I have 20 years experience in residential conveyancing and is an active committee member with the Conveyancing Association an organisation which is devoted to improving the way in which we convey properties in England and Wales.
18, North Hill, Colchester, CO1 1DZ
Licensed for 15 years
Agriculture, Housing & Property, Family Law, Commercial Property
Customer: Alison Cowles: Lisa did a house sale and purchase for me last year and is again representing me this year, she has been efficient beyond expectation and can't recommend her and the Attwells team enough
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Being first time buyers and thankfully never needing the services of a solicitor before I was wary and really didn't know what to expect.
Attwells were recommended by the estate agents. I got several quotes from other solicitors, attwells were not the cheapest but were very friendly from the start and answered emails instantly which meant a lot to me.
Lisa Nayland introduced herself as our conveyancer, again she was very friendly, answered my queries instantly and in plain english.
Honestly the process was over really before we knew it, Lisa and her team just made the whole process happen effectively with a lot less communication and "pain" than both of us expected and certainly compared to my parents recent move. Honestly very surprised and impressed and highly recommend and will certainly use Attwells again for any such need.
Thank you again Lisa and team!
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Conveyancing solicitors who operate exactly as you would want them to. Friendly, efficient, prompt, professional, reassuring. I have used a few sets of solicitors over the years but Attwells have definitely been the best so far. Thank you Lisa.
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I have used Attwells for a number of years, most recently on sale and house purchase that needed to be done quickly. Lisa Nyland at the Colchester office was brilliant, professional, clear, and responsive to emails and phone calls, and we got it done! I would highly recommend. We would definitely use Attwells again.
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Thankyou Atwells for all your work to ensure our house sale and purchase actually happened.
Lisa was excellent from start to finish. Everything within the process was explained simply and i was updated at every stage. And she was amazingly quick to respond to any questions i had.
Attwells has given the best service of any solicitors i have ever used.
Should i need to use solicitors in the future i will definitely use Atwells again, and i would have no hesitaton in recommending them.
Very best wishes and many thanks.
Amanda Mitchell
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I have 20 years experience in residential conveyancing and is an active committee member with the Conveyancing Association an organisation which is devoted to improving the way in which we convey properties in England and Wales.
Languages Spoken: English
United Kingdom
Currently Registered
15/10/08
21/09/22
Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration
Attwells Solicitors
?-01-10-2019
Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration
Attwells Solicitors LLP
?-present
Huge Issues with SDLT not paid months later
While I had initially planned to give Attwells Solicitors a 5-star rating for their handling of our conveyancing, handled by Lisa Caporaso, during our property purchase in Colchester, I am now disappointed with their service. Unfortunately, there has been a significant issue regarding our Stamp Duty Tax payment to HMRC, as indicated by multiple letters we have received.
To summarize the facts:
# We provided Attwells with a deposit and the stamp duty amount exceeding £100k on May 2nd, 2023.
# The completion date was May 22nd, 2023.
# The Stamp Duty Tax was due by June 5th, 2023.
# We received our first letter from HMRC dated June 7th, indicating that the payment had not been made.
# We promptly contacted Attwells, who assured us that there was no cause for concern.
# Upon contacting HMRC, we discovered that the payment had never been processed, potentially due to an incorrect UTR number. HMRC advised us to request that Attwells contact them with specific details to rectify the situation. They also informed us that, unfortunately, the responsibility for tax matters lies with the purchasers, not the solicitors representing us.
# We conveyed this information to Attwells, who assured us they would handle it.
# Subsequently, we received a second letter from HMRC dated June 21st, 2023.
# We have now received a third letter dated July 5th, stating that interest would now be charged on the outstanding amount.
Regrettably, as a result of this ongoing issue, I feel compelled to leave this negative review. Despite the positive reviews we initially saw, it only takes one failure to cause significant complications with HMRC, which is something no one wants to endure.
At this point, it has been over a month, and Attwells has yet to resolve the SDLT issue, prompting my decision to write this review and inform them of their error via email and phone.
Based on our experience, I strongly advise against choosing Attwells for your conveyancing needs. While they may have many positive reviews, our situation demonstrates that their failure to rectify a single problem can lead to unnecessary difficulties with HMRC, an outcome that should be avoided at all costs.
If, for some reason, you still decide to proceed with Attwells, I strongly recommend insisting on handling your own SDLT payment, as it is a straightforward process involving a bank transfer to the HMRC account using your UTR as the reference. Unfortunately, this task seems to be beyond Attwells' capabilities.
Words cannot express how disappointed we are. These letters from HMRC are the last thing we needed, considering the various other issues demanding our attention and straining our finances.
**On a separate note, I would like to highlight a few issues we encountered during our property purchase that others should be aware of:
# The property required more extensive renovation work than we had anticipated due to smoke and nicotine damage. If you suspect the property was previously occupied by smokers, I would advise either avoiding it altogether or renegotiating the price by 15% to 20% due to the significant challenges posed by third-hand smoke.
# The central heating system was over 20 years old, necessitating the installation of a heat pump. However, the property has micro bore piping, which restricts water flow. If you encounter a similar situation, be prepared to invest in new piping.
# We also discovered the need for electrical upgrades and rewiring due to faulty wiring.
Solicitor named in this review: Lisa Anne Caporaso
A representative from Attwells Solicitors LLP responded to this review on 21 July, 2023
Thank you for your feedback and I am sorry that our service has fallen below your expectations. Your comments are now being reviewed to see what can be done for you and how we can improve. Kind regards, Nick Attwell.
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Superb conveyancing solicitors
My conveyance has been conducted with amazing speed and efficiency.
They have a real can-do approach even when the sector is so busy.
Lisa and Mia are a great team. Speed and efficiency are second to none. This is the second time that I have used them. I certainly recommend them
Solicitor named in this review: Lisa Anne Caporaso
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Fantastic service
Everyone I spoke to at Attwells was extremely helpful.
I mainly had communication with Lisa Nyland.
She was polite, friendly and efficient.
Everything was explained simply to make homeselling easier.
I highly recommend this firm for your needs.
Solicitor named in this review: Lisa Anne Caporaso
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Sinden
Excellent service for Conveyancing. Good communication and worked hard to resolve issue and problems. Would definitely recommend Attwells' Conveyancing service.
Solicitor named in this review: Lisa Anne Caporaso
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Great personal service
Attwells completed the sale and purchase of my recent house move. I had looked at reviews on line and they came recommend. I was very please with the service I received, I had a named contact who kept in regular contact, and kept me informed at all times, they answered any questions and I was able to complete most tasks by email and occasionally by letter for signing documents. Felt supported throughout the whole process.
Solicitor named in this review: Lisa Anne Caporaso
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Anonymous
Very happy with. Very professional and efficient. No room for complaint.
Solicitor named in this review: Lisa Anne Caporaso
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Great
Excelent people very helpful and all stress free
Solicitor named in this review: Lisa Anne Caporaso
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