Vendor's Solicitor Unresponsive - What to do?

Ricky116

Hi,

Just an overview of the process so far:

1st March - offer accepted
20th March - vendors onward accepted
24th March - searches paid for
24th March - survey took place
16th April - response to initial enquiries
23rd April - searches report from our solicitor
23rd April - additional enquiries raised based on searches
29th April - our solicitor says waiting for responses
29th April - agent says vendors solicitor reviewing enquiries
5th May - agent says vendors solicitor still reviewing enquiries
6th May - our solicitor says waiting for response
13th May - "urgent" request for update (from our solicitor)

13th May - agent calls and says solicitor should have responses to us today, and vendors are willing to move into temporary accommodation for SDLT deadline

14th May - not recieved, so request for update (from agent)

14th May - email from vendor's solicitor to mine saying "unexpected time off and had not yet had the opportunity to review this file", and would do so ASAP
18th May - request for update (from our solicitor)
19th May - request for update (from agent)
24th May - request for update (directly - replied with a refusal to update me because I'm not her client)
24th May - request for update (from agent)
26th May - request for update (from agent)

In summary, since the enquiries raised on 23rd April, the only communication from the vendors' solicitors has been to say 1. To our solicitor that she would review the file after being off on leave, and 2. That I am not her client and she can't update me, and can only respond to the agent or my solicitor. But she isn't doing that, so there's just nothing.

I've been kept in the dark the entire time, never having any idea what anyone is doing. Every day I am told "I'll chase this today and get back to you asap" from everyone involved, but that's the end of the communication. How hard is it to say "we are working on X, where we are waiting for Y, hoping to get this to you by Z"? Instead, it's complete radio silence.

Is this normal? What am I to do? Emailing every day isn't getting me anywhere. Am I being unreasonable? I am going stir crazy, watching the weeks go by with not a peep from anyone. 

teachfast

Completely normal unfortunately. They don't consider communicating effectively to be part of the job. They hide behind confidentiality but you then find they don't communicate with their own client either. 
Weather is nice now, golf course is open, and there's a total lack of accountability. A lethal combo for stressed house buyers/sellers.

Irishpearce26

Also bear in mind that the solicitor will have multiple clients all wanting the same as what you want. You are only 10 weeks into the process which in normal circumstances can take anything between 10-16 weeks if its a standard transaction. I find the enquiries is the longest part of the process as its like information tennis, back and forth (remember their solicitor has to relay your enquiries to the vendor then check them and send on) until the solicitor is happy with the response.

The more you push them the longer it will take, make sure you give an indication of a preferred completion date so they can at least tell you if its realistic based on whats outstanding.

Thrugelmir

What's the nature of the outstanding enquiries? Ultimately it's the vendor that answers not their solicitor. 

Your vendor has to move somewhere. There'll have their own agenda as well. End of June is some weeks away yet. 

GDB2222

I think you need to decide how important the SDLT deadline is for you. Are you still prepared to go ahead at the same price if you miss the deadline? If you want a price reduction if the deadline is missed, then for goodness sake tell your sellers now, so that they can scream at their solicitor. Plus, if the sellers won’t agree a reduction in those circumstances, it seems that you may as well pull out now. 

user1977

I would suspect the vendor is going slow for their own purposes - problem with their purchase perhaps? 

Thrugelmir

user1977 said:

I would suspect the vendor is going slow for their own purposes - problem with their purchase perhaps? 

Vendor is behind in the process. Started later.

Ricky116

Irishpearce26 said:

I find the enquiries is the longest part of the process as its like information tennis, back and forth (remember their solicitor has to relay your enquiries to the vendor then check them and send on) until the solicitor is happy with the response.

The more you push them the longer it will take, make sure you give an indication of a preferred completion date so they can at least tell you if its realistic based on whats outstanding.

Information tennis would be amazing! The problem is we are playing information tennis, but there is no information, no court, and I don't know whether or not I have an opponent. So I'm just waving a racket in the air.

The vendors and everyone involved are very aware that end-of-June is a hard deadline, and this has always been the goal - as stated by them (not just in my head!). Having someone tell me what is or isn't realistic would be lovely, but the only response I get to any question at all is "I will chase this up and get back to you". Even my own solicitor will just say something non-committal like "we can't estimate a date at the moment due to dependence on outstanding factors".

Thrugelmir said:

What's the nature of the outstanding enquiries? Ultimately it's the vendor that answers not their solicitor. 

Your vendor has to move somewhere. There'll have their own agenda as well. End of June is some weeks away yet. 

There are 9 enquiries outstanding. I only know 4 of them, and I only know 4 of them by chance (I was CC'd into the end of an email thread and could see an earlier request for update) because, again, no one wants to tell me anything. The ones I know: 3 of them are legal related (i.e. for the solicitor to act):
* Supply of title and plan
* Confirmation that enforcement notice is closed
* Provide S106 agreement 
The fourth is to acquire a certificate for the boiler which in theory is straightforward as it is relatively new (i.e. for the vendor to act).

End of June is indeed some weeks away yet, but we have been 2 months with (I think) 1 relevant email from their solicitor. This does not bode well. I think everything I can do is already sorted, once the enquiries are in and reviewed, we would be discussing dates - right? Is 4.5 weeks still a realistic deadline for someone in my position (assuming enquiries are fine), do you reckon?

user1977 said:

I would suspect the vendor is going slow for their own purposes - problem with their purchase perhaps? 

The agent told me as much over the phone, and said the vendors would break the chain and move into temporary accommodation. But none of this is in writing, hence why I'm unsure of what to do. For all I know, the transaction is off and no one has told me for many weeks. 

Trying not to rant too much, my apologies!

xqc123

Seem to be in the same position ourselves.
13 weeks into the purchase, 5 weeks since our solicitors first sent queries. Had partial replies but mainly the queries remained unanswered sufficiently. 
EA/Vendor/Vendor Solicitors seemed determined to delay ant any chance! 

Octothorpe

Feel your pain! Our vendors solicitors are useless and keep saying after much chasing they've sent stuff when they clearly haven't!!

The_Real_Cheddar_Bob

here's a little tip, it won't make you popular but it solved my issue. 

Raise a formal complaint - they have a code to abide by and will have to investigate and deal with your complaint. 
Raise a freedom of information request for anything and everything relating to you. Again as above they have statutory timescale to reply. 
Now the caveat is, if you get the work done, you can drop the time consuming FOI request and potentially even the complaint, otherwise they will have to waste valuable time which could be used for other stressed and anxious buyers/sellers...

I did this last week of September after waiting since JUNE. Mid october, exchanged and completed and in. 

Funny that