Does this seem unreasonable .. Solicitor 5 weeks to reply to question.

Dumpydoodle

Hi,

Just looking for a bit if advice really re my purchase, as to whether a solicitor should be able to respond to questions asked, by me during the sale process, or if i have to wait for all her work to be complete. I don't think I'm being unreasonable here, but please correct me if you think I am.

I instructed my solicitor at the end if June, and said right at the beggining, that there are some important relevant things I need to know ASAP, before the sale gets too progressed, as this may be the decieding factor on whether I buy the property or not, one of them being, can I sublet it, as I plan to rent it out. I have asked/chased the secretary a few times and, the solicitor direct,for this answer and the reply was, just that I won't know this until I get the lease pack. It's taken five weeks, to get that answer, and they Just carried on with searches as normal, before I even knew if i was buying it. Surely this is something that should have been checked by a phone call to the sellers solicitor, to avoid abortive costs for me in the early stages.

Other questions I have also asked, have also gone answered, and i have done a lot of the reasearch myself from the local coucil and environment agency, resulting in Finding out about contaminated land, landfill etc along the way.

Today however, after very little communication with my solicitor, I receive the big bumper pack of photocopied stuff, searches, etc, with a request to sign the forms ASAP for exchange, if I'm happy with everything, and can they have the 12,000 deposit to do the exchange.i just thought what a liberty, as Im not even sure I want this place yet, as its making me a bit suspicious that the two other flats in the same block, sold at the same time, by the same seller, have fallen though, with buyers involved considerably already re surveys and solicitors fees etc. im just a bit worried there's something I don't know about but feel I'm now being rushed along.

I have a feeling they wanted to get all the stuff out to me, as a job finished, full fee now due sort of thing.

pmlindyloo

So, are your questions answered by the information that you have received now?

Did you specifically advise the solicitor not to proceed with searches etc until the sub letting question was answered? Did you get this in writing?

Look at your contract with your solicitor. There should be information about how to make a complaint. There should also be information about what fees are due if you do not proceed. If you do not proceed and you think they are charign too much because they did not answer the important questions at the beginning then make a complaint.

We paid a small fee to prevent a big fee if everything fell through - some sort of insurance - did you have this option?

Depending on whether you were specific about your instructions you may or not have cause for complaint.

Hopefully, having read the pack you will now have your answers.

G_M

Your solicitor would beunabletoansweryour Q till he received the lease, and/or management info pack.

This could well have taken 5 weeks.

A phone call to the sellers solicitor would have been met with "I refer you to the lease which will be sent to you shortly."

If you specifically instructed your solicitor, in writing, not to incur any expences or undertake any other work on your file until this information was received, then he should not have done so, and, if you now withdraw from the purchase, you could decline to pay for those costs.

You donotsay what the other questions were, but I assume these were answered in the 'big bumper pack' - so that's OK. Guy is doing his job.

I have a feeling they wanted to get all the stuff out to me, as a job finished, full fee now due sort of thing.

errr... yes! That's their job! To 'get all the stuff out to you'!

And having done so, they can now move tothe next stage, Exchange, which involves money.....

What do you expect?

Dumpydoodle

pmlindyloo wrote: »

So, are your questions answered by the information that you have received now?

Did you specifically advise the solicitor not to proceed with searches etc until the sub letting question was answered? Did you get this in writing?

Look at your contract with your solicitor. There should be information about how to make a complaint. There should also be information about what fees are due if you do not proceed. If you do not proceed and you think they are charign too much because they did not answer the important questions at the beginning then make a complaint.

We paid a small fee to prevent a big fee if everything fell through - some sort of insurance - did you have this option?


Depending on whether you were specific about your instructions you may or not have cause for complaint.

Hopefully, having read the pack you will now have your answers.

Thanks for your reply, I did make it clear that I needed that answer before we progressed, but not in writing, just verbally, I didn't want to Make a nuscience of myself by keep ringing, and trusted i would be getting the answer soon, as I had chased it a few times., i didn't unfortunately have the option of paying the fee to cover me if the sale fell through, so I'm guessing they will require the full fee. I don't really have the energy to go through a complaint, but I may have to.

Thrugelmir

Dumpydoodle wrote: »

Thanks for your reply, I did make it clear that I needed that answer before we progressed,

Would have been advisable for you to to pursue this line of enquiry directly. Given your question was so specific.

Dumpydoodle

G_M wrote: »

Your solicitor would beunabletoansweryour Q till he received the lease, and/or management info pack.

This could well have taken 5 weeks.

A phone call to the sellers solicitor would have been met with "I refer you to the lease which will be sent to you shortly."

If you specifically instructed your solicitor, in writing, not to incur any expences or undertake any other work on your file until this information was received, then he should not have done so, and, if you now withdraw from the purchase, you could decline to pay for those costs.

You donotsay what the other questions were, but I assume these were answered in the 'big bumper pack' - so that's OK. Guy is doing his job.

errr... yes! That's their job! To 'get all the stuff out to you'!

And having done so, they can now move tothe next stage, Exchange, which involves money.....

What do you expect?

I'm not sure if you misunderstood my post, but I have no problem paying, but for a decent service, not to be completely ignored the whole way through the process, then suddenly receive a demand to move it all along ASAP and sign forms, when I'm still undecided if I am gong to buy it.

And I have a feeling they know they have been unnatentive, as the secretary was explaining the delay last week, then said herself" that's no excuse for it though. It's like there was a sudden rush to send all the stuff out to me as, I has asked what I owed them up to date for works done. i felt they were sending it to look like they had done a lot if work all a sudden and efficiently and the full cost will be due. Still questions have not been answered, one simple one being are pets allowed, or what is in lease. Also are all flats privately owned, or an allocation to social housing. Among others.

Dumpydoodle

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Would have been advisable for you to to pursue this line of enquiry directly. Given your question was so specific.

How could I have done this please, in the documents the solicitor sent, it says," do not rely on answers to questions,from the estate agent or seller unless in writing. There's no way I could have seen them doing that.

Off_PeakReturn

Dumpydoodle, please remember that you are paying good money to this solicitor and that he/she are supposed to be working on your behalf. It is not a case of you being a nuisance - you have the right to ask questions and to receive adequate answers to those questions.

If you feel that you are being bamboozled and your doubts are great then perhaps it would behove you to stop the process now. Remember that you are in the driving seat - not the solicitor.

Good luck.

OPR