New real estate team to launch digital buy-to-let conveyancing service

A four-strong real estate team have joined the digital law firm arch.law to launch a new service for buy-to-let conveyancing.

The small team from the Birmingham office of law firm Harrison Clark Rickerbys (HCR) will be led by the head of real estate Martin McQueen (formerly HCR) to provide investment property acquisition services to UK and overseas investors.

The service called arch.ia focuses on the volume acquisition of new-build residential property and has created a new model known as ‘reverse plot sales’.

Instead of acting for the developer of a new-build scheme, arch.law will act for the buyers and in some cases as many as 100 at a time.

This new arch.ia technology can be used for clients to complete a digital onboarding process and ensure compliance and due diligence is carried out. For clients utilising the UK banking system arch.ia connect directly with their bank to effect quick exchanges.

Martin McQueen says the move to arch.law will enable the team to further develop its offering: “We are scaling up the national reach of the team to meet the increasing demand for new build investment property acting for the ultimate buyers of new build property on a volume basis.

“We enable economies to ensure each buyer receives a first-class service, but at a fraction of the cost. A key attraction for our team is the technology-enabled platforms arch.law provides together with a very attractive business model and way of working.”

arch.ia is typically engaged on 50-unit upward projects with values ranging from £100,000 to £700,000 plus, and from houses through to studio apartments and penthouses.

“We act for the investor but understanding the developer, the project and their combined goals ensures our buy to let clients can purchase off-plan, typically well within the developer’s exchange timescales. This enables arch.ia to stand out from our competitors as we identify and solve issues before the buyers – and often the developers – are even aware there was one,” adds McQueen.

This latest team acquisition brings together over 50 lawyers and advisors in the UK and Australia for arch.law with a core focus on providing leading technology with high-quality lawyers delivering legal solutions differently for its clients.

Andrew Leaitherland, founder and CEO of arch.law adds: “We’re delighted to welcome Martin and the new arch.ia team. We have taken a very traditional process of conveyancing for residential property investors and are delivering a different legal solution by combining great legal advisors with leading-edge technology solutions.”