How often is too often to contact solicitor?

Moonraker71

I am really stressed. Was hoping to exchange contracts more than 2 weeks ago, but there is an issue with building regs for the place I'm buying (no completion certificate).

My sol is a lovely person and, I'm sure, highly competent. But I have now had no update for a week as to what's going on, only a brief email on Monday to say it is 'being looked into' and a slightly patronising line about how they will be in touch when there is something to actually tell me and not before.

I have deliberately not contacted them all this week but it's killing me. My sellers want to complete next Friday and we haven't even exchanged yet. My buyers are pressing me for information and the fact that they will be homeless on the 6th Sept if things aren't sorted by then is not helping.

I want to push my solicitor, but I don't want to get her back up even further. I'm normally very assertive, but in this situation I feel kind of meek for some ridiculous reason, and also like it might backfire.

Don't really know what I'm asking here. Just need to rant. I just find it unfathomable that things take so long. My solicitor and my seller's solicitor are on the same street, three doors apart! I feel like marching down there, dragging them both out the building, cling-filming them to neighbouring lamp posts and forcing them at gunpoint to talk to each other. I have done absolutely everything I've been asked to do, within an hour of being asked, and it infuriates me that my legal bill is so far standing at close to £2,500 and I'm still here, 17 weeks into the process, without a clue what's going on.

Anyway, thanks for listening fellow house movers :mad:

pops5588

Harrass them!!! If they don't like it, they got into the wrong business!!! You are paying them, they are working for you. And I don't know about anyone else but for £2,500 I would expect a lot more than some sarky emails and a week of silence. You're paying over double what we did!

ACG

2 ways of looking at this...
The vendors can moan all they like, but if they had done the necessary paperwork when doing the building work this issue wouldnt have arisen.

On the other hand, your paying your solicitor to do a job and i think if you havnt contacted them for a week then you are more than overdue an update of some description. If you have to chase them for an update, then thats their fault for not coming back to you or giving you a timescale - saying when there is an update isnt acceptable as that could be a day a week a month or year.

moneyistooshorttomention

Sympathies.

I'm in "extra time" scenario right now.

The gawdgivemepatience thing is down to a teeny little thing that my vendor has only had about 9 months to sort out:(:mad::(

Trying hard to remind myself to be glad that I am just so much more efficient than other people generally and am not convincing myself right at this present moment in time.:(

Moonraker71

I know, I know. I agree with both of you. Just looked at their terms of business and says this:

"It is important that you understand that we will only contact you where it is necessary for us to do so, for example when we are in a position to update you on your matter. We shall therefore not contact you where there is nothing to report."

It stinks really.

pops - current bill stands at £2397 - that is for sale, purchase, all disbursements, VAT etc. They were cheaper than others down here, but still extortionate. And they charge an extra fee on top if they have to exchange and complete in a week.

Going to contact them now. **** it!

ACG

forget the disbursments and vat - the solicitor doesnt get any of that.

I use a solicitor for about 75% of my clients... i dont take a kick back and i even get it slightly reduced in order to give my clients an incentive to use them, the reason being is she makes my life a hell of a lot easier.

I could earn an extra £50 on kick backs but if i have the choice of £50 or 1 less headache - i choose the 1 less headache every time.

With solicitors its difficult as you generally dont use them on a daily basis so to find a good one is hard but once you do - you will find you use them for everything, especially after you have one who is awkward or useless.

Windsorcastle

I share your pain!! It is my buyer's solicitor who is a total waste of space and has lied/avoided phone calls/emails from the buyer, my solicitor, the EA and anyone else, for weeks and weeks. We were due to exchange last Friday and he waited until the late afternoon that day to say that he had only just looked at out replies to enquiries (sent to him 3 weeks previously) and was now raising 4 further queries! Then we answered those and were all set to exchange tomorrow and now he has said that his secretary (ie. HIMSELF) forgot to send a fax to the lender a week ago to check they were still happy to lend following a previous subsidence problem. So who knows whether we will finally exchange tomorrow.

My own solicitor is better but also not great at communicating. Like you, I am very frustrated because I have done everything I have been asked to do immediately - returning documents, etc - in the hope this might speed things up. But I needn't have bothered because solicitors will act in their own sweet time and no faster.

I feel that I have had to cajole my own solicitor constantly and have also been made to feel a bit of a nuisance. But you are paying the solicitor a considerable sum of money and you have every right to chase them. If you don't feel confident to phone, then email them as I do - I find that usually elicits a response whereas phoning means I get fobbed off by a secretary.

Conveyancing is a total nightmare and unfortunately there are too many incompetent/lazy solicitors out there who make it even more stressful.

Try to stay calm and hopefully you'll get there in the end. Good luck!

jazzyjustlaw

If everyone calls the solicitor then they spend all their time on the phone and not progressing matters. As they say they will let you know of anything you need to know when it happens!

Windsorcastle

jazzyjustlaw wrote: »

If everyone calls the solicitor then they spend all their time on the phone and not progressing matters. As they say they will let you know of anything you need to know when it happens!

This is what solicitors always say but a 2 minute phone call every few days hardly impacts them. Everyone who works in an office job gets phone calls interrupting them - it's all part and parcel of the job, and most of us still manage to get our work done to time. Solicitors think they are a special breed, and they like clients to be in awe of them so they are left in peace!

Moonraker71

The thing is, I have only called her twice in 17 weeks. Twice! (I normally email which is her stated preference, and even then I've only emailed her four times in total, just checked - well, five now if you count the one I've just sent). So I can hardly be accused of being a nuisance, I don't think, which is what I'm being made to feel.

ACG

jazzyjustlaw wrote: »

If everyone calls the solicitor then they spend all their time on the phone and not progressing matters. As they say they will let you know of anything you need to know when it happens!

Its just bad service!

I give my clients timescales for everything... i always give myself a grace period so it very rarely extends beyond the date given but if it does i contact my client - if im busy i will drop them an email just to say no update but i will be in touch within in a few days or if not too busy or the client is "a worrier" then i will give them a call and just explain in more depth.

An email takes me probably not even a minute, infact if i wanted i could have a pre made template.

There is no need for it at all. If the solicitor is too busy ask their pa/secretary to do it... being proactive with these things saves you a lot of time in the long run.