Redbrik Secure Move Fee

Noraw10

I have had an offer accepted on a property with Redbrik Estate Agents, who use secure move which they charge the buyer £600 for the privilege and class it as a 'reservation fee'.

They state they won't take the property off the market unless it is signed and paid. It includes searches on the property (which are now more than 6 months old so the mortgage company won't accept).

Does anyone have experience of this, either not paying? My solicitor won't comment on it. 

penners324

Sounds dodgy as anything. 

DE_612183

I wouldn't pay anything ( as a buyer ) to an estate agent - you are not their client.

If they won't take it of the market then I'd let them know that even though the offer has been accepted you will still carry on looking at properties.

TheJP

Having looked at their website, you would be using their conveyancing company. They claim their securemove will be 14 weeks quicker than a normal sale with them estimating an average sale concludes in 20 weeks. 

Did you add any conditions to your offer such as removing from market?

user1977

Why won't your solicitor comment on it? Are they somehow linked to the agent?

Mystic_CT

If your solicitor won't comment on it then I would suggest you employ a different solicitor. You're paying for him/her to represent you in the purchase of a property. You're the one in charge. Not the solicitor.

eddddy

.... or it could be that your solicitor won't report on the reservation contract because they've quoted a fixed conveyancing fee - and they haven't allowed for time to report on a reservation contract as part of the fixed fee. (So you could offer to pay an extra fee.)

Or maybe they are a 'conveyor-belt/factory' conveyancing solicitor, who won't touch anything non-standard.



More generally with the reservation agreement, it depends on what all the terms are.

If the only commitment is to pay a £600 reservation fee, then you have to decide whether you want to risk losing that £600 if the sale doesn't happen. (But there may be other commitments  in the contract.)

Noraw10

user1977 said:

Why won't your solicitor comment on it? Are they somehow linked to the agent?

No not as far as I'm aware

propertyrental

Don't pay. Keep searching.

Can you contact the seller? Do they live at the address? Make sure they (seller) understand that you are still keen to buy, give them your solicitor's details, and ask for theirs.

Provided the sellers are happy to proceed, and your respective solicitors are in communication with each other, the EA need not be involved.

Noraw10

propertyrental said:

Don't pay. Keep searching.

Can you contact the seller? Do they live at the address? Make sure they (seller) understand that you are still keen to buy, give them your solicitor's details, and ask for theirs.

Provided the sellers are happy to proceed, and your respective solicitors are in communication with each other, the EA need not be involved.

Trying to contact them but they don't live at the property. Will leave a letter there anyway. Unfortunately it's a property we as a family are set on and although massively against it, in the grand scheme of things £600 is nothing

Jonboy_1984

Personally I would contact the EA to reduce my offer by £600 due to the unexpected cost…