No friends so unable to complete on a purchase

DMatt92

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I never thought I’d ask the internet a question, but unfortunately I have no friends which is in fact the crux of this problem. 

I’m in my late 20s with 1st gen immigrant parents. They bought a house in 2003 with the help of a housing association I think. So they have offered little help which is understandable. 

I had an offer accepted in late October 2020. I really didn’t know much about this process and I have been entirely led by my solicitors (as much as they can) and Google. 

Everything that I was waiting for has come back - searches, enquiries etc. I have been left to sign the contract, TR1 and mortgage deed. I cannot find anyone to witness my signature. 

I had no idea I’d need a witness until this point. I’m stupid and naive, I know. 

Who can sign it?

1. As I said before, I have no friends. I have acquaintances, but no one I can call on for help or a favour. I have tried but they seem to not trust the risk of being a witness which is fair, as I’m only someone they say hi and bye to. I used to have friends but at some point, I became quite low in mood and I isolated myself. 

2. My parents have no family in this country. We did have a family friend but she and her husband died. I live at home in my parents home in London and I have no siblings. We really don’t know the neighbours despite living here since 2003. It’s a detached house, so we don’t see anyone really. 

3. My solicitor won’t sign it as she says she’s never met me in person. She won’t meet me one day for introductory purposes and then agree to sign it a few days later. 

4. I am a healthcare worker in a training job which involves me rotating to different areas in a particular hospital every 4-6 months. It’s a different hospital every year. I also have a health condition, so I’ve been working from home since Feb 2020. Prior to this, I didn’t make friends at work. Work is busy, incredibly stressful and I just didn’t make friends. 

I’ll wrap this up by saying there is no chain. The sellers are understanding they say. They say the property is mine as far as they’re concerned and they want to rent it out to me until I manage to find someone to sign it. There is a plan for me to return to work in the summer and after a few months, I’ll probably ask my boss to sign it. The sellers are ex-landlords. 

I just wanted to ask you all, for your advice please. I’ve seen how helpful this forum is. My questions are
1. Is there anyone else who can act as a witness that I might’ve not thought about?
2. Are there any risks involved in me renting from the seller before exchange? It will be an AST I think. 

Sorry for how long long this turned out and thanks. 

davidmcn

Literally any (adult) can be a witness, they don't need to already know you.

tacpot12

I would ask your manager at work to witness your signature.

Please try get to know your neighbours in your new house as soon as possible; they will have lots of information about the local area, e.g. the phone numbers for good plumbers, electricians and heating engineers in your area. 

moneysavinghero

1. A high street solicitor should be able to witness it for you (for a fee). Might be a bit more difficult in these Covid times though.
2. Most of the risks would be on the seller not you.

FaceHead

Finding someone to witness the signatures shouldn't be a barrier to getting the purchase done. 

Who do you know at work? What about your line manager, or anyone you might work with and perhaps grab lunch with? When having lunch, a break or at the end of a meeting, I think it's fine to whip it out and say 'would you mind witnessing my mortgage agreement?'. 

I wouldn't say no to anyone I even vaguely know - there's really no risk to the witness and no one is even going to check that they actually exist. Whilst you could get away with falsifying it, it'd be a really silly thing to get a CIFAS marker for. 

Parcelator

It's true anyone can sign this kind of document. I needed a solicitor to witness a document once (not a mortgage) and they did this for £10...so if you really are stuck this is a good route (try a local solicitor with a small high street type office).

DMatt92

davidmcn said:

Literally any (adult) can be a witness, they don't need to already know you.

Wow really? Any idea why my solicitor has refused? But a stranger may be reluctant to put their address on the form, I suppose. 

brianposter

I would have thought that someone at Citizens Advice or even the police could witness your signature.

moneysavinghero

DMatt92 said:

davidmcn said:

Literally any (adult) can be a witness, they don't need to already know you.

Wow really? Any idea why my solicitor has refused? But a stranger may be reluctant to put their address on the form, I suppose. 

They are probably working from home and don't want the hassle of having to leave their lovely warm cosy home to travel somewhere to meet up with you.

theoretica

Ask the post office if they can help. 

If you were going into work a colleague, course organiser or tutor would be a likely option, but that is hard at the moment.

DMatt92

tacpot12 said:

I would ask your manager at work to witness your signature.

Please try get to know your neighbours in your new house as soon as possible; they will have lots of information about the local area, e.g. the phone numbers for good plumbers, electricians and heating engineers in your area. 

I have one overarching manager every year, and this one isn’t the most approachable. He never responds to emails and I can never track him down in the workplace either. 

Thanks! I will definitely try to get to know them!