, people are used to carrying out transactions with speed and immediacy. It is clear that changes need to happen in order to meet people's evolving needs and expectations,’ said Angela Gordon-Lennox, product manager (legal) of Landmark Information Group. The survey also found that 22% want easy to read information, while 37% agreed or strongly agreed that the home buying process would be improved if all environmental information from a conveyancing solicitor was provided via the Web instead of through the post. The firm is currently market testing a new all in one environmental report for the conveyancing industry called RiskView Residential which also provides interactive links to an online portal, enabling home owners to instantly visualise environmental risks on a digital map. The aim is to collectively present the findings previously provided in four separate legal reports in one order. This includes flood risk, contaminated land, ground hazards, and energy and infrastructure. The combined analysis is delivered in an easy to read lightweight PDF report, which includes interactive web-links enabling conveyancers and their clients to click through and instantly view the data within an interactive online map. ‘So far, the feedback received is that not only does RiskView Residential help simplify the process, but it is the first radical step in taking conveyancing due diligence into a fully digital age,’ said Gordon-Lennox. Taylor Scott International
Taylor Scott International, Taylor Scott
