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First-time buyers pay the price for bad legal advice
3:05pm Wednesday 9th May 2001
First-time house buyers in Croydon have lost thousands of pounds by getting inadequate legal advice from solicitors offering special rates, it was revealed this week.
Investigations by Croydon Central MP, Geraint Davies, have shown that the enticement of lower fixed-interest rates for first-time buyers has sometimes led to a lower quality of service from legal firms.
Ms Jo Wood, an NHS employee from South Croydon, lost her job due to the stress of property problems and was left to pay almost £3,000 in fees because of legal incompetence.
As a first-time buyer two years ago, she purchased a first floor flat in a converted house on Brighton Road, with reduced rate advice from a leading high-street solicitor her estate agent recommended. She was given a copy of the lease, but the terms were not adequately explained.
It was only when she came to sell in April 2000, that the buyer's solicitor pointed out she had no access to the loft.
She said: �The way the lease was worded, I was trespassing if I went up to the loft and the freeholder could have access through my flat. I was totally unaware of this when I bought it.�
To complete the sale, she had to pay £2,500 for a deed of variation and extra additional costs. She also claims the stress of the situation caused her to under-perform at work and lose her job.
Despite writing eight letters to the firm, a year later she has yet to receive an explanation or apology.
Mr Davies added: �First-time buyers may only get half of the story from solicitors too busy to go into all the small print.
�No one can expect a person with no training to be able to read contracts composed entirely of complicated legal terminology.�
The Office for Supervision of Solicitors (OSS) regulates 8,000 solicitors in the UK, mediating when disputes cannot be settled amicably.
A spokesman said that first-time buyers should choose a solicitor carefully, using friend's or colleagues recommendations if possible.
OSS helpline 0845 608 6565.
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Prehistoric walk
The interesting brochure you can obtain from the car park at Foulshaw Moss says that more than several thousand years ago the Witherslack Mosses were part of an extensive wetland in what is now the Lyth Valley and on the flat ground west of the Kent Estuary. The Mosses - Meathop, Foulshaw and Nicols - are raised peat bogs brought about by sphagnum moss that draws up, acidifies, and holds water like a giant sponge, creating waterlogged conditions as it grows. Sphagnum grows from the tip, leaving the lower part to die. Waterlogging halts decay of these dead bits that build up and up over thousands of years, to form deep domed mounds of peat that are raised many feet above the surrounding ground. The Witherslack Mosses have dried out partly as a result of forestry and the invasion of scrub. Over time, drainage and peat cutting led to the loss of more wetland and now only significant fragments remain. Specialised peatbog flora and fauna have been unable to thrive because of the area being too shaded and too dry. Recently conifers have been removed and also masses of rhododendrons have been cleared. Hundreds of peat and plastic dams have been installed to bring about the ‘sponge’ effect of the peat. At Foulshaw, the remains of a 15ft to 16ft wide prehistoric trackway has been uncovered. This is believed to have been constructed in the mid-Bronze Age to allow people to cross the once huge wetland. Trunks of ash and birch were laid side by side and supported on logs. Foulshaw Moss is open to the public. Nichols Moss, a really squelchy one, is only suitable for a hundred yards or so before you encounter pathless very wet moss. It is a delight to stand and look ahead but as there is no walkway do not continue. Pause just on its edge from where you might spot red deer. Meathop is a lovely walk but only for those with a permit from Cumbria Wildlife Trust or if you are a member. The parking is difficult. After the first short grassy track, follow a wider track, left, that winds round right by a pasture and into fine conifer woodland. Beyond this a wide walkway takes you out some distance into the moss, from where you will spot all sorts of interesting lowly plants. To visit Foulshaw Moss, on the A590, it is best to approach the entrance from the direction of Kendal. If coming from the opposite direction continue on past the entrance and make use of the Levens underpass to make a U-turn and approach from the north. This avoids trying to make a right turn across a narrow section of the busy A-road. The entrance is not signposted until you have turned off the road. The entrance turn, a cart track, lies just before a large layby on a narrow section of the A-road. Just beyond the turn, stands a huge sign saying ‘Dual carriageway a mile ahead’. To approach the entrance, drive the dual carriageway at Levens until it ends. Continue a short distance along the two-way road and begin to signal your left turn. Watch out for the large sign ahead. If you reach the layby you have gone too far.
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- Restoration work is underway
- Bay walks guide condemns route change idea
- Elected park authority members debated
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