Charles Coleman LLP

“Purchasing a house can be stressful, which is why we chose our acting solicitor based on a recommendation.

Simran supported us throughout the purchase of our new home and ensured the entire process progressed smoothly and faultlessly. We felt well informed at every stage and couldn’t be happier with the service we received.

• Supportive

“My partner recently used Charles Coleman for the purchase of what he was led to believe is a leasehold property.

He had to withdraw from the purchase a few days before completion due to the solicitor failing to update him with significant details in the early stages of the process. He received all the important documentation relating to the purchase including title deeds etc one week before the completion date. The information stated that the property was actually leasehold with 50% share of freehold, the buyer would also be the landlord of the entire estate and there was an additional yearly fee of £2300 which was not disclosed at any point of the process, only discovered in the paperwork received a week before completion. Along with this paperwork was a report produced by the solicitor who failed to include all of these significant details and still stated in her report that the property was 'leasehold.' This was clearly a big mistake on her part. When I raised the question regarding these additional details of the purchase that we were unaware of, she simply replied 'yes, these are part of the purchase' My partner was then asked to pay 75% of the fixed fee for the solicitors work and an additional 75% as an abortive fee. This was unfair and unreasonable due to firstly the solicitor writing an inaccurate report and failing to advise my partner of these significant factors affecting the purchase, and also had she updated my partner when she received this information in march, he would have withdrawn at that stage and not incurred charges for 75% of the work. She held on to information that she knew could affect his decision to purchase, continued to complete the work and even when sending the documents one month after receiving them, her report failed to acknowledge this information and was inaccurate. We filed a complaint to the supervisor who would not accept responsibility for her staff not fulfilling their contractual obligations to my partner. She did not address all of our questions and instead proceeded to write a very long email which was completely irrelevant to the issues we raised. Unfortunately due to the lack of experience and professionalism of this company, we now have to raise a further complaint with the Ombudsman. Charles Coleman fees are much higher than other solicitors, yet the service is less than satisfactory. We have now found another firm who are transparent, thorough and fairly priced. I would not recommend this firm if you want to make your property purchase stress free and do not wish for any unexpected surprises a week before completion.

• Thorough