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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Annoyed at solicitor?

18 replies

Drowningmysorroes · 10/02/2020 22:02

Not sure if this normal.

Selling my property and they still haven’t sent over the contract to the buyers solicitor as they are “still waiting to check my ID”

I came in and they photocopied my ID over a week ago. All they need to do is look at it Confused

I know house moves are slow but .. is this normal?

OP posts:
zsazsajuju · 10/02/2020 22:04

Doubt it will make any difference.

redastherose · 10/02/2020 22:06

It may not be the conveyancer at fault. If they have a specific person or a department (depending on how big the firm is) that deals with compliance the Conveyancer may not be all owed to start any work until they have completed the various compliance checks.

Original poster
Drowningmysorroes · 10/02/2020 22:09

But they specifically said to my estate agent - they still need to check my ID.

I haven’t spoke to them myself as I only got told this today and they were closed when I found out.

It’s not a big firm of that makes any difference.

OP posts:
SandyY2K · 10/02/2020 22:09

The ID check is often done when you instruct the solicitors at the beginning.

It sounds quite early in the process to have sent the contract over, if this is the case.

Having said that, I'm currently experiencing my solicitor being rather slow with a property sale and purchase.

Some solicitors are quick to take on new work, but slow to actually get a move on.

Jimdandy · 10/02/2020 22:11

It is no longer that simple. The anti money laundering regulations got much tighter just before Christmas. It is not a case of just looking at your ID anymore. They may run an online check now. Do you have a common name and no middle name?

Your name may have flagged up on the sanctions list or politically exposed and they are awaiting clearance from the appropriate authority. Even if it is not you, you still have to await clearance to begin the transaction for them to confirm.

Of this happens we are not allowed to “tip you off” so we have to use Woolley phrases to essentially fob you off until the go ahead is received.

It could be as simple as someone else does the compliance checks as well.

Original poster
Drowningmysorroes · 10/02/2020 22:19

Well then is my estate agent just really annoying?!

Since the sale he hasn’t stopped calling me with how eager the buyer is to get moving and have I done this or that yet.

OP posts:
Whyhaveidonethis · 10/02/2020 22:24

Believe me, my solicitor was really on the ball and did everything ASAP. EA was ringing weekly saying how excited the buyer was. The flat was empty, there was no chain. The buyer had a mortgage agreed in principle. IT STILL TOOK 17 FUCKING WEEKS. Honestly, I could have built the poxy place in that time. The buyers solicitor was slow, took forever to do anything and kept asking the same questions in about a million different ways. If you don't think your solicitor is on the ball then change them.

Original poster
Drowningmysorroes · 10/02/2020 22:27

I’ll speak to them tomorrow, it’s just it’s taken me so long to get my place sold that I don’t want this sale to fall through and start all over again.

OP posts:
SandyY2K · 10/02/2020 22:33

They're never slow to take your money though. My solicitor had the cheek to say they had taken the liberty of adding £20 to my bill for a charity donation.

Quite a liberty indeed!

DogInATent · 10/02/2020 22:46

Ring your solicitor, tell them they've got until the end of the week to get things moving or they're fired.

Meanwhile, look up other local solicitors.

SlapItOn · 10/02/2020 22:50

I work with conveyancing solicitors a lot. You need to chase them. If something doesn’t happen, chase them until it does then chase them some more. The professionals in the chain can be fobbed off, you as the client can’t and in my experience you will always be the best person to make something happen. Good luck!

TreadLightly3 · 10/02/2020 23:26

What SlapItOn said!!

Whyhaveidonethis · 11/02/2020 05:37

Another vote for what @SlapItOn said

GemmeFatale · 11/02/2020 06:13

Our house sale is like pulling teeth. I call the solicitor and agents every day. Some times twice a day. Friday I did 14 calls between the two of them.

I will say our buyer is the slowest human in the world and won’t do actions in parallel which has delayed things a lot. I think we should exchange this week but I’ve been saying that since January.

CheshireDing · 11/02/2020 06:23

You only need to chase them if they are not actually doing their job SlapIt, the likelihood is they are but are having to wait for someone/something else.

14 calls in one day between the estate agent and Solicitor is ridiculous, how are they supposed to do any work if you keep ringing?

As others have said OP it is not as straightforward as just looking at your ID, they will be told as company policy they can’t send the contract pack out until ID has been checked (as otherwise it uses up their time on files which are further progressed)

eurochick · 11/02/2020 06:30

Did they only need your passport? Typically they will need utility bills or bank statements with your address too.

cochineal7 · 11/02/2020 07:06

I found property solicitors excruciatingly slow. It seems they all still communicate by fax (or pigeon carrier) and haven’t discovered email yet. So do keep asking them or it will take weeks longer than it should.

Whyhaveidonethis · 11/02/2020 07:21

@GemmeFatale eventually I said at Christmas, if we haven't exchanged by 15th January then we are withdrawing from the sale. That put the wind in their sails funnily enough we exchanged by 15th and completed 5 days later. I was so pissed off with the whole thing. I had to pay the mortgage for 5 months while they pissed about

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