Find the SecondStar and soar, and then straight on till the morning…

KajiKita

So is the process rolling now and your ex’s ‘inertia’ (being polite here 😉) will no longer be able to stymie the process?

Is the end of May an absolute cut off date …?

KK

SecondStar

Process is definitely rolling. Now if there are any delays, they can be dealt with solicitor to solicitor.

So my friend had a pre-agreed arrangement with another friend that they would come and be her lodger when their rental contract is up, which is 1st June. 15th May is when they’ll need to start moving their stuff in and prepping the room that I’m currently living in.

Several months ago, my ex had said that he wouldn’t see me ‘out in the streets’ if my purchase hadn’t gone through post-15th May, even if the title transfer had done. He said he’d let me come back and stay, even if it wasn’t my house anymore.

Who knows if that still stands, but regardless that’s not something I’d entertain if I had any other choice.

Realistically, if I’ve not completed by 15th May, then I’ll likely be moving to a blow up mattress in some part of my friend’s house. She does have a 3rd bedroom, but it’s used as an office/art studio. If it’s just for a couple of weeks then I might be able to stay in there.

It’s incredibly frustrating - if he had been proactive in January, at the same time as me, I could’ve been completed & moved in before Easter!

KajiKita

But if he’d been the sort to be that proactive you probably would still be with him ….? 😊

It’s getting closer, it’s really positive that it’s just solicitor to solicitor now (find out what holidays they have booked - seriously!) and I’m glad your friend should be able to offer some compromise. 

KK

SecondStar

Can’t believe I’m having to write this!

The second firm he instructed 3 weeks ago quoted him for drawing up the equity transfer deed, got in touch with my solicitor to confirm details, and told my solicitor that the work would start in about 3 weeks, once they had requested the house title deeds.

Yesterday we found out that this second solicitor has basically de-instructed themselves. They want to do the title transfer doc AND the equity transfer doc. Except that the title transfer doc has already been drawn up by my ex’s new lender’s solicitor - we only need the equity doc. Apparently that’s ‘not worth their time’ to do. Despite having already quoted, and told all parties that they had started the work.

So it’s back to the drawing board trying to find him a THIRD solicitor, and another utterly wasted 3 weeks.

He’s calling round places today, I’ll be calling my solicitor to see if someone else in his form can handle this, or if not does he have any recs.

My friend is at her wits end with having me here. There’s no chance I’ll be completed by 15th May which is my deadline for having to leave here. My ex has said so generously said I can move back in, except that even just talking to me for 5 mins was making him crawl out of his skin with awkwardness. If he’d just bloody well done SOMETHING back in January, then none of this would’ve been an issue.

I just want to be moved in and away from all of this, not have it drag out indefinitely again. God knows what I’m going to tell my sellers.

doingitanyway

Sorry to read your post. What a mess.
Sounds like you are doing all your can to salvage it.
The sellers have a good motivated buyer so it may be a pain for them but they are likely to stick with you.
Totally understand about the friend and the delay, but she knows it is coming to an end, so will hopefully be ok.
Deep breath @SecondStar.

KajiKita

What an utter, horrible pain!!! So unprofessional of those solicitors to mess about like that. 

Could you, or even the ex, offer to double the fee, to make it worth their while? It might save time? Or are you too far through the process of switching now? 

Sending huge, sustaining hugs.

KK

SecondStar

Thank you @doingitanyway , I hope I can hold myself together that long.

@kajikita it’s a nightmare, honestly! I did suggest to my ex just letting the firm do all the work - so the title transfer (again) and the equity doc - but the particular solicitor he had been dealing with had been brusque and unprofessional to speak to anyway, let alone after all this mess, and so he doesn’t want to continue working with them.

My friend has said she’s happy to contribute if there is a way of speeding up this process with another firm, but I think it’s one of those things that doesn’t get any faster if you throw money at it - a lot of it is process, and it takes as long as it takes. Which is difficult to stomach!

SecondStar

My nervous system cannot handle this! It’s been back and forth between despair and elation, and I’m exhausted.

God bless my solicitor. He is a literal earth angel. He phoned me back within the hour this morning, calmed me down, and set out a plan.

My ex does not need a solicitor. All he needs to do is have the title transfer doc signed with 2 witnesses, and then I sign with my solicitor. His new lender’s solicitor can bypass my ex all together, and they can send the money I’m owed directly to MY solicitor instead. Skipping the need for my ex to have to find a third solicitor. Hallelujah.

So my ex is having the doc signed and witnessed tonight or tomorrow, and then I’m bringing the doc directly to my solicitor myself - no need to faff around with the postal system, especially over Easter.

On my buying side, my solicitor still has a query outstanding from 14th Feb about ownership of a path - we’re waiting on a response from the seller’s solicitor. That’s the only non-standard thing on the buying end. Once the title transfer is signed, and my solicitor knows I’ll be coming off the previous mortgage, then we can arrange exchange/complete.

5.5 weeks left people, think we can do it??

Chrystal

So pleased for you... and thank goodness for sensible solicitors.  He deserves a bottle of something nice! 

KajiKita

This is really good news! Good solicitors are worth every penny!! 

Yes, yes, yes, I think what you have described above can be done in 5.5 weeks …. Path pending of course! 

KK