Waiting to exchange but Help to Buy ATP expires soon

lodsofemone · 21 February 2020 at 1:09PM

Hello everyone

I am a first time buyer and I am waiting for an exchange date on a new build flat which is due to finish being built in "early March". I reserved it way back in November but I have had numerous delays for various reasons (mortgage broker VERY difficult to get hold of, especially over Christmas, plus they somehow filled out the wrong Help to Buy form for me, then I made a mistake on the correct form, and best of all I started having doubts about the place early Jan and had to wait until February 1st to have another look to make my mind up). But I've decided to press on with it.

As far as I know my solicitor IS progressing things and I think are currently waiting for the seller's solicitor to "satisfy enquiries". So even though we're well past the 28 day reservation period, I haven't been chased or asked if I'm still going ahead with the purchase. I assume it's because my solicitor is chasing THEM that they know things are progressing - why would they sell it to someone else now when they know I'm actively pursuing it?

Anyway, my primary concern at the moment is the fact my Help to Buy ATP is nearly up. It expires on March 11th, just over 2 weeks away. I need to exchange before then but I don't know if it's possible now? I asked my solicitor about it and they said they can handle it for me (whether that means they can get it extended or what, I don't really know - they've been awfully vague about things during the entire process). The mortgage offer expires at the end of September so I think (hope) I should be okay there, just the Help to Buy stuff is causing me anxiety.

Thank you for reading - I appreciate any advice!