Reason for no response to enquiries?

Myci85

Me and my partner are FTB and it's felt like a very long and fraught process to get to where we are now, but it finally feels like the end is in sight and a completion date is being talked about. 

However - our solicitor has been waiting for 12 weeks now for a response to enquiries from the vendor's solicitor, despite constant chasing and being told they'll get them straight over. We thought perhaps as our purchase was ahead of the vendor's purchase their solicitor was prioritising their onwards purchase, however the EA told us over a week ago that the vendor's searches and enquiries are all complete and they're ready to agree a mid/end September completion. And yet, a week more of chasing and telling the vendor's solicitors that we can agree 27th September only if she had the full response by Friday last week, she's still not had it. 

It can't simply be that their solicitor is useless, they managed to go from offering on a property 31st July to searches and enquiries done in under a month on their onwards purchase. So now I'm starting to wonder if there is a reason it is taking them so long responding to our solicitor, and if we should be worrying. Is it normal that the vendors are asking for a completion date and yet our solicitor is still waiting on enquiries, or should this have been done ages ago? And once full enquiries are received, is it then quite a quick process of sorting out the contracts and paperwork etc, or is our solicitor not bluffing when she's telling them that she needs responses now or we won't make completion of 27th September?

For context, our vendors are buying a property that is already vacant, so it *should* be a simple case of agreeing a date between us, no long chain involved. 

Hoenir

Perhaps your vendors solicitor has been on holiday recently. Transactions can move at a fast pace once everything starts to come together. 

youth_leader

Is it possible your vendor's solicitor is off sick?  I know there is Covid around again, my daughter got it at the Taylor Swift concert and was off work.

It is usual to exchange contracts first, you then take out insurance on the 'building', and you complete perhaps a week later? 

You can exchange and complete on the same day but I have seen posts on here where it has caused difficulties - especially on the busiest day of the week, Friday. 

theartfullodger

Vendor or vendors solicitor doesn't care - or hoping to fix something before replying 

Bookworm105

there could be any number of reasons or none
how do you expect speculation on here to be of any help?

Myci85

Yes they could have had some holiday or absence, although I'm not sure that would account for the 12 weeks and counting, but perhaps for the lack of progress in the past week. Our solicitor spoke to them on Friday and apparently they 'apologised profusely' for having not yet sent them over, so she hoped to receive them yesterday - she hadn't by late afternoon when I last heard. 

It certainly feels like they don't care at this point about it progressing, but surely they don't get paid until completion so it's intheir interests to get it over the line. 

And Bookworm105 I am simply looking for some more seasoned buyers' experience and wise words in the hopes of maybe some reassurance, or a possibility I may not have thought of to explain the delay. Please feel free to read and move on.

user1977

Some solicitors prefer not to deal with enquiries piecemeal, so will reply when they have answers to everything. So might just be one point they're waiting for clarification on before sending a full reply, lack of an interim response doesn't necessarily mean nothing is happening behind the scenes.