Deal Prevention Officers

Over the years, we’ve worked alongside some exceptional solicitors: calm, pragmatic legal professionals who understand that their role is not simply to flag risk, but to guide clients through it. They anticipate problems before they arise, offer balanced advice, and keep momentum in complex transactions. With the right legal team in place, deals progress smoothly, uncertainty is reduced, and clients feel supported rather than alarmed.

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen the opposite — and we even have an industry phrase for such individuals: behold the Deal Prevention Officer, or DPO for short.

A DPO approaches transactions defensively, focusing on protecting their own position rather than progressing their client’s. They raise technical points without proposing practical solutions. They circulate lengthy emails filled with worst-case scenarios, creating anxiety while offering no clear path forward. Momentum stalls, relationships strain, and what should be a considered process becomes unnecessarily adversarial.

We recently acted on the acquisition of a family house in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for a young entrepreneur. It was a straightforward freehold purchase, funded in part with a mortgage, and the building survey raised no concerns. Everything was progressing smoothly. The mortgage offer was in place, and we were preparing to exchange contracts.

Then, at the eleventh hour, our client’s lawyer raised an issue based on a benign but inaccurate line in the bank surveyor’s report. The surveyor, instructed by the lender for its own risk assessment, had described the top floor as an extension, when in fact it was original to the house. On paper, this harmless wording triggered alarm. Suddenly, we were dealing with claims by our client’s lawyer that the lender could withdraw funding post-exchange and refuse to provide funds to complete - a rather extreme interpretation that sent shockwaves through the transaction. And remember, the lender had already issued the formal mortgage offer.

In another case, we were acquiring a new-build penthouse apartment for a North American client who was unfamiliar with UK property processes. The solicitor had raised the usual leasehold enquiries and, upon receiving the responses, called to say she had uncovered a “very serious issue” that the client needed to consider.

The concern? The NHBC warranty - the national house builders’ guarantee covering major structural defects, had eight years remaining, rather than the statutory ten, issued at practical completion of the development. What would happen, she asked, if a major defect emerged in year nine?

Of course, this would be true of any new-build property purchased two years after completion. And in reality, in the rare cases in Prime Central London, where serious construction issues are going to arise, it’s almost inconceivable that they would reveal themselves after the best part of a decade. What was presented as a critical risk was simply the passage of time.

Once again, the problem wasn’t that the issue was identified; it was that it was framed without context, hierarchy, or practical perspective.

This is exactly where having a good, commercially minded property lawyer matters.

Experienced property solicitors understand proportionality. Not every issue is fatal. Many can be addressed quickly through clarification, indemnity insurance, or pragmatic drafting. The best lawyers distinguish between genuine red flags and routine London conveyancing realities. They prioritise effectively, advise clearly, and focus on solutions.

At this level of the market, legal advice should de-risk the process, not inflame it. The strongest solicitors operate as part of a wider professional team. They communicate commercially, work collaboratively with agents and advisers, and keep sight of the client’s end goal. They don’t hide behind technical language or default to alarmism. Instead, they provide perspective, reassurance, and practical routes forward.

From our perspective, the difference is profound. With the right lawyer, transactions feel measured and controlled. With the wrong one, even simple deals can become exhausting.

That’s why we take great care in introducing clients to solicitors who combine technical excellence with commercial judgement; professionals who understand Prime Central London and recognise that their role is to enable outcomes, not merely highlight risks.

If you’re considering a purchase or sale in Prime Central London and would like some impartial advice or to hear more about our services, please contact us at [email protected]

Back to Insights

You may also be interested in

• Author Alex Woodleigh-Smith
• Share