Seller and Estate Agents have become unresponsive

kayish

Hello,

I'm a first time buyer in London, and I'm near to moving into my first house. I have paid for multiple surveys (combined with solicitor fees, approx. £2000) and currently waiting on the Seller for some documents such as properties info & fittings form and specific documents asked to provide after the building survey. We have been in this process for 7 months and constantly chasing the Seller via the Estate agents and solicitors.

The Seller has now gone MIA, the Estate agents tried contacting her 2 weeks ago and she is not responding to email or phone calls. I contacted the Estate agents today to let them know the mortgage I obtained for the property will be expiring in a month and to confirm where the Seller head is at. The Estate agents have also become unresponsive.

I have already started looking at other properties but does anyone have any advise how to handle this? Is there someone I can escalate to or a complaint procedure for this kind of unacceptable behaviour? What are my options apart from pulling out of the sale?

Thanks!

Slithery

kayish said:

I'm a first time buyer in London, and I'm near to moving into my first house.

If you haven't even had the F&F form yet then nope, you are nowhere near close to moving.

kayish said:

Is there someone I can escalate to or a complaint procedure for this kind of unacceptable behaviour?

No.

kayish said:

What are my options apart from pulling out of the sale?

Keep waiting.

AnotherJoe

None.

I had a similar hard learning experience many years ago.

Tell your solicitor to stop working on this.

Tell the EA you have pulled out.

m0bov

Give up, just look elsewhere.

teachfast

Be sure to review the unresponsive estate agent publicly online. There are many trader websites that you can use. 

AdrianC

kayish said:

...I'm near to moving into my first house.

You sure about that...?

I have paid for multiple surveys (combined with solicitor fees, approx. £2000) and currently waiting on the Seller for some documents such as properties info & fittings form and specific documents asked to provide after the building survey. We have been in this process for 7 months and constantly chasing the Seller via the Estate agents and solicitors.

The Seller has now gone MIA, the Estate agents tried contacting her 2 weeks ago and she is not responding to email or phone calls. I contacted the Estate agents today to let them know the mortgage I obtained for the property will be expiring in a month and to confirm where the Seller head is at. The Estate agents have also become unresponsive.

But the one important detail... Have you exchanged contracts? I doubt you have. So that's it. Either side can walk away for any reason or none.

I have already started looking at other properties but does anyone have any advise how to handle this? Is there someone I can escalate to or a complaint procedure for this kind of unacceptable behaviour? What are my options apart from pulling out of the sale?

Nope, nobody. There is no legally binding contract of purchase. You are not obliged to buy it. They are not obliged to sell it.