The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

House_owner

So ready to exchange now for both my sale and purchase - completion date agreed with seller and their solicitor, but not been able to exchange because my solicitor has not been able to contact my buyers solicitor. Was hoping to exchange last week with completion next week, but if the buyers solicitor doesn't communicate soon, will have to move that date as it will be difficult to book removals. Feeling so frustrated....!

toniq

House_owner said:

So ready to exchange now for both my sale and purchase - completion date agreed with seller and their solicitor, but not been able to exchange because my solicitor has not been able to contact my buyers solicitor. Was hoping to exchange last week with completion next week, but if the buyers solicitor doesn't communicate soon, will have to move that date as it will be difficult to book removals. Feeling so frustrated....!

Exactly the same situation with us, our solicitor ready to exchange theirs uncontactable on Friday.

E_D_FTB

scottie21 said:

Soooo…call from solicitor today, plan is to exchange next week, complete 30/9 eeek!!! 

I’ve sorted van hire, and husband has the week off work. (I’m only working Tuesday & Wednesday).
We just need NatWest to process this mortgage application, it everything else seems lined up and good to go. I have the transfer forms etc to sign and have been given a draft completion statement, so it really does feel like we are nearly there!! 

Delighted for anyone who has had news, and have everything crossed for anyone who is waiting. 

This group has kept me sane the last few weeks. 

13 sleeps to go!! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Congratulations! Looks like we'll be completion day buddies!

milla

arrows123 said:

HopeAndDriftWood said:

arrows123 said:

Newdrake88 said:

HopeAndDriftWood said:

lol Newdrake88 said:

Question, has anyone asked their solicitor To bypass enquiries?  My solicitor says they are pretty standard ones and couple which are more complex but will be covered with an indemnity policy (shock horror) 

I am happy to pay for the indemnity policies myself, anyone any experience of this?

We asked, but we were told a mortgage lender wouldn't agree, so it'd only be an option if we could buy in cash. 

It may well depend what the enquiries were, though. Our purchase ones have been pretty straightforward, I think there's been three. Our sale has had loads.

Majority of them seem to be around land registry covenants, one asking when the drive was put in, some incomplete questions on fixtures forms 

my solicitor said they are pretty standard except the land registry one but again he said indemnity covers these 

I don’t know I’m just fed up now and maybe clutching at straws 😞😞😞

I’m the same, two indemnity policies asked for one relating to original conveyance from 120 years ago and another about a missing gas safe certificate for a new boiler fitted 7 years ago. I’ve asked if these are 100% required or just nice to have. The first issue seems to have been cleared up and I’ve told the solicitor I’m happy to pay the other indemnity which they’ve found for me for £50. Was told they are needed as I have a mortgage. I guess I should be pleased solicitors are acting on my behalf and trying their best for me not to have to pay but arguing over £50 seems a little crazy considering the cost of the house! 

Can you not download the Gas Safety Certificate? We had to do that - just put in the address that the boiler was installed at, and you get the certificate for £6 or so, immediately via email and then by post a few days later. 

Unless it doesn't have a Gas Safety Certificate because it wasn't installed by a competent engineer, but you'd have thought they'd want it servicing rather than a £50 indemnity policy in that case! 

I’ll check this out thanks! It was serviced and has a certificate for that but the solicitor is asking for one for the install!?

When I moved last year I had this and couldn't find it .All the service records AND  certificate of install were part of the instructions manual at the back !I had been looking for a separate piece of paper .
Good luck ..

Duck345

Hi all

Long time lurker here and just getting a bit deflated with my purchase so thought I'd join this thread.

We're FTB buying a no chain freehold house, our timeline is

27/05 Offer accepted
02/06 Solictor instructed - searches paid for and started
23/06 Mortgage offer received
?12/08 Searches back (definitely back but not sure of the date, it mightve even been a later date)
20/08 Draft contract pack received from seller

I had to ask the estate agent multiple times to chase up the draft contract pack. Apparently the vendor's solicitor hadn't recorded their payment on file so weren't working on her case. The vendor had in fact paid her solicitor fees so they finally sent it to our solicitors.

The reason I'm feeling deflated is because our solicitor hasnt seemed to raise any enquiries yet? Is this due to the late arrival of the draft contract pack do you think?

Our solicitor is now on holiday for a few weeks. When I've emailed and asked about when the enquiries will be raised, I've had a vague email back from whoever is covering our case and the email is giving me the impression that none have been raised as of yet which worries me.

Is it normal for the solicitors leave it this long to raise enquiries? I know it's different for everyone but how long did your enquiries take to be answered?

Thanks for any insight!

HopeAndDriftWood

@arrows123 Yeah ours did too... Our installation record was in the back of the manual, like @Milla said. Our vendor couldn't find his, so we downloaded both from the Gas Safety Record... it was installed three years ago, they had both the service record and the installation record. I'm not sure how far back it goes! But it was £6, and easy.

@Duck345 Some solicitors will wait for the draft contract pack to be in, before they raise enquiries - especially if the pack has everything in. Our vendor sent the contract separately from the pack, so we had a wait for the contract, but did raise enquiries in the meantime... 

How long it takes is probably a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question, it really depends how on it your solicitor and theirs is. Our first round of enquiries took three days and we were told that all enquiries were then satisfied, but we've then had a change of solicitors (four times... first took holiday and then personal leave, second went off sick, third was a director, now with our fourth...) and the new solicitor has reopened enquiries, which we've been waiting for responses to for two weeks now. Although given our solicitor has no idea what's going on even on things we're CC'd on, it's quite possible they're sitting in her inbox... 

It might be that your solicitor wants to try and raise all enquiries together, to stop the back-and-forth. 

E_D_FTB

toniq said:

House_owner said:

So ready to exchange now for both my sale and purchase - completion date agreed with seller and their solicitor, but not been able to exchange because my solicitor has not been able to contact my buyers solicitor. Was hoping to exchange last week with completion next week, but if the buyers solicitor doesn't communicate soon, will have to move that date as it will be difficult to book removals. Feeling so frustrated....!

Exactly the same situation with us, our solicitor ready to exchange theirs uncontactable on Friday.

Also were meant to exchange Friday only to find out one link up the chain "isn't quite ready". Hoping it'll happen today, but I think tomorrow or Wednesday is more likely.

Duck345

Hi @HopeAndDriftWood thanks for your reply and detailing your experience. 

Yes I'm hoping it's their aim to simply do all enquiries in one go. Our vendors solicitors don't seem on the ball so I think I'm more worried about their response time to be honest but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I hope all runs smoothly with your purchase!

HopeAndDriftWood

I'm in two minds about whether to chase our solicitor. She's been poor, but she is our fourth solicitor... 

She promised us updates three times a week... No idea why, but hey ho. She's missed the vast majority of them, except Friday, when she emailed to say she hadn't heard back on anything this week. I replied to say I was on CC for 3 of the 4 things... no reply. 

It'd be good to know where we stand, and that she's got it all in hand... But equally, I know there won't be a big update on the mortgage offer yet, as that comes from the estate agent, and they haven't got one yet. So really it'd just be confirmation that everyone else, including her, is ready for when the buyer is... 

Newdrake88

I’m sick of chasing and not getting anywhere…