My purchase offer was accepted but estate agents proceeded with another offer without telling me.

RonsDaughter

GDB2222 said:

RonsDaughter said:

Mstty said:

RonsDaughter said:

Ksw3 said:

I'd try and found out when they knew your offer had not been accepted, I would be quite put out if I had handed over my personal data (passports etc) and had a credit check when the agents had no legitimate interest in collecting or processing that data. 

I however imagine thay it was just a royal f up and only came to light recently. 

Hi, I don't know when the other offer was accepted, but the MoS was sent on the same day the EA arranged the date for my survey which was done 3 days later.

Was it a survey or just a desktop valuation? 

I take it no one went inside the property?

How.much is that going to cost you?

Hi, the survey was done inside the property, photos of inside supplied (different to those available on the Estate Agents advert). Survey dated and sent to FA on July date when owner says she was away from home for a few days that week and didn't let anyone in. The Estate Agent said they did not give the keys to the surveyor...   

ask the surveyor?

Yes, I would if I was going to follow this up myself, but I'll leave that for the ombudsman... The date on the valuation survey is clear as are the dates on the offer accepted email to me and the MoS sent to other buyers. So, as I am now sure that I have got ground for complaint, I can proceed.
Thank you!

RonsDaughter

GDB2222 said:

RonsDaughter said:

Catsacor said:

Life's too short for all this, wasting your valuable time isn't worth it - yes, it's the principle and i get that.
Start using more of your time looking for a new place and just chalk it up to experience, OP.

Letting people who break the law get away with it only endorses their behaviour and allows them to do the same to other people.
I have since found out that this particular person has a reputation for this sort of thing.
If someone else had followed it up in the past, it couldn't have been done to me and many others.

You're right though... valuable experience! And a waste of my time.
I will raise the complaint and leave the relevant authorities to deal with it. I just needed to be sure of my ground before making the complaint

Can you explain why they did this, other than by mistake? I don’t understand how they gained in any way?

I can only assume that someone THINKS they can gain in some way... other things I have not mentioned here would seem to suggest there is a lot more to this...  I am sure the ombudsman will be able to ascertain facts and discern motives. Better to leave it to them than speculate about all sorts of underhanded things... 

kingstreet

RonsDaughter said:

(lifetime mortgage, so necessary)

A lifetime mortgage typically has an offer validity of upto 98 days, or sometimes 42 + 42 and can't be extended. It was questionable if an application should have been submitted without a fully-formed chain. That's standard even for a regular mortgage and should be more so with a lifetime mortgage.

babyblade41

IMO it would be best to move on, buying and selling is stressful & why add more.

Our buyer pulled out a day before exchange , sometimes it happens even though you've thrown money at it, although I think you were a little premature as the chain hadn't been formed if I understand correctly 

Ombudsman will take a while whilst evidence gathering and time would be better spent moving onto the next property, but wait until all the ducks are in a row before valuations/surveys etc 

Gavin83

RonsDaughter said:

GDB2222 said:

RonsDaughter said:

Mstty said:

RonsDaughter said:

Ksw3 said:

I'd try and found out when they knew your offer had not been accepted, I would be quite put out if I had handed over my personal data (passports etc) and had a credit check when the agents had no legitimate interest in collecting or processing that data. 

I however imagine thay it was just a royal f up and only came to light recently. 

Hi, I don't know when the other offer was accepted, but the MoS was sent on the same day the EA arranged the date for my survey which was done 3 days later.

Was it a survey or just a desktop valuation? 

I take it no one went inside the property?

How.much is that going to cost you?

Hi, the survey was done inside the property, photos of inside supplied (different to those available on the Estate Agents advert). Survey dated and sent to FA on July date when owner says she was away from home for a few days that week and didn't let anyone in. The Estate Agent said they did not give the keys to the surveyor...   

ask the surveyor?

Yes, I would if I was going to follow this up myself, but I'll leave that for the ombudsman

Just check this EA is registered to the ombudsman first before submitting anything. It is an optional scheme, although it's common for EA's to join.

