Six weeks waiting for contract documents from Seller's Solicitor

knightstyle

This is typical of a solicitor not communicating and not doing their job. Just like our sellers solicitor, forms signed in September '20 and sent immediately to the solicitor did not get sent to our solicitor till mid January!  Then a report that was 'in the post' was two weeks later delayed at her typist who had a backlog!
Best to get in touch directly with the  sellers and ask if they have probate sorted.

Mildreds_Earrings

knightstyle said:

This is typical of a solicitor not communicating and not doing their job. Just like our sellers solicitor, forms signed in September '20 and sent immediately to the solicitor did not get sent to our solicitor till mid January!  Then a report that was 'in the post' was two weeks later delayed at her typist who had a backlog!
Best to get in touch directly with the  sellers and ask if they have probate sorted.

I contacted the Estate Agents today to ask about probate but they haven't responded yet. It's interesting you suggest contacting the Seller because my Solicitor suggested trying to contact the deceased Seller's beneficiaries too. I know their names, so I'll try social media etc, thanks. 

Tiglet2

teachfast said:

Standard solicitor incompetence and fobbing off strategy. Ring them every day and keep a list of the excuses- they will start repeating themselves. 

If the client takes 5 weeks to provide all the required information, how is that solicitor incompetence?  Since OP doesn't know who/what has caused the delay, you are jumping to conclusions here.  

Mildreds_Earrings

davidmcn said:

Has Probate been granted?

I managed to get hold of the deceased beneficiary, thanks to social media!  She confirmed that Probate has not been granted yet.  Problem solved!  Anyway, she reassured me that they have no intention of backing out of the sale and her Solicitor has told her that as soon as Probate has been granted, he will send the contract documents to my Solicitor.   I don't know why the Seller's Solicitor just didn't simply tell us that!   They applied for Probate in March 2020.  Anyone know how long it takes???
PS. Thanks for all your replies.  I'm new to this site and it has been very helpful.  Problem solved in one day because of your replies!

teachfast

Tiglet2 said:

teachfast said:

Standard solicitor incompetence and fobbing off strategy. Ring them every day and keep a list of the excuses- they will start repeating themselves. 

If the client takes 5 weeks to provide all the required information, how is that solicitor incompetence?  Since OP doesn't know who/what has caused the delay, you are jumping to conclusions here.  

Because it usually is. Odds are good it's another solicitor treating their client with disdain. They wouldn't survive in other fields of work. Not sure how they do in property law. 

Tiglet2

teachfast said:

Tiglet2 said:

teachfast said:

Standard solicitor incompetence and fobbing off strategy. Ring them every day and keep a list of the excuses- they will start repeating themselves. 

If the client takes 5 weeks to provide all the required information, how is that solicitor incompetence?  Since OP doesn't know who/what has caused the delay, you are jumping to conclusions here.  

Because it usually is. Odds are good it's another solicitor treating their client with disdain. They wouldn't survive in other fields of work. Not sure how they do in property law. 

Maybe because in other service industries, the company you are paying to provide a service isn't relying on so many other third parties to provide documents/evidence/paperwork.  The whole process involves so many other parties that even if the solicitor responded the same day, they still have to wait until the other party replies back before progressing further.

OP has updated to confirm that probate has not been granted yet, therefore this is not incompetence or disdain on the part of the solicitor acting on the sale or purchase.

GDB2222

Mildreds_Earrings said:

davidmcn said:

Has Probate been granted?

I managed to get hold of the deceased beneficiary, thanks to social media!  She confirmed that Probate has not been granted yet.  Problem solved!  Anyway, she reassured me that they have no intention of backing out of the sale and her Solicitor has told her that as soon as Probate has been granted, he will send the contract documents to my Solicitor.   I don't know why the Seller's Solicitor just didn't simply tell us that!   They applied for Probate in March 2020.  Anyone know how long it takes???
PS. Thanks for all your replies.  I'm new to this site and it has been very helpful.  Problem solved in one day because of your replies!

Probate takes a few weeks, provided that all the documents are submitted correctly. If the person died in March 2020, it's really unlikely that probate was applied for the same month. As is evidenced by the fact that it hasn't been granted. 

Keep looking, as they seem to have a problem with probate.

badger09

Mildreds_Earrings said:

davidmcn said:

Has Probate been granted?

I managed to get hold of the deceased beneficiary, thanks to social media!  She confirmed that Probate has not been granted yet.  Problem solved!  Anyway, she reassured me that they have no intention of backing out of the sale and her Solicitor has told her that as soon as Probate has been granted, he will send the contract documents to my Solicitor.   I don't know why the Seller's Solicitor just didn't simply tell us that!   They applied for Probate in March 2020.  Anyone know how long it takes???
PS. Thanks for all your replies.  I'm new to this site and it has been very helpful.  Problem solved in one day because of your replies!

It is definitely not normal for Probate to take that long 
Head over here for more info & similar experiences
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/deaths-funerals-probate

Mildreds_Earrings

GDB2222 said:

Mildreds_Earrings said:

davidmcn said:

Has Probate been granted?

I managed to get hold of the deceased beneficiary, thanks to social media!  She confirmed that Probate has not been granted yet.  Problem solved!  Anyway, she reassured me that they have no intention of backing out of the sale and her Solicitor has told her that as soon as Probate has been granted, he will send the contract documents to my Solicitor.   I don't know why the Seller's Solicitor just didn't simply tell us that!   They applied for Probate in March 2020.  Anyone know how long it takes???
PS. Thanks for all your replies.  I'm new to this site and it has been very helpful.  Problem solved in one day because of your replies!

Probate takes a few weeks, provided that all the documents are submitted correctly. If the person died in March 2020, it's really unlikely that probate was applied for the same month. As is evidenced by the fact that it hasn't been granted. 

Keep looking, as they seem to have a problem with probate.

Hello, according to information online, probate can take 9-12 months in the UK. Add to that, delays due to Coronavirus. I'm just living in hope!
I got this quote from the Co-op Legal Services but I can't post the link here... 
On average, in England and Wales, it takes between 9 and 12 months to obtain the Grant of Probate and to complete the Estate administration process, regardless of whether or not there's a Will.

Thrugelmir

teachfast said:

Tiglet2 said:

teachfast said:

Standard solicitor incompetence and fobbing off strategy. Ring them every day and keep a list of the excuses- they will start repeating themselves. 

If the client takes 5 weeks to provide all the required information, how is that solicitor incompetence?  Since OP doesn't know who/what has caused the delay, you are jumping to conclusions here.  

Because it usually is. Odds are good it's another solicitor treating their client with disdain. They wouldn't survive in other fields of work. Not sure how they do in property law. 

Just because you've a huge chip on your shoulder doesn't mean that the whole industry is bad. In this instance the delays appear to be with the vendors themselves.