Do conveyancers agree that the type of reply shown below should be sent in a concerted effort to bring an early end the growing practice adopted by many conveyancers out there who take great delight in raising copious and unnecessary additional enquiries?:
'Dear Sirs
Thank you for your long list of additional enquiries.
We do understand the principle of caveat emptor and the need for due diligence. However the Protocol as you know has made it very clear that solicitors should resist the urge of raising unnecessary enquires.
Paragraph 32 of the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol states as you know that the buyer's solicitor should:
'Resist raising any additional enquiries, including those about the state and condition of the building, that have answers which are capable of being ascertained by the buyer's own enquiries, survey or personal inspection. Such enquiries should not usually be raised. Indiscriminate use of 'standard' additional enquiries may constitute a breach of this Protocol. If such enquiries are submitted, the seller's solicitor is under no obligation to deal with them. Nor does the seller's solicitor need to obtain the seller's answers to any enquiries seeking opinion rather than fact'
Noting than many of the enquiries you have raised fall within the category mentioned above could we please ask you to review the enquiries raised and send back to us only those which could be objectively considered as necessary.
Please keep in mind that we are keen to assist and do not wish to do anything which could delay the progression of the transaction. Indeed it because of this that our request for a smaller but more relevant list of additional enquiries is produced.
MJP Conveyancing are solicitors who provide legal advice and services to clients based in England and Wales and who can be contacted on 01603877000 or via email at davidpett@m-j-p.co.uk
