Coveyancing Association chairman Eddie Goldsmith said the Help to Buy scheme was good news for conveyancers but firms were struggling to recruit quality staff to meet the extra demand.
He said: “The need for good staff is exacerbated by the added complexity of the conveyancing process required by the Help to Buy scheme.
“When hiring staff, our member firms are therefore being careful to hire those with the right expertise. The market is still depressed compared to the situation before the slump and firms can’t just take on a lot of foot soldiers.”
E.surv chartered surveyors director Richard Sexton said the government’s decision to bring forward the second phase of Help to Buy could result in continued valuation delays.
He said valuers could be struggling to keep up with demand for another year: “Anything that increases demand increases pressure on the valuation side.
“Help to Buy is going to be an additional challenge but it is happening so we have to deal with it.”
Lenders instructing valuers earlier on in the application process would help speed up valuations, he said.
As mortgage applications rose in the summer months, brokers reported a rise in waiting times for valuations, with clients waiting in some cases as long as three weeks.
