Chattertons Conveyancing and COVID-19

Moving house is often described as one of the most stressful periods of your life – how about throwing a global pandemic into the mix?

It is estimated there are around 450,000 house moves that had been put on hold. This week we have had the news that estate agents can now open, viewings can be carried out and removal firms and conveyancers can restart operations meaning these moves will start to happen. It is imperative that social distancing measures are followed and Firms need to be responsible with the same during this time.

Here at Chattertons we have been working tirelessly throughout this period for our clients to ensure little disruption to home moves whilst keeping the safety of our clients, colleagues and members of the public paramount by following Government guidelines. By doing so, our clients are in a great position to move forward to completion now restrictions are easing.

What are Chattertons doing?

We are asked daily what processes we have in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and how we are conducting transactions. We are pleased to confirm we have successfully and safely continued to complete transactions where possible.

We are aware that many other Firms have simply advised they cannot proceed until 'this is all over' but we have continued to support our clients whilst adopting the following procedures;

• Working from home. We have had fantastic remote systems in place since before lockdown began. These have only been improved since the restrictions were put in place and our staff are able to provide the same efficient service, support and advice as usual.
• No contact. We are focussed on public safety during this time. We are able to arrange video calls instead of face to face meetings in which we can even witness signing off documentation. There are designated members of our teams who will attend the offices to collect post/paperwork and send to the relevant person.
• Assessing individual cases. Every transaction is different. Some will be able to proceed to completion and some may not just yet. We are constantly obtaining new updates in respect to each case to ensure our clients know where they stand at all times.
• Progressing matters. Matters that can complete – will complete. In the event that yours must wait, we will continue to work on your matter and get this as up to date as possible meaning you can get a date as soon as possible when all is able to proceed.
• New instructions. We are still taking on new clients and arranging to discuss these new enquiries with our clients via email, video call or telephone. Please contact one of our Team if you wish to discuss your transaction further.

Further to the above, if you are planning on selling your property or looking to purchase in the near future, it may be useful to discuss this with a Conveyancer now to ensure there will be no delay when you are able to 'hit go' on the process. By being organised from the outset, you can cut out the transaction time by as much as 2 weeks! Now the housing market has the go-ahead, prospective buyers will be on the lookout.

We appreciate these are uncertain times, but please rest assured you can rely on us to support you. Please contact a member of our Team if you wish to discuss any of your concerns or for general advice during this time.