Attwells Solicitors LLP

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.

Having read an article from the practice (Lloyd) to completing a review of a sensitive employment matter took a matter of a few days and a very clear and decent outcome for all parties. Really excellent support and co-ordination from Hannah and the partner Lloyd. You couldn't ask for a better team who were pragmatic and dealt with things in a common sense way. Service as it should be and at thee right price. superb.

It was an absolutely pleasure to deal with such a wonderful, polite, knowledgeable and professional lady...Freya, you're an absolute star you really are...Youre an inordinate credit to ATTWELLS and they should, quite rightly, be so very proud you're in their employ...Your service was nothing short of exemplary. From first contact to final completion nothing was too much trouble, "On the ball" doesn't say it...You were lightening fast at each and every phone call and enquiry made...A massive wel done.

We would like to thank Jade for her wonderful service as our conveyancer. We were first time buyers and feeling quite anxious about the whole process but Jade was very approachable and made us feel very at ease. She clearly explained the whole process to us and was very thorough and transparent throughout. Jade was always very professional and polite when following up for documentation. She kept us up to date with any changes and was always quickly available for any questions we had. Her efficiency throughout made the process run smoothly and much more quickly than we anticipated which we were very grateful for. Overall, we were so pleased with the first class service Jade provided and would definitely use Attwells again because of it.

We used Attwells on the recommendation of our estate agent Connells, having wanted a firm of solicitors to act for us. Holly Quantrill was assigned to us and she and her team have provided excellent service during our house move. Very friendly and informative, quick to respond to queries and very much ‘on the ball’ throughout the whole process. Very happy to recommend Attwells.

I was personally recommended Attwells in Ipswich as solicitors to go with to buy my new flat. I have to say how glad I am that I got this recommendation. Charlotte dealt with my purchase. She was very efficient and friendly and I always got a quick response to any email I sent. Having spoken to some of my other friends who have gone through the same process I think I was really lucky here!
Thanks Charlotte! Very happy with this service and would recommend to others! :)

I would advise anyone thinking of using these solicitors to literally go anywhere else if you would like any sort of communication, good service, helpful staff, attention to detail or having your money returned after they have confirmed they have no reason to keep it!

fantastic customer service right from start to completion. Attwells always kept up to date with both the selling and purchase of the property. Hannah was highly informative.

Very happy with the service I received from Attwells, they always kept me up to date where we were with selling my property.