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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to set exchange of contracts deadline for the purchasers from Hell ?

139 replies

AmandaJanePisces · 22/10/2015 18:50

Sorry can't be too specific about the tale of woe, but have discovered that the purchasers we chose as 'quickly procedable' have told various downright lies & are trying to gazunder us knowing that we need to relocate for FIL's health & have got new schools lined up for our DC etc.

Stress Angry

Has anyone done this (given the pathetic-ness of our EA) ? Did it work for you ? Our conveyancer thinks they're out of order.

Thanks for reading. Need Wine

OP posts:
teacherwith2kids · 23/10/2015 10:00

Tbh, I would call the LA about school admission anyway - in a 'we're selling our house, and worry that our address may have been used fraudulently for an admission - we're still living in our house' way. They will investigate, you don't have to get involved past that initial whistleblower call ... and the buyer would never know that it was you :-)

popalot · 23/10/2015 10:06

Watch what the EA is telling you too - they might not be the full ticket. In the end we dropped our telephone number through the letter box of the seller and they called us. They were as frustrated as we were. Sale moved on quickly after that, because we were able to directly explain what was happening and what they/we needed to do about it to get contracts exchanged.

teacherwith2kids · 23/10/2015 10:08

(Also sending sympathy on the timing front ... having moved at 38 weeks pregnant [that involved an 'if you can't complete before 2 weeks before the due date, we're not moving until 3 months after' conversation, as we'd moved countries 6 weeks after DS was born and i WASN'T doing that again!] I know how stressful it can be.)

NoSquirrels · 23/10/2015 10:22

We've moved quite recently (really lovely helpful and trustworthy EAs on both sides, I thank my lucky stars) and the school places thing is interesting - they should not have been able to get confirmed places for their children without having exchanged contracts at the very least. Most LAs insist on people actually having moved and can be asked to produce a bill. So I do wonder what your council tax bill has been used for...

Are they children primary or secondary? If they are for in-year transfer places and there were spaces in those years then it could all be legitimate, but if it is for places for primary admissions in Reception, or secondary admissions Yr 7, then sounds very fishy.

Good luck OP. Very stressful even without ill family. Flowers for you and your poorly FIL.

Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 11:41

Hi Girls
Thanks for all your replies & support, I really appreciate all of them.
The very latest is that their solicitor (silly old Masonic type) is picking at our (sharp young female) conveyancer, wittering that: 'All my questions haven't been answered', probably playing for time. Our girl is great, and thinks our purchasers & EA are sh*.

As for Mr GazunderHusband, I hope he's balancing the cost of a divorce against the £10k he's trying to extort from us. Will keep you all updated on that front.

As for the school admission issue, I would love to know how they got their DDs in there (primary) in the first place, they have never lived in catchment. Don't know the age of the oldest girl, but I'm guessing they are interested in our address for secondary catchment (also the most sought-after in the area).

Am now thinking of looking for rented @ our destination to avoid DC & FIL stress & re-marketing ours @ higher price with different EA after reading of all your advice / experiences.

Prawns ... Milk powder ... Needles : I can see why people are driven to this lol ! I'm leaving my empties Wine if we do exchange next week !

OP posts:
desertmum · 23/10/2015 16:59

I feel your pain - we are in the process of buying a house. No chain, we are renting, the vendor is moving into another house he owns. We were aiming for a 6 week completion - that hasn't happened. We are now pushing to exchange next Friday and complete three weeks later - hopefully we can both drink wine next Friday night to celebrate - if not we won't be moving until end Jan - he is driving me mad.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 23/10/2015 17:12

We were in the process of moving at school admissions time, and rang up the LEA who said technically we should put our current address and then apply to switch after we'd moved. But if we were confident it would go through it's easier to put the new house, and as long as we were in by the time they finalised the allocations (a few months later) it would be OK. We didn't need to submit council tax forms or anything (and in any case wouldn't that have your name on, so they couldn't use it for anything surely?)

But they sound like idiots other than that.

Tiggeryoubastard · 23/10/2015 17:33

The twat that bought my house tried it on at the last minute. I just said exchange in a week or it goes back on sale. And if they wanted to buy it after that the price would be higher for them. Wouldn't budge. They'd spent the money on searches etc. not sure why, but I got the impression they thought I was desperate to sell. I wasn't. There were a few houses in the street identical, some had the original fittings. They were thrilled to be able to swap their older fitted wardrobes, taps, dishwasher etc for my much nicer new ones, and while the garden was still as described, it wasn't half as nice as it was. I stripped the house bare apart from what I was legally obliged to leave. They're not well liked due to their actions then and since in the area, and miss out on loads of the neighbourliness there. It has cost them so much more than they tried to cheat me out of in the long run.

