birchallblackburn.co.uk

Poor communication, sloppy work, avoid.

As a first-time buyer, I relied heavily on clear and professional guidance throughout this process; regrettably, the service I received fell short of reasonable expectations, particularly given the fees charged. There were two key instances when my solicitor was absent without prior notice, which caused delays and stress. The first absence occurred when we believed we were ready to exchange contracts. I only discovered her unavailability when I emailed her and received an out-of-office reply. During this period, I would have expected Birchall Blackburn to arrange for cover to proactively contact me, but that was not the case, and I had to reach out to generic Birchall Blackburn inboxes before being connected with another colleague. While this cover was eventually more responsive than my original solicitor, I was unable to act on missing documents immediately, as I was abroad, and had previously been assured by my solicitor that no further postal documents were required. The second absence occurred the day before we were due to complete the purchase. Again, no alternate contact was provided, and I had to reach out to the previous cover to be put in touch with two colleagues. Overall, my solicitor's responsiveness was inconsistent. At the start, replies were slow. Following my feedback via a phone call to another colleague, responsiveness briefly improved before deteriorating again. Important documents were often sent combined into large files, with titles that differed from her instructions, making it difficult for me as a first-time buyer to identify what was required. On at least one occasion, her email and letter instructions conflicted, resulting in additional postage costs and unnecessary stress. In addition, where documents were shared via the firm’s online portal, there was a comments box intended for questions and clarifications. On multiple occasions, I left queries in this space, but they were never addressed, and I had to follow up by email instead. This added unnecessary effort and frustration to an already challenging process. Furthermore, the financial statements provided contained errors. The initial statement double-counted the gift fee, and a subsequent statement omitted certain costs, which I only became aware of the day before completion. The cumulative effect of these issues was a prolonged, stressful process, with a no-chain property sale taking five months to complete.Now, over 4 weeks following completion, I still have not received the indemnity insurance document that I paid for. Worryingly, I have also received a letter from HMRC requesting that I pay the stamp duty tax, the exact amount of which was factored into the mortgage taken from the lender, and should have been paid by the solicitor.I am also yet to received a response from Birchall Blackburn about my complaint, which was submitted to them formally on the 12th September. Their initial reply said to expect a response by the 7th November, which does not convey to me that they take these shortcomings, nor my experience as a client, seriously.I cannot recommend this solicitor. Avoid.

Date of experience: Sep 12, 2025