This review is for a different branch.
I’m disputing a bill of £5250 for the aborted purchase of a repossessed 1 bed leasehold flat. I was quoted £5440 to purchase the flat. Knights have predictably concluded from their investigation that the bill is fair…. I’m taking it on to the Legal Ombudsman and Senior Courts Cost. Knights state I have to pay the fee today or they’ll send debt collectors. FIRSTLY they don’t tell you until after you sign up with them that the quote is to complete within 12 weeks, they will then suddenly notify you at the 12 week point, that all further work will be charged at £450 per hour. How is it legal that this is not mentioned in their 5 page quote?
Trustpilot has a very helpful page - how to spot fake reviews. Use it. Only their bad reviews are genuine as far as I can tell after using that guide. I’m reporting all of them. SECONDLY Mark Lynn, my solicitor made a huge glaring and inexplicably unprofessional error. This cost us a month in time. He incorrectly advised that we had to request and even pay for the Management Pack as “repossessions are different”. This is just simply incorrect. I’m baffled at how he did not know this? We wasted a month chasing the Property Managent Company, despite them having sent me an email right at the start, which I forwarded to Mr Lynn that the Management Pack was confidential. Very basic legal work was done while we waited a further 2 months for this crucial Management Pack. I was notified without warning that my 12 weeks was up and all further work would be charged at £450 per hour. I aborted the sale at this point as the Freeholder is a very disreputable company called Pier Management. I was gazumped or forced to increase my offer at roughly a month in. I asked what I would be charged at that point? I was told around 2k. Very minimal legal work was done after that. I avoided contacting them to keep the costs low if I was gazumped again as I only have a finite amount of money. Knights did not ask for proof of this other offer, which I now understand to be standard. I offered to pay the quoted 2k when I aborted. Knights are insisting I pay £5250. This is only £190 under the full fee for a complete purchase. The legal paperwork I was provided in this time was very basic. Cut & paste information & basic searches from the bank who repossessed. I was told by My Lynn that the real work & information would come in this crucial Management Pack. So how, I ask you? How???? How is it possible that I’m supposed to pay Knights £5250 for this minimal amount of legal work done & no evaluation of the Management Pack? A pack that Mr Lynn neglected to request from the seller for a month? I will continue to dispute this ridiculous & unfair legal bill. I will review Knights on every online platform, report their fake good reviews and hope to save decent people from engaging with this company. Do your research, save your money. Find yourself a good small reputable firm, not this corporate company with it’s blatant hidden billing practices.
