Homebuyers using the Help to Buy scheme should choose a conveyancer with the appropriate expertise, warns Eddie Goldsmith, chairman of the Conveyancing Association.
Goldsmith, who heads up the trade body for the conveyancing industry, said: “Help to Buy is an expansion of a government initiative to provide loans to help people on to the property ladder, and this adds an extra layer of complexity to the conveyancing process.
“While the number of people applying for Help to Buy increases, there are limited numbers of conveyancers who have experience of the additional paperwork involved. Already, 4,000 buyers have used the scheme and many have had to change their conveyancer half way through because their initial choice lacked sufficient knowledge and training.
“Lack of expertise in this new area can lead to delays which could mean the buyer loses their purchase, so our advice to new buyers is to choose your conveyancer carefully and don’t settle for anything less than an expert.”