aibu to be worrying my house purchase might fall through and to ask for advice!

[queenoftheuniverse]

posting here for traffic

am a first time buyer. we had formal mortgage offer end of November. we live in the property we are buying

solicitors and seller have been slow as fuck since day one. the solicitors are currently waiting for some paperwork from the vendor that was requested (by solicitor) weeks ago, the solicitors just don't seem to bother chasing it up, every time I ring its like, ooh they haven't sent it in yet, ring in a couple of days, just so breezy about the whole thing

so what i want to know, is what happens if they still haven't got their act together and my mortgage offer expires?? because it expires in six weeks has this ever happened to anyone, and if so what did you do? :(

have phoned solicitors but surprise surprise my actual solicitor is not there so apparently I am getting a call back ...I would go and sit in their office till someone with some authority helps me if it wasn't 200 miles away!!

I am so scared it all falls through - this is my one chance for some security in where I live and it is all I have ever wanted :(

I have moved house several times and everything you have described sounds exactly like what happened to us every single time. Solicitors taking fucking forever to do anything, telling us that things will definitely be ready by Thursday and then when you ring on Thursday they are just waiting on this or that piece of paperwork, shitting ourselves because our buyers are threatening to pull out if we don't exchange by next week etc etc. Each time it has turned out fine. This seems to be the experience of everyone I know as well.

I think if things are going to fall through, they tend to do so earlier on. I would be really surprised if a purchase fell through because the solicitors just didn't have everything together before a mortgage offer expires, and its still 6 weeks away which is quite a long time.

There is not a lot you can do I don't think apart from sit tight with white knuckles and ride it out! Good luck with everything, I'm sure it will all turn out OK!

When the Solicitor phones back, explain you only have 6 weeks left on your mortgage offer and could they relay this to the Seller's Solicitors. Can you speak to your Seller and explain your Solicitors are waiting for paperwork from his Solicitors and get him to chase it his end (that is where the delay is). I would also contact your Lender and ask if there is a possibility the mortgage offer could be extended so you have it as a back-up in case it rolls over. Good luck.

Our mortgage offer expired but the mortgage company expanded it with no hesitation at all.

thank you for the replies

speaking to the seller is almost impossible, its right to buy ( ) so its the local council's right to buy section and believe me .....trying to speak to the right person is like trying to get the prime minister on the phone ....

yeah I think the solicitors should be chasing it, not just shrugging their shoulders like oh well they haven't sent it

good idea to speak to my mortgage lender - I will do that now

They will probably extend it - just might be at a different rate but rates haven't gone up since Nov.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease - cal the solicitors 2x day. Get expected timelines from them for when things should happen, and hold them to it.

my db had this problem - he was a cash buyer exercising RTB. Applied in May, had offer and they then checked his money for money laundering purposes in August then he heard nothing. Solicitor just kept saying that council is always very slow and not responding to her queries etc and he was worried they were not happy with his money. In middle of November when still nothing was happening he got in contact with his local councillor. She went in with a 'councillor' enquiry (council workers hate them) and found that the file was just sitting on the desk and that everything was completed. Department stated they were too busy to notify solicitor etc etc and that his purchase was in a queue to be finalisesd. Surprise surprise 2 days after she visited had phone call from solicitor to say contracts had been exchanged and he would be completing the following week.

My db then received a refund of 6 weeks rent because of the delay

you can also apply for compensation if the council have unreasonably held up sale see link www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home/delays

You complete RTB6 form and if they have not responded within 4 weeks you serve a RTB8 form

I think that councils feel it is not in their interests to push these sales through so they make them very low priority.

Op, I would speak to the Right to Buy Dept at the Council and get the name of the person you speak to for future reference. From what you have written the delay is with the Council not your Solicitor. I know how frustrating it is for you though.

Yes, I echo the advice to complain either to manager in the council or, generally even more effective is to complain to your local councillor.

We had to ask our lender to extend the offer - surveyor came up with some vague piffling problem then disappeared off the face of the Earth for five bloody weeks, during which time lender wouldn't progress application. Daily phone calls, escalating right up through the lender, finally sorted it out.

We were also having to pacify our seller, as we had already moved in (complicated...) Just keep telling yourself that it will work out.

I second the advice to get a name next time you get through to someone with a clue.
Best of luck

Good advice on this thread. I'd contact the council directly and explain the situation, and that it is causing you a lot of anxiety. They are probably chronically understaffed and struggling. Solicitors can be bloody hopeless too - I ended up ringing mine every day until they got sick of me! I'd be scrupulously nice and polite every time, but the constant nagging did work in the end.

If another 2-3 weeks pass and nothing has happened, I'd get in touch with your MP. It is amazing how much this can expedite all kinds of bureaucratic processes these days.

Our neighbours went through similar and we wwee tangentially involved because of joint access. Lots of phone calls, always ask name of who you are speaking to., email to confirm call etc. Solicitors can be sodding useless

thanks all

you wont believe what I have been through this morning

well I finally got through to someone in the "right to buy team" - I was advised it was being dealt with by their "legal team" who "don't speak to the general public" (lol don't blame them tbh) .....anyway she said she would speak to them on my behalf and call me back

ten mins later I get a call back from her - saying the "legal team" have advised the sale has actually completed today and the monies have been received - I was like but very happy as you can imagine

so I phone my solicitor (well her assistant) who was extremely surprised and confused by what I have been told. and says they have no indication that its completed / completing today and said she would phone council and ring me back

well it turns out the council got it wrong, they were looking at the wrong file and we are NOT completing today >face palm<

so still basically none the wiser. FFS

if it drags on much longer I will deffo contact my mp -

update if anyone cares

the solicitor phoned. we complete april 18th!!

Good news!

Brilliant

:) am so happy

very a bit scared as well, what a responsibility