Tiggeryoubastard · 23/10/2015 17:35

I didn't let the neighbours swap the stuff until we'd exchanged, obviously.

larrygrylls · 23/10/2015 18:03

Amanda,

Why give them until Friday? Just say that it is back on the market but, if you don't receive a better offer before they exchange, it is still theirs. And put it back on the market,

I have been messed around and dine that.suddenly things moved much faster.

Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 18:20

desertmum That's a date ! Everything crossed.
whatsthat : thanks for that info, I've developed a real distrust of their morals since realising how crafty & selfish they've been re. the school places
tiggery my DH is really good @ mending things ... but obviously sometimes appliances develop 'intermittent faults' beyond even his control !Wink. Great that your buyers weren't invited to the street party !!!

OP posts:
Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 18:22

larry it's really tempting now I've read others' experiences on this thread. I was so preoccupied with FIL & our DC that I didn't feel the resilience to do it, but I'm rapidly feeling that it's a plan

OP posts:
Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 19:15

nosquirrels thanks for the Flowers. I'm back on the Wine !

OP posts:
squidgyapple · 23/10/2015 21:34

we threatened exchange on x date or the house goes back to being marketed. Our buyers kept asking questions that we'd already answered and basically thought we'd had a dispute with our neighbours - which wasn't remotely the case.

In our situation the threat worked - good luck with everything .

Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 21:43

squidgy do you mind me asking how long it was for you between exchange & completion i.e. Good that you got them nailed down, but did it leave you time to get ready to move etc ?

OP posts:
RandomMess · 23/10/2015 21:50

You can exchange and complete on the same day, it costs a little more (like a few hundred not a hideous amount).

I would turn tables on them and tell them that you complete by x date all costs of exchange to completion date being less than 2 weeks to be paid for by them.

Do you have the option to stay at FILs home for a while to get physically moved?

I seriously would tell them it's going back on the market because you do not trust them anymore and they seem to be stalling.

Fizrim · 23/10/2015 21:57

You usually have to provide proof that you live at the address in question - a council tax bill with someone else's name on it would not do the job. I moved before my DD started school and had to provide a letter from the rental agency and a copy of the lease. How they have got a school place without this kinda proof is an interesting mystery ...

Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 22:16

Fiz school admissions in our County (Bucks) seem to work in a mighty strange way. They claim openness, but it seems that some people can lie/manipulate/blah their way through the system. In the case of our purchasers, though, they have trackably lived in 'Roughsville' since 2005, so it remains as one of life's mysteries how their girls are in our vastly over-subscribed school Hmm

OP posts:
squidgyapple · 23/10/2015 22:17

from what I remember we had about a month between exchange and completion and it was plenty of time.

Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 22:20

Random good thought, it is technically possible but he's got a flat in a retirement complex, so not ideal for our DC unfortunately. Will have to find out if it would be allowed.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 23/10/2015 22:27

Ok but you could to weekdays there and weekends in your current home if desperate for them to move schools.

This gives a short term solution which enables you to tell your EA that you are DEEPLY unimpressed and are seriously considering pulling out of the sale and remarketing with a new agency as you feel they have not done their job properly.

Put the wind up the EA that they may have to kiss their £7k goodbye and see them swing into action.

I would also write to the LEA and tell them that you believe your address has been used to fraudulently give a place to their dc and you want them to know that at no time did you agree to assist them with this and you feel you were tricked into giving documentation that they could use as proof of residency.

but I'm in a bitch of a mood

We moved into rented when relocated the £5k on rent was worth every penny due to the stress it relieved from the situation.

Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 22:33

random glad it worked for you ... I'm in that mood too. Really pissed off @ the gazundering & pathetic EA. Have already composed letter to directors of EA chain to point out the very basic failings of their guy who has NOT acted in our interests & demanding a vast discount on the £7k. When I'm done with that, I'll contact the LEA to point out that (worst case scenario) my DC might have to stay here, move mid-term & we are still at this address (as opposed to anyone else claiming to be). Even Wine & thoughts of glitter & milk powder are not working tonight !

OP posts:
RandomMess · 23/10/2015 22:36

Don't forget you can take your EA complaint to their ombudsman...

Original poster
AmandaJanePisces · 23/10/2015 22:42

Will include that threat Grin hic ...

OP posts:
Laura0806 · 23/10/2015 22:58

I really hope you haven't reduced your price for them and wont. SOunds like you would sell yours again very quickly. I suspect they have used your address fraudulently. YOu can't use an address until you have exchanged i was told and I suspect they are counting on you being desperate to sell. In fact you are in the driving seat and I suspect you could get their children removed form the school if you reveal its your address not theirs. I can't bear these underhand tactics. Its totally out of order. Put your house back on the market and tell them you want an exchange by the end of next week