Dealing with the other side’s solicitors - UPDATE

fannyanna

I’m getting a bit frustrated with our seller’s solicitors. Last week we called the estate agent three times asking them to chase the solicitors and it would seem that they didn’t.

Would I be able to contact the sellers solicitors myself or is it not the done thing (and I have to carry on relying on our solicitor / the estate agent)?

pinkteapot

It's not really done I'm afraid.

Normally the EA is motivated to push things along as they only get their fee on completion. Sounds like you might have a bit of a dud.

Is your solicitor being helpful in chasing things up?

What stage are you at? Why did you chase three times last week?

fannyanna

pinkteapot wrote: »

It's not really done I'm afraid.

Normally the EA is motivated to push things along as they only get their fee on completion. Sounds like you might have a bit of a dud.

Is your solicitor being helpful in chasing things up?

What stage are you at? Why did you chase three times last week?

Thank you. I didn't think it would be the done thing but I thought I'd ask

We're 11 weeks into a purchase of a freehold house that has no chain (we've already sold our property and the current owner will move in with family).

Nearly 4 weeks ago our solicitor sent enquiries to the other side and we're still waiting for a response. That's why we were calling the estate agent last week (to get them to chase for us). They kept on telling us we'd have responses by the end of last week but we didn't.

I spoke to my solicitor this morning and apparently last Monday the sellers solicitor had to revert back to the seller regarding the enquiries. So it's now back with the seller. If the estate agent had of actually chased when we asked they would have known that we wouldn't actually be getting the responses yet.

go_cat

Can you contact the sellers direct and see where they're at?

Dave_Ham

go_cat wrote: »

Can you contact the sellers direct and see where they're at?

Spot on - it will be the sellers holding this up rather than just the sellers solicitors.

Whilst you cannot chase their solicitors, you can and I would be chasing them - you may want to check there is nothing in the background and they are not just deliberately slowing things down...

bOingball

I've been at that stage before with my Vendors solicitors when I was buying in 2010.

I did end up ringing the reception of the Vendors solicitors asking to check if they where still awake... had received stuff (They missed off a form needed and took 3 weeks to get it sorted in the end.)

At the time I didn't know you shouldn't chase them but I was getting a little narked at the time.

All worked out in the end :j

So just wait or ask your Solicitor for an update with them.

bOing

fannyanna

It's actually the solicitors rather than the seller. We had a similar problem at the beginning. The seller had completed all the forms and it took a good few weeks for his solicitor to actually forward them on.

fannyanna

My solicitor has just sent an email to the other solicitor (actually I think they're a conveyancing firm) chasing them and making it clear that they need to get a move on :j

The estate agent should also be chasing them this morning so hopefully they'll get the picture.

G_M

The other side's solicitors are actually not allowed to discuss anything with you. It would be professional misconduct. They can only discuss matters with their client (the seller) or their professional counterpart (your solicitor).

But if the seller's solicitor is being slow/fogetting things etc, then the seller can certainly chase them/give them a rocket up the backside, and there is nothing stopping you from calling the seller direct, or getting the EA to do so.

girl_withno_name

I was in a similar position last week - having been told the week before that we could exchange early in the week... then not hearing anything and nobody providing information on why there was a delay. I chased the EA and our solicitor (who seemed reluctant to actually find out what was going on), but noone seemed to have any details of the delay and what we were still waiting on. I definitely considered contacting their solicitor, but I figured that it may have a direct impact on us but (as G_M says) they wouldn't tell us anything!

So I contacted the EA and our solicitor again, setting out that if exchange is delayed passed tomorrow then completion will have to wait until mid-October... and suddenly everything should be in place to exchange tomorrow now!

jlh7

I feel for you Fannyanna!

We had an offer accepted on a house end of April, and what should have been a simple transaction (we are chain free, Vendor is buying somewhere chain free) is dragging on... Still no closer to completion and I have to be out of my rented house by 5th October (Section 21!).

It seems to be the Seller's Solicitor who is holding everything up, made even mores stressful becuase our mortgage providor is HSBC - we haven't even got to the stage where they can drag their feet because we don't have all the documents to them! We are harassing our solicitor/ EA frequently, but they seem to not know what to do to speed things along further!

I would suggest you get in touch with the Buyers, because I am sure if they knew their solicitors were being so rubbish they would be horrified.

Hang in there though, believe me, I understand your worries