Grr - I hate solicitors (Rant)

g.smith2008

We are selling our maisonette & now a week before completion our buyers solicitor has a problem with our lease, it doesn't state who is responsible for repair & maintenance...the other 27 properties in the road all have the same lease (1963) When we bought the property in 2006 the sellers took out an Indemnity Insurance which covered it, the property we are buying has 2 indemnity policies for the property but our buyers solicitor will not accept we take out the policy. Can anyone advise us as to why he won't accept a policy when it seems like it is common practice?

Jeffrey_Shaw

The policy does not fix the problem; it merely applies a bandage to it.
A 1963 lease is almost certainly not 'market standard' nowadays. Have contracts been exchanged yet?

g.smith2008

We are due to exchange any day....There have been 23 sales in our street in 10 years all with the same lease.

Jeffrey_Shaw

So, as contracts have not been exchanged, no-one is yet legally bound. It's therefore not "a week before completion".

g.smith2008

We were all aiming to complete for this week but because the solicitor has highlighted this problem the paperwork has been kind of put on the back burner a bit....It doesn't matter if we have exchanged or not or got a completion date or not we are asking advise in regards to how we overcome the problem raised.

Jeffrey_Shaw

You cannot force P to accept the title offered, even with the benefit of the policy.

g.smith2008

I know we cannot force him/her too but I wondered if anybody else has had this experience and if so what they done to overcome it.....The buyer does wish to proceed but has stated he must take the advice of his solicitor which is fair enough.