Holden Smith Law Limited

Mr Cronshaw was willing to go the extra mile to achieve completion in good time to both our and our Tenants satisfaction.

Nicola Cheeseborough was extremely difficult to speak to and communicate with via email. Her assistant was far easier as she actually responded and answered the questions in the email. Nicola was always on lunch and even felt it was ok when everyone was trying to confirm if the documents were going to be ready for the next steps so we could all agree a date she felt telling me she was going to check her other emails first was appropriate. My family, including my disabled baby, were nearly homeless!

There was a lot of hand holding and steps taken for Holden Smith because they were very disorganised and delayed. I would have got nowhere and felt even less supported if it wasnt for the estage agent (also legally trained - owner of the estate agent company). He was great at mediating an adjusted agreement between myself and the seller - Nicola was supposed to be doing this...after many many weeks waiting it was done in under an hour when we removed her from the equation!

Fast forward to finally getting the documents - all I do is read them and there are clear errors. One huge. Nicola finally called me and had the audacity to state the information was missed when the current sellers solictors completed the sale and should have been picked up (but failed to realised, she, as my solictor for the purchase this time, should have picked it up - the same responsibility but a real lack of responsibility). This caused a very very very long process entering Deed of variation. Again, contact ceased no updated and the estate agent supported me with updates. Someone senior tried to help Nicola, her name is Julie, but she honestly made things even worse as she failed to read the entire case so was constantly corrected. Despite it written in emails she tried to say the team flagged the concern but one email earlier and she would have seen it was my email that raised this as a question and they then went back review the details before flagging it to the other solictor. I was given documents to sign with a date a few days later for the keys - so it most certainly was not them.

So, the Director was supposed to contact me...twice. They did not.

Then after the prolonged disaster they did not even support with transfering my searches for another property I had to find to another solictor (as obviously our relatiobship and trust was destroyed by this point).

They lost their position on a very well respected list as I was not the only disaster they had. They stopped getting client referrals as they were awful. I hope they learnt to actually do their job - just reading the documents would be a good start.

Safe to say I have directed everyone I know elsewhere. The impact this caused on my family and work life was tremendous and I hope someone conisdering Holden Smith sees this and goes elsewhere. I wish I knew.

Prompt and professional. Exactly what I required.

We used Holden Smith to organise the purchase of a Right To Buy property and they also recommended further services which in the following years have become essential for us to keep the life of the entire family stable and as peaceful as possible.

Were recommended to me by a solicitor friend (luckily so as I have no background in law) and would absolutely use again and recommend to others.

Simon was very thorough and chased things through on a very slow purchase due to the sellers parties being distant and not engaged.