Help - Vendor suing us after delayed completion!

martinsurrey

steampowered wrote: »

I don't think anyone can blame you. As the money hadn't been transferred I completely understand why you handed back the keys - it was probably the honourable thing to do.

Now you need to inform your buyers of your vendor's costs, and your own costs.

hmmmm, not to be a stick in the mud, but the OP should have known.

The OP's solicitor knew they hadn't completed as they hadn't sent the cash!

I wouldn't trust a EA further than I could throw them, its understandable why the OP did what they did (the excitement of getting a new house), but that doesn't make them blameless.

steampowered

martinsurrey wrote: »

hmmmm, not to be a stick in the mud, but the OP should have known.

The OP's solicitor knew they hadn't completed as they hadn't sent the cash!

I wouldn't trust a EA further than I could throw them, its understandable why the OP did what they did (the excitement of getting a new house), but that doesn't make them blameless.

And it is reasonable to assume money has been transferred if an EA is handing over the keys to you. Communication is often not perfect.

It is very easy to see how this happened. I do not see how the Op is to blame.

Even if the Op was to blame for taking the keys, that did not cause the delay and did not cause anybody any loss. It wasn't the Op's fault that people ended up having to stay in hotels.

martinsurrey

steampowered wrote: »

And it is reasonable to assume money has been transferred if an EA is handing over the keys to you. Communication is often not perfect.

It is very easy to see how this happened. I do not see how the Op is to blame.

Even if the Op was to blame for taking the keys, that did not cause the delay and did not cause anybody any loss. It wasn't the Op's fault that people ended up having to stay in hotels.

I wouldn't trust an EA with bag of sand, let alone getting timings and the legal side of a purchase right.

I was just referring to the key situation, I agree in every other respect OP has being an unwilling passenger.

TR1

martinsurrey wrote: »

I wouldn't trust an EA with bag of sand, let alone getting timings and the legal side of a purchase right.
I was just referring to the key situation, I agree in every other respect OP has being an unwilling passenger.

In hindsight, we should've double checked we'd completed.

I just can't understand how the EA will get away with this. Other people say that key situation is irrelevant and that they don't even have to apologise. I can't get my head around that perspective.

I could complain, but really, what's the point?

TR1

Further development for anyone who's still interested - Our buyers' Solicitor (the one who made the mistake) has today sent a cheque to our solicitor to cover our Vendors' expenses (£4200). They haven't paid our expenses or our buyers expenses and so we now have to take court action against our buyers who will in turn take action against their Solicitors.

Frustrated not to receive our money - but at least we're now not going to face court action against us!

harshitguptaiitr

Frustrated not to receive our money - but at least we're now not going to face court action against us!

When did you send invoices of your expenses to the buyer?

TR1

harshitguptaiitr wrote: »

When did you send invoices of your expenses to the buyer?

They were sent via our Solicitor 3/4 weeks ago.