A SOLICITOR has launched a “Zen” moving service which adds tips on mindfulness and meditation to the legal process of buying house.

Lucy Lafferty-Brown says Zen Move aims to eradicate unnecessary stress from the legal procedure as well as providing free tools and exercises to help clients approach a move more positively.

In addition to a “clutter-free” conveyancing service, customers are offered a free seven-week programme containing tools such as mindfulness training, meditation, moving plans and other tips to “reframe their experienced of moving stress”.

The Bournemouth-based lawyer, a partner at Chester & Co Solicitors, said she decided to launch Zen Move after seeing clients’ mental health suffer under stress.

“I have helped thousands of people move home and I know the strain it puts them under. Sadly, high stress and anxiety seem to have become accepted parts of the process – indeed accepted parts of life – but I don’t think that needs to be the case,” she said.

“For me, as both a solicitor and someone who practices meditation and mindfulness daily, I think the intersection of conveyancing and meditation makes complete sense because I know that meditation can change your relationship to stress.

“And while it might seem quite different or even uncertain to choose a conveyancer who talks about these things, it is clear to me that the old way is broken.”

A recent survey of 2,000 UK homeowners confirmed that moving house is one of the most stressful life events, surpassing having a baby, starting a new job, and getting married. The same survey also showed that some potential buyers are put off moving entirely due to the stress involved.

Ms Lafferty-Brown said: “I believe it is possible to stop stress ruining people’s moves or souring their first experiences of their new home. In fact, the effects of a stressful, badly managed move could go on for years.

“I want to restore the heart and soul of this process; to help my clients access meditation and mindfulness practices, as well as a host of practical tools and tips, to enable them to manage any stress and anxiety and reframe their experience of moving house as the joyous and exciting start to a new chapter in their lives that it ought to be.”