GDB2222

RonsDaughter said:

GDB2222 said:

RonsDaughter said:

Catsacor said:

Life's too short for all this, wasting your valuable time isn't worth it - yes, it's the principle and i get that.
Start using more of your time looking for a new place and just chalk it up to experience, OP.

Letting people who break the law get away with it only endorses their behaviour and allows them to do the same to other people.
I have since found out that this particular person has a reputation for this sort of thing.
If someone else had followed it up in the past, it couldn't have been done to me and many others.

You're right though... valuable experience! And a waste of my time.
I will raise the complaint and leave the relevant authorities to deal with it. I just needed to be sure of my ground before making the complaint

Can you explain why they did this, other than by mistake? I don’t understand how they gained in any way?

I can only assume that someone THINKS they can gain in some way... other things I have not mentioned here would seem to suggest there is a lot more to this...  I am sure the ombudsman will be able to ascertain facts and discern motives. Better to leave it to them than speculate about all sorts of underhanded things... 

Hanlon's Razor is an adage that says, “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”

You can add to stupidity, eg lack of care, etc. 

GDB2222

Gavin83 said:

RonsDaughter said:

GDB2222 said:

RonsDaughter said:

Mstty said:

RonsDaughter said:

Ksw3 said:

I'd try and found out when they knew your offer had not been accepted, I would be quite put out if I had handed over my personal data (passports etc) and had a credit check when the agents had no legitimate interest in collecting or processing that data. 

I however imagine thay it was just a royal f up and only came to light recently. 

Hi, I don't know when the other offer was accepted, but the MoS was sent on the same day the EA arranged the date for my survey which was done 3 days later.

Was it a survey or just a desktop valuation? 

I take it no one went inside the property?

How.much is that going to cost you?

Hi, the survey was done inside the property, photos of inside supplied (different to those available on the Estate Agents advert). Survey dated and sent to FA on July date when owner says she was away from home for a few days that week and didn't let anyone in. The Estate Agent said they did not give the keys to the surveyor...   

ask the surveyor?

Yes, I would if I was going to follow this up myself, but I'll leave that for the ombudsman

Just check this EA is registered to the ombudsman first before submitting anything. It is an optional scheme, although it's common for EA's to join.

Not true. It's a requirement for them to belong to one of the three (?) schemes.

MEM62

RonsDaughter said:

while I am aware that it is illegal for the estate agent to have withheld the knowledge of the other offer and knowingly allowed me to proceed with the valuation survey and mortgage arrangement, is their conduct also criminal?

Is it?  Under what legislation?  The EA has an obligation to the vendor in that respect but they have no obligation to you.  You have no contract with them.  You have been subject to either incompetent or slimy behavior on the part of the estate agent but nothing more.      

Mstty

RonsDaughter said:

Mstty said:

RonsDaughter said:

Ksw3 said:

I'd try and found out when they knew your offer had not been accepted, I would be quite put out if I had handed over my personal data (passports etc) and had a credit check when the agents had no legitimate interest in collecting or processing that data. 

I however imagine thay it was just a royal f up and only came to light recently. 

Hi, I don't know when the other offer was accepted, but the MoS was sent on the same day the EA arranged the date for my survey which was done 3 days later.

Was it a survey or just a desktop valuation? 

I take it no one went inside the property?

How.much is that going to cost you?

Hi, the survey was done inside the property, photos of inside supplied (different to those available on the Estate Agents advert). Survey dated and sent to FA on July date when owner says she was away from home for a few days that week and didn't let anyone in. The Estate Agent said they did not give the keys to the surveyor...   

Thanks that paints a very different now. An actual booked survey through the EA I presume.

Yep hang em out to dry

Exodi

On top of the fantastic advice, and suggestions not to claim crimes etc, I just want to re-emphasise the importance of staying objective in your complaint and just listing the events and your understanding.

So many people, for whatever reason, turn into complete Wally's when writing a complaint and start loading it with ridiculous hyperbole like:

"I was appalled to find that"
"absolutely disgusting"
"gobsmacked when I learned"
"could not believe it when"
"sick to my stomach"
"are they having a laugh?"
"almost fell off my chair when"
"they should be in jail"

Including this sort of rhetoric in a complaint is generally counterproductive, but strangely common.