Letters roundup - 30 November 2020

Completing on the money

Quite often, when we have completions (and it seems much more prevalent now than in years gone by), we are left waiting until after 2pm for money to wind its way up the chain of conveyancing transactions before we can send it out on the purchase side.  

Between 11am and 2pm, we have to field calls from anxious clients whose removers have loaded up while they are left outside their new home, unable to get keys. For a small firm like ours, logging in and out of the bank account every 10 minutes to see if funds have arrived is also time-consuming and counterproductive.

Surely, the time has come for the standard conditions of sale to include a ‘money transfer date’ – this being one working day before the ‘completion date’ fixed in the contract.

Funds would be held to order throughout the chain overnight (clauses in the standard conditions would define the responsibilities of this), and by simply calling or emailing to release those funds the next morning from the lower end to the top, completion would be effected. This could be as early as 9am. No hanging around for funds, no irate clients facing by-the-hour removal charges for waiting, and a more satisfying client experience.

In most cases, there will be an extra day’s mortgage interest to pay. But I do not know any client who would object to paying that in exchange for having a smooth experience on the day, no remover’s penalties to pay and, at this time of year, not needing to move into their new home in the dark.

By all means, someone destroy my argument, but we should be giving clients the best experience they can achieve. It is already stressful enough for them without their completion day being a totally forgetful and painful time.

Tony Crosby

Director, Yarwood Stimpson Ltd, Whitley Bay

Male voices silenced

I could not believe that Lisa King, communications director at Refuge, would make such a mistake in stating that: ‘No survivor should ever have her voice silenced’. ‘Her’ voice. This is precisely the assumption that leads to male sufferers of domestic abuse being left in the shadows without support and thinking no one would believe them. This is 2020 and although Ms King’s charity focuses on women, it is unacceptable to portray this as a problem only women face. Thousands of men suffer and deserve to have their voices heard.  

Becky McConnell

Lincoln

Disney matter

Referring to the report that cartoon characters (including Minnie Mouse) had been on the list to appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, presumably such errors would not have been of concern to the judges, assuming they followed the legal maxim of ‘De Minnie Mouse non curat lex’.

Adrian Brodkin

London N2

Support for the falsely accused

I am annoyed that Liam Allan implied there is no support group for those falsely accused of sex offences (False accusations victim plans defendant support service). The False Allegations Support Organisation UK has been supporting those falsely accused of sex offences and child protection issues for 19 years. We give information on how the system works and a listening ear – like the Samaritans, victim support and the CAB, but in our own specialism. We do not get funding and our helpline workers do a marvellous job.

Margaret Gardener

FASO UK CEO, Newport, Wales

The British False Memory Society (BFMS) is a national charity which has been supporting the falsely accused since 1993. In fact, I’m attending the second week of a criminal trial in London this week. Several members are involved in legal proceedings – with four cases listed at Crown court. Over the last few years we have been involved in 26 cases resulting in no further action. We had three not-guilty verdicts in separate, non-related Crown court trials in 2015. Another case was dismissed with formal not-guilty verdicts in 2016 just before it was to go to trial. In 2017, a jury returned not-guilty verdicts in Crown court. One of our members successfully overturned the convictions of her partner on the third appearance in the Court of Appeal last year. Overall, the BFMS has been contacted by over 3,700 individuals seeking support following false memory-type allegations. We are as busy as ever with a string of new cases.

Dr Kevin Felstead

Director of communications, BFMS, Stockport