Importance of having a conveyancing lawyer do your conveyancing

Client B entered an unconditional contract to purchase a property and engaged Wollerman Shacklock Lawyers to undertake the conveyancing. We identified that the Vendor Statement was incomplete, outdated, and non-compliant with the Sale of Land Act 1962 (Vic), meaning the client could not make a fully informed decision and had the right to end the Contract.

Despite the vendor’s conveyancer insisting the contract was valid and continued threatening our client with loss of their deposit, we advised Client B of their legal rights and the vendor’s disclosure obligations. The client chose not to proceed without full information.

After continued correspondence with the Vendor’s Conveyancer, they hesitantly provided additional documents, which revealed undisclosed defective building works that the Vendor was aware of. We worked our magic and not surprisingly, the vendor immediately ceased the allegations and threats to our client and promptly returned the deposit and ended the contract without further word.

Result: Client B did not lose their deposit as the Conveyancer threatened they would and they did not purchase a property with costly defects, saving thousands of dollars.