A partnership between enquiries management platform Legalito and Off Mains Solutions will ‘reduce the time spent dealing with specialist drainage enquiries’ say the two parties.
Enquiries management technology solution Legalito has partnered with Off Mains Solutions to identify and obtain information about properties without mains drainage. Off Main Solutions is a consultancy offering advice and expertise for domestic and commercial properties. Set up by James Warren, a surveyor with over twenty five years’ experience, they say over 4% (c 1.1m properties) of the housing stock in the UK are not connected to mains drainage.
“Lawyers tell us they are wasting hours on transactions dealing with numerous enquiries and issues that crop up late in a deal. With over 2000 lawyers from over 900 firms registered with Smart Enquiries, we are in a unique position to help deal with this problem. This is particularly important in specialist areas such as properties not on mains drainage, which is why I’m so delighted to be working with James Warren, a respected expert in this field. By making this expertise easily available, this will result in time savings, reduce issues and speed up transactions, which is what everyone needs right now”
said Peter Ambrose, CEO of Legalito and founder of Guildford-based conveyancing firm The Partnership.
James Warren of Off Mains Solutions added how the partnership will impact the work of conveyancers;
“I am really excited about being able to share my experience with Legalito users. My team and I are trying to remove the taboo surrounding private “off mains drainage”, whether that’s the terminology, regulations or the costs, it’s about demystifying the do’s and don’ts in this sector. In the past, we have provided thousands of solicitors with copies of our questionnaires, which are invaluable to helping clients identify potential issues with their drainage systems. This new opportunity to provide this information within Smart Enquiries is a huge step forward for us, and we look forward to helping more lawyers deal more efficiently with this issue”
A quick glance over social media will demonstrate the challenges pre-contract enquiries presents to firms. A survey by Today’s Conveyancer in the Summer of 2024, the third conducted by this publication, identified 96% of nearly 150 respondents thought the situation regarding ‘unnecessary and excessive’ pre contract enquiries is ‘unchanged or worse than 12 months ago’. 70% said the number of enquiries has increased with just 3% saying the number of enquiries had decreased; 26% observed no change. This uptick in enquiries has been accompanied by ongoing debates regarding their relevance where 53% said they felt the relevance of enquiries has decreased, whereas 36% feel it has remained the same.
Alongside the delays caused, professional indemnity insurers have confirmed issues arising from enquiries are the major cause of claims against property lawyers. However, says Ambrose, there is currently no mandated or standard approach to which enquiries should be raised, and, more importantly, whether they are appropriate.
On the use of Legalito’s Smart Enquiries system to help with the challenge presented by properties not connected to mains drainage, Pardeep Kandola, an associate solicitor with Thomas Flavell & Sons, a law firm based in Leamington Spa, said
“It helps extend the Legalito libraries with specific wording for off-mains drainage, from an expert in the field. Users will feel much better knowing they are raising accurate enquiries on this topic – it makes Legalito really valuable to have up-to-date enquiries accessible to all.”
Peter Ambrose concluded,
“Being able to share expertise amongst lawyers is a vital next step towards our goal of bringing real change to the conveyancing process. With the enthusiastic support from James and the team, along with leading law firms embracing this new way of working, we are finally seeing significant and real improvements to the home buying and selling process.”
