Should I use the solicitor my estate agent recommends?
This is a question we get asked all the time, and it’s a sensible one. When you’re selling or buying a home, choosing a solicitor feels like a big decision, and it’s natural to wonder whether a recommendation from your estate agent is really in your best interests.
The short answer is this. A good estate agent will never risk a sale by recommending a poor solicitor. The sale matters far more than any referral arrangement.
Let’s explain why.
Why estate agents recommend certain solicitors
Most estate agents work regularly with a small number of solicitors. That’s usually not random, and it’s rarely about convenience.
Agents recommend solicitors they know are responsive, organised, and experienced in handling local transactions. These are the solicitors who return calls, keep things moving, and communicate clearly when issues arise.
When a sale involves multiple parties, chains, surveys, and mortgage lenders, communication is everything. One slow or unresponsive solicitor can delay an entire chain.
Understanding how long it really takes to sell a house in Stamford helps explain why this matters so much. The legal stage is often where delays occur, and the solicitor you choose plays a huge role in how smoothly things progress.
You can read our full breakdown of the Stamford selling timeline here.
What about referral fees?
It’s no secret that some solicitors pay referral fees to estate agents. This is often what causes concern for sellers and buyers.
What’s important to understand is that referral fees are common across the industry and fully regulated. They don’t automatically mean a recommendation is a bad one.
A poor solicitor costs an estate agent far more than a referral fee ever earns. Delays, frustrated clients, fall throughs, and reputational damage simply aren’t worth it.
A good agent’s priority is a smooth, successful completion. Everything else comes second.
Can I choose my own solicitor?
Absolutely. You are never obliged to use a solicitor recommended by your estate agent.
If you already have a solicitor you trust, that’s completely fine. The key thing is making sure they are proactive, communicative, and experienced in residential transactions.
Problems usually arise when a solicitor is chosen purely on price, without considering service levels or availability. Conveyancing is not an area where the cheapest option always delivers the best outcome.
Why communication matters more than anything
In our experience, most delays don’t come from surveys or mortgage offers. They come from poor communication.
When solicitors don’t return calls, don’t update clients, or don’t respond promptly to other parties in the chain, momentum is lost. That’s when frustration sets in and risks increase.
This is why estate agents tend to recommend solicitors they know will engage properly with everyone involved.
How we approach solicitor recommendations at Eastaway Property
At Eastaway Property, independent estate agents in Stamford, we recommend solicitors based on experience, communication, and reliability in local transactions.
We work closely with solicitors who understand the local market, respond quickly, and appreciate the importance of keeping all parties informed.
Our focus is always on reducing delays, managing expectations, and helping transactions reach completion as smoothly as possible.
And if you’d rather use your own solicitor, that’s absolutely fine too. What matters most is that everyone is aligned and working toward the same goal.
So, should you use the solicitor your estate agent recommends?
In most cases, a recommendation from a good estate agent is made with the success of the sale in mind.
Ask questions. Understand why the recommendation is being made. And choose the option that gives you the most confidence.
If you’d like to talk through solicitor options or understand how this choice fits into your wider selling timeline, we’re always happy to have a straightforward conversation.
