27 questions!!!

80schild

Well my buyers solicitor finally ot in touch with my solicitor with his enquiries and there are 27 in total. I only got asked 12 of them so assume the solicitor could answer the rest, but OMG extreme or what??
They were things like 'can you confirm you will inform United Utilities of change of ownership' and 'Can you confirm you will take a final meter reading'. Talk about coverin their backs but at least there was nothing I couldn't answer so hopefully we move onto the exchange stage soon!!!

ovoreo

You do realise this is all quite normal! I previously brought an older property that appeared to have an extension with no planning permission. I had way more than 27 questions in order to get to the bottom of it!!

Jenniefour

Perfectly normal - solicitors job to make sure everything is in order prior to exchange. I would be worried about a solicitor who didn't ask questions.

Marvel1

When I bought my house, I received the homebuyer report or something like it and there was a lot more than 27 questions in it, I didn't ask it but my solicitor and I'm glad they did.

80schild

I do understand solicitors need to be thorough but most of the answers to the questions, I had already given in the sellers information form-things like who supplies gas and electricity and the phone line!

MegaMiniMouse

Jenniefour wrote: »

Perfectly normal - solicitors job to make sure everything is in order prior to exchange. I would be worried about a solicitor who didn't ask questions.

Normal or not, he content of the questions which the OP specifies are absurd, and are simply a waste of words

In medieval times, lawyers were paid according to the number of words they used in the deeds which they drafted

The conveyancing industry has hardly moved forward in the intervening centuries

MMM

80schild

MegaMiniMouse wrote: »

Normal or not, he content of the questions which the OP specifies are absurd, and are simply a waste of words

In medieval times, lawyers were paid according to the number of words they used in the deeds which they drafted

The conveyancing industry has hardly moved forward in the intervening centuries

MMM

Exactly-if they were related to important issues like boundries, right of way or building regulations then I could understand but holding up exchange for the sake of asking things like whether I will get a meter reading and if I will notify utilities of change of ownership is a bit extreme!

Richard_Webster

Problem is that buyers come back to solicitors afterwards with all kinds of things like "I thought they were supposed to read the meter..." So some of the questions can be annoying but they are often there out of bitter experience of things that have gone wrong later. So I ask if the "included" fittings and chattels are the same ones as those viewed by the buyer and not substituted items so there could have been some fancy chandelier type light fittings in the lounge and they were replaced by a more basic "light fitting".

The law Society are trying to stop solicitors asking lots of extra questions. This is all very well but the result is we often spend ages explaining to clients why we didn't ask particular questions after something goes wrong and frankly we've better things to do/ In most cases the questions asked can be answered quite simply and maybe the answers are often predictable, but the reason for asking is to catch the odd case where the answers are not predictable.

MegaMiniMouse

Richard_Webster wrote: »

Problem is that buyers come back to solicitors afterwards with all kinds of things like "I thought they were supposed to read the meter..." So some of the questions can be annoying but they are often there out of bitter experience of things that have gone wrong later. So I ask if the "included" fittings and chattels are the same ones as those viewed by the buyer and not substituted items so there could have been some fancy chandelier type light fittings in the lounge and they were replaced by a more basic "light fitting".

The law Society are trying to stop solicitors asking lots of extra questions. This is all very well but the result is we often spend ages explaining to clients why we didn't ask particular questions after something goes wrong and frankly we've better things to do/ In most cases the questions asked can be answered quite simply and maybe the answers are often predictable, but the reason for asking is to catch the odd case where the answers are not predictable.

I just love the phrase 'fittings and chattels'! It makes my point very nicely... lol

MMM

neverdespairgirl

MegaMiniMouse wrote: »

Normal or not, he content of the questions which the OP specifies are absurd, and are simply a waste of words

In medieval times, lawyers were paid according to the number of words they used in the deeds which they drafted

The conveyancing industry has hardly moved forward in the intervening centuries

MMM

Scriveners, not lawyers.