I know what you are thinking - What is a housing lawyer? ... Am I right? Well, to put it quite simply, Housing lawyers are trained to settle a range of disputes that arise between landlords and tenants. They resolve problems through court proceedings brought against the other party.

Who may use Housing Lawyers?

Housing Lawyers can act for either landlord or tenant but never both. To act for both would be a conflict of interest. A landlord may instruct a housing lawyer to issue court proceedings against their tenant in order to repossess the property.

Similarly, a tenant may instruct a housing lawyer to issue court proceedings against their landlord where the property is in a state of disrepair and the landlord has not adequately fixed the problems. Whatever the issue may be, a housing lawyer can offer you solutions.

What do housing lawyers do?

If an issue arises between a landlord and a tenant that they cannot settle between themselves, they may look to instruct a housing lawyer to resolve the issue for them by issuing court proceedings against the other party and essentially 'suing' them.

Housing lawyers represent the relevant party before, during and after court proceedings. On a day to day basis, the responsibilities of a Housing lawyer include preparing documents for court and collating information through thorough interviews in order to brief counsel.

Our advice: If you are a landlord or a tenant and you have an ongoing issue that remains unresolved it is worth looking into instructing a housing lawyer to help you get the results you want. If you are a tenant and you are worried about costs, you will be pleased to know that legal aid funding is available.

I found a property to purchase. Do I need a conveyancing lawyer?

Found a property to purchase? Congratulations! You are ready to start your conveyancing journey. The next step is to find a firm of solicitors who can help you with the conveyancing process.

I'm from the Oldham area - do I need to instruct a local solicitor to deal with my conveyancing Oldham transaction?

In short - no. Technology is so advanced these days that it gives the flexibility for solicitors to deal with transactions nationwide and not just from the local area.

For instance, you can choose Oldham conveyancing solicitors to begin your conveyancing work. AVRillo has a team of best conveyancing solicitors in all of the UK, including Coventry.

You will find that most solicitors have a case management system that allows them to conduct the conveyancing Oldham process electronically so there is no need to attend their offices in person for any reason as everything can be resolved via email or telephone.

This means that you are not limited when it comes to choosing a solicitor to guide you through the conveyancing Oldham process as they are able to conduct your transaction from anywhere in the UK and not just the Oldham area. It essentially boils down to personal preference and your service expectations. If you are the type of personal who is tech savvy you should have no issues dealing with solicitors further afield.

However, if you are looking for a more personal experience where you can swing by the office if you feel necessary, a local solicitor may be better suited to your needs if they can offer a more traditional service.

Whether you chose to instruct a local solicitor or not has no bearing on the speed of your conveyancing Oldham transaction, as all solicitors follow the same protocol which means that your transaction would progress at the same speed regardless of who you chose to instruct. Of course, there are variables to consider which could impact this.

An example would be the search provider that your solicitor uses to order your searches for the property. Due to covid, these searches could be delayed and could therefore slow down the transaction. It is important to note that this is circumstantial but is still something to bear in mind if you are looking for a speedy transaction.

Our advice: When it comes to instructing a solicitor to deal with your conveyancing Oldham transaction, you do not necessarily have to go with a local solicitor to get the best service. Many solicitors take on clients nationwide as they are able to conduct the conveyancing process electronically which can be appealing to the tech savvy. If not, a local solicitor may be best for you.