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.
