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Issue with Solicitors and delays with Local Searches
ClonkersKM
Posts: 10 Forumite
Hello All,
Sorry for the long one but I am currently in the process of selling and buying a new home.
For context I sold my house in January 2024 and made an offer on purchasing the new home in April 2024. My mortgage offer expires on the 21st Sept and my estate agents fees are due on the 22nd September.
I paid for my solicitors at the end of May for them to complete all of the searches and since then I have been told that they were requested.
Moving forward to 2nd August and I became quite impatient with waiting for the local search to be returned as this was the only one outstanding so I called the local council to ask what is going on. I was told that no searches had been requested for that property. I tried contacting my solicitor and could not get through so left two messages that week advising that no searches had been requested and they need to sort it ASAP, i didnt get a call back. I had to call the next week and pre-book an appointment with my solicitor for the next day to explain to her what i knew, none of those messages apparently got to her. She advised me that the searches are completed by "a third party" and that she would chase them and ask for them to be expedited. I asked for the third party details but she refused to provide them.
Moving forward to the 28th August and 13 calls and chase emails in between and I had a reply from the local council who confirmed that the searches were requested on the 9th August and are booked for the 16th September (they also confirmed the response will be provided the same day). I asked my solicitors to explain why it has taken so long to request the searches but they can never explain to me why.
The same day I raised a formal complaint with my solicitor to raise my concerns of other issues but the main one being the delay with the searches. I stopped chasing and waited three days for a reply. As I had not had a reply on the fourth day I called and asked to speak to her manager, I was told he was unavailable but was provided his email address. So i forwarded my email to her on to him and asked for a response.
His response was basically that they requested the searches in June via the My Home Move portal but as they use a third party and coupled with the response that searches can take 20 weeks he did not offer any type of an apology only that I should request an extension on my mortgage offer.
As i was not happy with his response I forwarded the formal complaint to the head of the firm, again asking for an explanation for the delay and explaining that this delay may have cost the sale of my house (as the person who offered is in rented accommodation). I got a reply from her but it was just a delay tactic advising she will investigate.
The 16th September rolls around, I call my solicitors in the afternoon to be told my solicitor is on holiday and my case had been handed to her junior. Also the firm head is on holiday. So I asked if the searches had been returned and she said no, so i asked if this junior has chased them and she said no, so I asked if the team leader was available and she said "he has just popped out the office" so I asked for a call back.
Yesterday at 5.14pm - after their phone lines have closed. I get an email from the junior to advise:
Sorry for the long one but I am currently in the process of selling and buying a new home.
For context I sold my house in January 2024 and made an offer on purchasing the new home in April 2024. My mortgage offer expires on the 21st Sept and my estate agents fees are due on the 22nd September.
I paid for my solicitors at the end of May for them to complete all of the searches and since then I have been told that they were requested.
Moving forward to 2nd August and I became quite impatient with waiting for the local search to be returned as this was the only one outstanding so I called the local council to ask what is going on. I was told that no searches had been requested for that property. I tried contacting my solicitor and could not get through so left two messages that week advising that no searches had been requested and they need to sort it ASAP, i didnt get a call back. I had to call the next week and pre-book an appointment with my solicitor for the next day to explain to her what i knew, none of those messages apparently got to her. She advised me that the searches are completed by "a third party" and that she would chase them and ask for them to be expedited. I asked for the third party details but she refused to provide them.
Moving forward to the 28th August and 13 calls and chase emails in between and I had a reply from the local council who confirmed that the searches were requested on the 9th August and are booked for the 16th September (they also confirmed the response will be provided the same day). I asked my solicitors to explain why it has taken so long to request the searches but they can never explain to me why.
The same day I raised a formal complaint with my solicitor to raise my concerns of other issues but the main one being the delay with the searches. I stopped chasing and waited three days for a reply. As I had not had a reply on the fourth day I called and asked to speak to her manager, I was told he was unavailable but was provided his email address. So i forwarded my email to her on to him and asked for a response.
His response was basically that they requested the searches in June via the My Home Move portal but as they use a third party and coupled with the response that searches can take 20 weeks he did not offer any type of an apology only that I should request an extension on my mortgage offer.
As i was not happy with his response I forwarded the formal complaint to the head of the firm, again asking for an explanation for the delay and explaining that this delay may have cost the sale of my house (as the person who offered is in rented accommodation). I got a reply from her but it was just a delay tactic advising she will investigate.
The 16th September rolls around, I call my solicitors in the afternoon to be told my solicitor is on holiday and my case had been handed to her junior. Also the firm head is on holiday. So I asked if the searches had been returned and she said no, so i asked if this junior has chased them and she said no, so I asked if the team leader was available and she said "he has just popped out the office" so I asked for a call back.
Yesterday at 5.14pm - after their phone lines have closed. I get an email from the junior to advise:
"I hope you are well.
Having checked the search order system it would appear that the expected date of the Local Search has now been put back to 18 November.
The case reference is xxxx should you wish to contact My Home Move for a further explanation."
I am honesty exhausted with the lack of an apology or accountability from these solicitors.
Is there anyone who can give me some advise on where I go forward with this? My buyer will not wait until November, my mortgage offer nor my estate agent fees will not extend to Nov so I now face having to re-list my house for sale, pay the estate agent fees and re-apply for a mortgage with added expenses.
I am honesty exhausted with the lack of an apology or accountability from these solicitors.
Is there anyone who can give me some advise on where I go forward with this? My buyer will not wait until November, my mortgage offer nor my estate agent fees will not extend to Nov so I now face having to re-list my house for sale, pay the estate agent fees and re-apply for a mortgage with added expenses.
0
Comments
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Why are you having tp pay the EA fees on 22 Sept? Usually they are due on Completion.
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It with Purple Bricks which says the fees are due 10 months from the start date.propertyrental said:Why are you having tp pay the EA fees on 22 Sept? Usually they are due on Completion.0 -
Ah! PBs!Well you made your choice.........0
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Thanks for the great advise, however you are missing my point. It is not the fees I have an issue with. it is the solicitors delay in requesting the searches, lack of accountability, the lies I have received off them and the fact I have had to chase the local council myself. Now my solicitors have delayed the search again with no explanation or apology. You see now my issue?propertyrental said:Ah! PBs!Well you made your choice.........0
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