12 weeks and no solicitor contact, what next?

yllop1101

I accepted an offer on my home, and had an offer accepted on a future home, 12 weeks ago now. Both transactions are with Purple Bricks. I instructed a local solicitor however the vendors of the house I'm buying are using the PB conveyancing. 

My buyer is chain free, cash, and the vendors are also chain free, moving in with family. 

It has been 12 weeks and despite multiple attempts, my solicitor hasn't received the title deeds and confirmation of instruction, so no progress has been made with the purchase (no searches or anything). The sellers have made attempts over the months to contact their solicitors, and when they finally reached them before Christmas they were reassured all was in hand.
The only contact my solicitor has had since was last week when the vendors solicitors just replied to say they are no longer handling the transaction and passed on the details of a different firm. The vendors confirmed they knew nothing of this. My solicitor emailed the new firm an urgent request for instruction, yet has had nothing still. 

I am getting beyond frustrated as my sale is getting close to exchange now, and I don't want to lose my buyer, so am likely going to have to go into rented, and to top this off, I'm going to miss the stamp duty deadline for my onward purchase. I'm trying really hard to be amicable with my vendors but it's getting to the point now where I want to hear from them that they'll cover stamp duty if we miss the deadline, as I see it as entirely their doing. About 8 weeks in, I offered to split their exit fee with the PB conveyancers if they found a local firm, having provided online evidence of the PB conveyancing being poor, however they didn't take me up on the offer, so I feel they're entirely bringing this on themselves.

For what it's worth I have been viewing other properties but I've been out bid on all the ones I'm interested in, so nothing viable YET has presented itself. So, I'm keen to not make an ultimatum I won't follow through on, but I'm resentful at having to pay 6k stamp duty due to their own slow solicitors.
Any advice on how I can enter negotiations amicably with them? 

youth_leader

So sorry to read this.  My offer was accepted on 17 October, solicitor instructed on 28 October.  My solicitor wrote to me to say it had been five weeks without any contact from the vendor's solicitor.  It took two weeks of chasing for the vendor to discover her solicitor had tested positive, and she was assigned a new solicitor on 3 December, seven weeks had been lost. 

My vendor asked me to phone her on Sunday as she is concerned her solicitor has been so slow.  Could you ask the vendor's estate agent for the phone number so you could make direct contact with the vendor?  

tink_1983

Tbh I'd sell and move to rented and look elsewhere. Sounds like your getting no where fast. They clearly are not motivated to sell.
From rented your in strong position to buy

Sadly yes the deadline for SD will have passed. 

Thrugelmir

yllop1101 said:

The vendors confirmed they knew nothing of this. 

Start looking elsewhere. You are being strung along. Not vendors I'd trust about anything if this is their attitude. 

yllop1101

I do think the vendors are motivated, I just think they don't realise how crap their solicitors are and are a bit naive in thinking that A- things can still go through in time and B- it's not their fault (not realising that their solicitors are in a way their responsibility, especially when you knowingly stay with a company who have poor reviews). 

The vendors paid for a private, independent damp survey following my survey, and have had further work completed on the house to help rectify. They've also done things like get the chimney swept and log burner serviced, without my request. 

tink_1983

yllop1101 said:

I do think the vendors are motivated, I just think they don't realise how crap their solicitors are and are a bit naive in thinking that A- things can still go through in time and B- it's not their fault (not realising that their solicitors are in a way their responsibility, especially when you knowingly stay with a company who have poor reviews). 

The vendors paid for a private, independent damp survey following my survey, and have had further work completed on the house to help rectify. They've also done things like get the chimney swept and log burner serviced, without my request. 

Well sounds like you need to have a honest and frank chat. 
Say nothing has been heard for 12 weeks. If you dont get it done by end of march you will look to renegotiate on purchase price to allow for stamp duty. That might motivate them! 

sammyjammy

If you both used Purple Bricks "Estate agents" then where are they in this?  Are they not helping the sale along?  I know they have a poor reputation but surely they have an invested interest, unless that is either/both of you paid upfront in which case, lesson learnt hopefully.

yllop1101

Their PB agent no longer works for the company and they don't have a new 'local property expert' yet, and mine is focused on helping my sale rather than purchase. 
I paid my fees upfront, the vendors don't pay their fees until completion on the condition they use the PB conveyancers, hence why they're seemingly so reluctant to move to a decent conveyancing firm. So frustrating. 

Thrugelmir

yllop1101 said:

I do think the vendors are motivated, I just think they don't realise how crap their solicitors are 

Solicitors work under the instructions of their clients. People are very often two faced. They are not your friends this is a business transaction. 

WiseOwl00

Have the vendors actually instructed their solicitors to proceed? I agree with the above, tell the vendor that if the sale does not go through by the end of March, the price will need to be renegotiated for stamp duty. 

tigerlily74

I feel your pain, my vendors also seem highly motivated, yet whenever they contact Purplebricks they tell them it has already been done, so I have to ask my solicitor to confirm again it has still not come through. So far we have lost another 4 working weeks with this nonsense, and it took them 5 weeks to send the contact pack out in the first place. It seems they just tick things off as their system as complete and so you can’t get past that stage for them to look and see it hasn’t been actually ticked off. The seller needs to give them an ultimatum.