Information for Financial Advisers

Ashfords are recommended by financial advisers across the country and are acknowledged by Financial Advisers and other firms of Solicitors for our experience and client care in this sector.

As you are aware, it is a requirement under SHIP that clients visit a solicitor in order to complete their Equity Release Scheme. At Ashfords, we are fully conversant with all of the products on the market and are invited to comment on the launch of new products at the developmental stage.

This enables us to give bespoke advice to clients as to the details of the particular Equity Release product that you have recommended and the legal obligations associated with it. It is not our remit to recommend products or discuss product suitability. We always refer clients to the adviser in this area.

From our 12 years of experience, we have found that clients prefer to work with financial advisers who work closely with a leading solicitor in a reputable firm as it provides added confidence in the Equity Release process.

We have a bespoke 'case tracker' for financial advisers that enables advisers to obtain the up-to-date position of the case from date of instructions to completion as well as highlighting any problems that may have arisen (missing deeds etc).

Why use Ashfords

Ashfords is the largest firm in the South-West and South-East and is proud to be one of the few law firms in the country to have a specialist Equity Release Team. Ashfords has a number of advantages over other firms:

• Ashfords' Equity Release Team has been involved with equity release schemes since 1997 and has a wealth of experience. Other law firms actually recommend potential equity release clients to us;
  
• Ashfords have co-founded ERSA (Equity Release Solicitor Alliance) being a group of established specialist solicitors which promoted the importance of specialism in equity release, echoing SHIP;
• due to our reputation in this area of law, clients often come to us when considering equity release before seeing the financial adviser;
• we are able to process cases efficiently and speedily. We aim to complete cases within 21 days from the issue of the offer;
• our fees are fixed and if a case does not complete we will not charge the clients fees (although we may ask for reimbursement of disbursements incurred, such as H M Land Registry searches);
• we have offices at a number of locations spread throughout the South-West, South-East and London. Our client coverage (at their choice) stretches from Penzance to London and beyond. Clients often use the appointment as an excuse for a long weekend in Somerset/ Devon or Cornwall. Clients are able to visit any of our offices for their signatures to be witnessed;
• for clients who are unable to attend our offices we have a national network of locum solicitors who can witness signatures, and who have agreed not to solicit work which may conflict with your work (wills etc);
• we are reputable top 100 law firm and are highly regarded and respected by both our clients and rival solicitors;
  
• we are one of the few firms to offer the full range of legal services from the traditional private client services to company commercial work. This means that if a client is using equity release to finance a divorce/purchase a property/extend a lease then we able to assist and advise and provide a full legal service for the client without them having to use several firms; and
  
• given the firm's size we have significant IT support and we are continually updating/improving our systems.