Conveyancers
Act for and on behalf of clients in the area of property and business transfers.
Settlement day at the conveyancing office
You are a licensed conveyancer at a small office, looking after buyers and sellers through the final week before settlement. It is Tuesday and three settlements are booked for Friday. You are explaining each step to clients while chasing documents from banks, agents and other offices.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I keep reading online that I can skip some of the searches to save time. The settlement is on Friday and I am so nervous. Can we just go ahead without them?
Tell him which checks matter and why, and complete them before Friday
He listens, asks sensible questions and agrees. The checks are done in time. Part of the job is explaining why a step exists instead of just saying it must happen.
Agree to skip the ones that look less important, because he is the client
Two weeks later a problem with the property title appears that a search would have shown. Dev is upset, and you are the one he looks to.
Tell him to talk to a lawyer about it and move on
Dev has another costly appointment and gets less help than he needed. Knowing your limits is good, but a clear explanation of what you do check was in your lane.
The buyers are asking about the fence on the north side. I have always thought it was ours, but the neighbour says it is theirs. Can you tell me for certain?
Say you are sure it is hers, as she has always thought
She relaxes, but you do not have the survey or title information to say so. Later the neighbour's records tell a different story, and she feels misled.
Check the title and survey, tell her what the documents show and what they do not, and suggest a surveyor if it is unclear
She appreciates your honesty. The answer takes a day, and the settlement is a little tight. Better a slower, accurate answer than a fast, wrong one.
Check the documents and say what they show, and what they do not
You find the documents are unclear and tell her so. She asks a surveyor to confirm, and the buyers accept the result. Saying 'I do not know yet' is part of being trusted.
The funds will be about two hours late because of a system fault on our side. I know you have a 2pm settlement. Can you let everyone know?
Wait to see if the funds arrive before saying anything
At 2pm the other side is waiting and your client has the removalist at the door. Everyone is left guessing, and trust takes a knock.
Tell your client and let them tell the others
Your client is stressed and has to explain something they do not understand. You are the person who knows the process, so you are the person who should make the calls.
Tell the other side, the agent and your client straight away and propose a later time
Everyone is annoyed, but nobody is surprised. Settlement moves to 4pm, and the keys are handed over. Telling people early gives them time to adjust.
How it went
On Friday, three settlements are complete and the last email is sent. The job is a mix of exact paperwork, careful checking and calm explaining to people at big moments in their lives. Could you carry that detail without losing the human side?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The payment details that did not look right
A fictional case set in a small conveyancing office that helps people buy and sell homes.
The situation
Lena worked at a small conveyancing office handling the sale of a house for an elderly couple. The day before settlement, an email arrived that looked like it came from the other side's solicitor's office. It said their bank account details had changed and asked that the funds be sent to a new account. The logo was right, the tone matched, and the settlement agent was waiting on her to confirm.
What they did
Lena noticed that the email address was one letter different from the usual one. Instead of replying, she looked up the other office's phone number from an earlier letter and rang it. The receptionist said no one had sent such an email. Lena told her manager, warned the clients to treat anything similar with suspicion, and reported it to the other firm so they could check their own systems.
How it turned out
Settlement went ahead the next day to the correct account. The couple were shaken but grateful. The office added a rule that any change in payment details must be confirmed by phone on a number already on file.
What would you do?
- What made the email look genuine at first glance?
- Why did Lena use a phone number from an earlier letter rather than one in the email?
- How would you explain this to a nervous client without frightening them?