anonymous
Extremely disappointing experience. I’m afraid I could not recommend this firm to anyone.
I am writing this review because I believe prospective clients should be aware of our experience before instructing this firm. We instructed Lowick McKay Solicitors, broadly over the same period, to deal with five residential property sales to five different purchasers. The estate agents found purchasers relatively quickly. Unfortunately, the conveyancing process became an extremely frustrating experience, initially due to Lowick McKay’s lack of response and inordinate delays. One of the sales took over nine months to complete from acceptance of the purchaser’s offer, and the only reason the transaction ultimately completed was due to the estate agent’s ability to keep the transaction alive. There were numerous inaccuracies in their documentation, including names being spelled incorrectly and other drafting errors. We also found a number of their responses to be borderline rude. Once the transactions were completed, Lowick McKay, as they were entitled to do, deducted their fees from the completion funds. However, despite there being an agreed fee position in their engagement letters, in most cases they deducted fees in excess of those that had been agreed. They also incorrectly deducted a higher estate agent’s fee than had been agreed on one sale, issued inaccurate completion statements and included a mortgage redemption charge where no mortgage existed. We complained to the firm in November 2025, asking them to refund the amounts incorrectly deducted and to provide corrected completion statements and invoices. We chased on various occasions for a response, but none was forthcoming. We eventually received an email confirming that the person dealing with the complaint would respond in April 2026, but still no substantive response was received. They also failed to provide a copy of their complaints procedure, an item they are compelled to provide in accordance with their terms and conditions. A complaint has subsequently been made to the Legal Ombudsman. In August 2026, we confirmed to the firm that if the matter was not concluded satisfactorily by the end of August, we would issue a formal Letter Before Claim. Nothing was received from them and, accordingly, a Letter Before Claim was issued in September 2026.
