Completion and Exchange: No end in sight

TBG01

lauraj27 said:

you would have thought that the solicitors wouldn't be dragging their heels. 

Because they're likely not.

The go to is to blame Solicitors, and yes there is some awfully slow ones out there, but you won't appreciate just how much delays are caused by clients until you work in conveyancing.

The same buyer that had their offer accepted on the basis they wanted a quick transaction and is telling the seller they don't know what the delay is over, is telling us they're funding has been withdrawn.

The same seller who also wanted a quick transaction is telling us they're off on holiday for three weeks and won't be able to complete the forms required to issue the contact pack, until they're back.

You might think you've hit lucky and got such a wonderful chain with you all ending up best friends at the end, but behind the scenes they're nothing but ruthless when it comes to either gaining or losing out on money.

Just as you owe them nothing, they owe you nothing. So bare that in mind 

lauraj27

TBG01 said:

lauraj27 said:

you would have thought that the solicitors wouldn't be dragging their heels. 

Because they're likely not.

The go to is to blame Solicitors, and yes there is some awfully slow ones out there, but you won't appreciate just how much delays are caused by clients until you work in conveyancing.

I appreciate this, however, when our solicitor tried to ask the sellers solicitor how many enquiries were outstanding and what they might be, the sellers solicitors replied with possibly one of the snottiest emails I have ever seen, basically stating that they will be done when they are done and they aren't willing to state how many enquiries there are or what they might be. 

We have been under a lot of stress as we somewhat homeless and still trying to process and deal with the trauma our neighbour put us through and we can't keep paying out for air bnbs. 

CSI_Yorkshire

You say "snotty", but it could equally be frustration with continuous and repeated chasing by someone who isn't their client and who they don't have any need to answer to.  Each time they need to reply to you and your solicitor to say "there are still enquiries" is time that they can't spend actually dealing with the enquiries.  If the enquiry isn't something that you can answer, which most of them won't be - particularly if they are somewhere else in the chain (i.e. about your seller's onward purchase) - you don't have any right to know what they are, who has been asked, or anything else.

Sympathies for your situation and the stress you are going through, but that doesn't mean that others in the chain should not have a thorough process completed on their behalf by the people they are paying to represent them.

Property transactions can be a long and frustrating process at the best of times.

Tiglet2

lauraj27 said:

All the searches for all parties are back and have been for about 4/5 weeks. 

All the other two solicitors keep saying is that there are enquiries outstanding but refusing to say how many and what the queries are. We are now in week 12 but given how urgent it is for everyone, you would have thought that the solicitors wouldn't be dragging their heels. 

It's only urgent for you and the other two in the chain. It is most definitely not urgent for the solicitors.  They will do their work as and when necessary and to their own timetable.  They really don't care how urgent you think it is, because all their other clients think their own cases are urgent too.  Unfortunately your living conditions don't trump the due diligence needed by the solicitors to complete the legal work.

Sorry to say, 12 weeks is not long.  Your conveyancing is going along at a normal pace.  Nothing you personally can do except chill out and relax.  It will happen soon enough once all the solicitors are happy with responses to enquiries.  There will be no exchange or completion dates until then.

babyblade41

Probably a little premature , you are not too far into the process and enquiries can be the longest part, and sadly they will be done when they are done, others are working for lenders as well as buyers so lots to accommodate 

Sadly your personal circumstances are of no concern ... harsh but reality 

lauraj27

Thank you for all the comments. 

Yes our situation is dire and I agree that conveyancers/solicitors do need to their due diligence.

However the sellers solicitors originally told our solicitor that exchange/completion would be early July, then they said 14th July, then on 12th July they said it would be 2-3 weeks and now they are saying there are more enquiries so we feel we are being led down the garden path and that the sellers solicitors don't want to exchange and complete. 

Unfortunately we can't chill and relax as we are paying out for air bnb's as well as the bills on our current house and living out of what we were able to cram into a very small car.   None of the so called support services have been able to provide us with any assistance and my OH is on the verge of suicide. 

MultiFuelBurner

So you have been chased out of your own home by your neighbours?

What happened after this post below as it seems to affected your family badly and escalated quickly?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6436889/planning-enforcement/p1

You said earlier in this post you are fortunate you don't have to sell but that stress won't end running your previous house and bills along with a new one.

You should get the work done on that home now and get it on the market asap.

lauraj27

MultiFuelBurner said:

So you have been chased out of your own home by your neighbours?

What happened after this post below as it seems to affected your family badly and escalated quickly?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6436889/planning-enforcement/p1

You said earlier in this post you are fortunate you don't have to sell but that stress won't end running your previous house and bills along with a new one.

You should get the work done on that home now and get it on the market asap.

Yes that's right - I can't go into all of the details due to ongoing investigation. 

We can't really get the work done until the house is emptied and we can't afford putting things into storage and in fact we are unlikely going to be able to pack everything up ourselves as we cannot be in the house without being subject to threats, abuse, intimidating and violent behaviour. 

I have managed to reduce some of the bills a little but not by much. 

CSI_Yorkshire

lauraj27 said:

However the sellers solicitors originally told our solicitor that exchange/completion would be early July, then they said 14th July, then on 12th July they said it would be 2-3 weeks and now they are saying there are more enquiries so we feel we are being led down the garden path and that the sellers solicitors don't want to exchange and complete. 

The sellers solicitors will not exchange when there are enquiries outstanding either up or down the chain.

If an answer comes back that leads to more questions, or doesn't fully answer the original question, the enquiry will not be closed.

If they need a piece of paperwork to answer an enquiry, then they can't close it until the paperwork is provided by whoever has it.

If an enquiry needs a survey to answer, then they can't close it until the survey has happened (plus maybe even whatever is recommended by the survey is done or considered).

This is all normal.

Nobody is just "inventing" enquiries to create more work and persecute you.

SDLT_Geek

lauraj27 said:

MultiFuelBurner said:

Bear in mind your home insurance may be invalid if you have been away from home for an extended period. I do hope.you are regularly checking the property.

That and did you declare the issues with neighbours to your buyers?

Anyway should be in the next 1-4 weeks with any luck

Yeah we have spoken to the house insurers and they have been very good. We have multiple CCTV cameras and security measures installed. 

We are perhaps fortunate in that we don't need to sell in order to buy. the plan is to be in the new house, empty the old one give it a deep clean/ paint touch ups and then put it on the market. 

We were told on 11 July it would be 2-3 weeks but still no end in sight as more and more queries keep being raised and existing ones aren't being resolved. 

As you are keeping your old house for now, you are having to budget for the extra stamp duty?  An extra 3% SDLT if buying in England.