In shock over solicitor's quotation

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I'm also sitting on a quote based on 1% of a sale / purchase and is adding up at around 12k :( I had thought this was the norm (have been with the solicitor for years).
 
1% is crazy!

I have found and you can get joint mortgage and legal packages from Prima,REA etc that cost 600 to 1200 so long as you take the mortage through them also.

The most expensive quote I have had on 2 transactions of 300k and 380k was 1800, plus land reg expenses etc.

As Big Mary says "shop around"!
 
Just an update on this thread for any curious people who wondered what the outcome was...I went ahead with the solicitor I was using, despite the very high quotation, as I felt it was way too risky to change solicitors. I wrote a letter of complaint to the solicitor after house deals were complete. He responded to this letter without addressing my point that he had not supplied a Section 68 when it was requested. I then sent a letter of complaint to the Law Society, explaining the difficulties I had had. They investigated my complaint quite promptly, by writing to the solicitor in question. He then replied to them without really addressing the issue of the long delay with the Section 68 letter. The Law Society said that in a case such as this, they would normally ask the solicitor to deduct a percentage from fees, but as the solicitor had previously made a deduction as a gesture of goodwill, that they were satisfied the case had been dealt with. In other words, the solicitor covered himself in advance by making a "goodwill" gesture to me. This saved him having to admit to anyone that he had not acted correctly in the first place. Obviously the solicitor was more au fait with the workings of the Law Society than a mere mortal like myself...
 
Sav H- you had the opportunity to change solicitor and you even received quotes for lower fees from other solicitors. You failed to do so. I really cannot see what you have to complain about except a delay in the issue of a s.68 letter- and for that you were given a discount. As was stated already, even the failure to send a s.68 letter does not mean the fees don't have to be paid. You had your chance, you didn't take it- you probably now regret it, but I feel you have little to complain about since it was your own inaction that meant you paid a large fee.
 
The sooner this process can be replaced with some automated system (completely by-passing solicitors), the better. The charges are outrageous.
 
Hang on their vanilla, a memeber of your profession an acted in a less then professional manner, dumped a very large fee on a client two weeks before closing you don't think that was conincedental. I concede you offered your own services and those of other members of your profession to help out. In the opinion of the person closest all this it could have jepordised the purchase of her new home (for her children and herself). Is ther any empathy maybe that she was under extreme stress aftr a seperation etc ( which i am ur the soilictor
 
Solictors are simply inadequatly regulated in this country. To suggest you should pay someone for inadequate professional services ie failure to supply a s68 letter is outrageous. If a builder didn't fix the roof of your house properly and it leaked would you still pay him? I don't think you would. Why are solictors any different?
 
Sav H said:
Hi

I am in the process of selling my house, and buying another. Contracts just about to be signed on both (next few days) - have been asking solicitor for quotation for about 6 weeks, finally received it yesterday - solicitor is looking for 1% of sale price, and 1% of purchase price plus vat plus costs. This equates to at least 16,000 Euro!!! I am not rich - am cleaned out financially after recent separation. This firm of solicitors dealt with my separation, that's why I am still with them. I am not sure if I am tied into using them, but feel it would be very tricky to change solicitors at this late stage. I rang around solicitors from Golden Pages yesterday, and got a quote for selling and buying of 2000 Euro plus vat plus costs. I don't know what line to take with current solicitor - should I tell them to put a hold on contracts being signed, until the relevant partner talks to me about fees? I don't want to jeopardise my sale or purchase either....

Any advice?

Sav H
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There is one question here though that doesnt appear to have been asked by anyone!

The solicitor was looking for 1% on sale and on purchase plus costs and vat which equals €16,000-00

The other solicitors quoted €2000 for sale and purchase plus costs and vat but you didnt tell us what the total adds up to in these cases!

Was there stamp duty involved in the purchase by any chance??? What was the solicitors total professional fee only for the two transactions?
 
Stamp duty is not a part of solicitors' fees. I doubt very much that a quote for sale/purchase would include stamp duty.
 
liteweight said:
Stamp duty is not a part of solicitors' fees. I doubt very much that a quote for sale/purchase would include stamp duty.
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I know stamp duty is not part of the solicitors fees, but it is part of the costs and the OP states that the total of the bills - which I take to include vat and outlays and stamp duty (if applicable) - so I ask does the total of €16,000-00 include stamp duty!

Basically to make it clearer - the other estimates the OP got for the sale and purchase was €2,000-00 for the solicitors professional fee, so what was the solicitors professional fee ONLY for the solicitor she went with!

Plus an estimate for costs for a purchase should include stamp duty (if applicable) - therefore it would appear in an estimate - an estimate of costs is for all costs involved, not just the solicitors fee!
 
I expected the usual hysterical remarks about solicitors.

Let's get this straight- the OP was given a quote before signing contracts- she felt it was too high- that was backed up by both other solicitors and contributors here- she went ahead regardless.

With respect the s.68 is a bit of a red herring- the law states that a solicitor must inform their client of the fees they intend to charge ( or the basis on which fees will be charged) as soon as reasonably possible. We don't know all the circumstances of this case. We can guess that the solicitor could have informed her sooner, but even if that were the case he still informed her well before signing contracts. She could have moved solicitors. She didn't.

Equating this to not paying a builder who fails to fix a roof is just facile. There is no suggestion that the legal work was not done. The only complaint is that the solicitor didnt give her the quote for the fees earlier.

I don't have sympathy for the OP- she had enough nous to log on to a financial website and seek other opinions- enough to call other solicitors and obtain quotes and advice on moving files, but not enough to actually move solicitors? It's not rocket science. She was told how it works, what to do.
 
Vanilla said:
We don't know all the circumstances of this case. .
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Exactly my point and I guess that was the intention - for posters to compare €2000 and €16000 is ridiculous as its obvious to anyone that one is a total and one is part of!

Maybe a few people should go and spend a day dealing with a conveyancing file and see then if its worth the money ........................
 
Vanilla said:
I expected the usual hysterical remarks about solicitors.

Let's get this straight- the OP was given a quote before signing contracts- she felt it was too high- that was backed up by both other solicitors and contributors here- she went ahead regardless.

With respect the s.68 is a bit of a red herring- the law states that a solicitor must inform their client of the fees they intend to charge ( or the basis on which fees will be charged) as soon as reasonably possible. We don't know all the circumstances of this case. We can guess that the solicitor could have informed her sooner, but even if that were the case he still informed her well before signing contracts. She could have moved solicitors. She didn't.

Equating this to not paying a builder who fails to fix a roof is just facile. There is no suggestion that the legal work was not done. The only complaint is that the solicitor didnt give her the quote for the fees earlier.

I don't have sympathy for the OP- she had enough nous to log on to a financial website and seek other opinions- enough to call other solicitors and obtain quotes and advice on moving files, but not enough to actually move solicitors? It's not rocket science. She was told how it works, what to do.
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Vanilla, informing someone when your well into the case is of little use to the client. Any self respecting professional should inform the client at the outset the basis of their fees ....even orally at first, if too busy/lazy to put in writing. Conveyencing ain't rocket science .......any solicitor in the field should be able to give ball park figure off the tip of his tongue.

Yes they had the opportunity to change solicitors but at a not inconsiderable cost and risk to the transactions. Quit trying to defend the indefensible........The legal profession is without doubt the most complained about profession of them all.....and not without good reason.
 
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