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AIBU?

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Original poster

Did you thank/ buy a gifts when moving house for your estate agents/ solicitors etc?

135 replies

badaboomed · 09/06/2022 17:03

Hello, We are hopefully completing on a house tomorrow.

Increasingly im seeing examples of people giving people involved in their house sale some form of thank you gift

Is this the norm? Will our estate agent/ solicitor/ mortgage broker feel we are terribly ungrateful if we just pay them as normal?

OP posts:
Cuwins · 09/06/2022 17:03

We had our solicitor and his wife round for dinner but they were friends otherwise no.

TheKeatingFive · 09/06/2022 17:04

No. Didn't even occur to me.

HopeIsNotAStrategy · 09/06/2022 17:04

I don't think it's normal. I've only once bought my solicitor a bottle of champagne, but that was because she went above and beyond to complete on time.

LyndaSnellsSniff · 09/06/2022 17:05

I think I might have sent a thank you card...but she was particularly helpful during the process. If she hadn't been so helpful then, no it wouldn't have occurred to me.

TheDepthsOfDespair · 09/06/2022 17:05

Estate agent - No, they were crap so was annoyed enough at paying for their appalling service never mind a tip.

conveyancer - I think it was a £50 voucher as they weren’t allowed to receive cash but were allowed vouchers & gifts.

Doona · 09/06/2022 17:06

No, but I barely saw them (?) so it wasn't in any way a relationship (?)

CookieMuncho · 09/06/2022 17:06

No, their gift is the fee I've paid them to do the service I required....

Youhaveyourhandsfull · 09/06/2022 17:06

Absolute madness. To quote Don Draper, that’s what the money is for.

TheDepthsOfDespair · 09/06/2022 17:07

Oh and the mortgage broker got Prosecco and posh chocolates as she worked wonders and got us an amazing deal. Literally helped us change our lives massively.

LovelyDaaling · 09/06/2022 17:08

Barmy idea. What next? A gift for the builder or plumber?

rainbowstardrops · 09/06/2022 17:08

No! That's what we paid crazy money for!

We did however buy the new owners a card and bottle of fizzy to welcome them to their new home.

Moosake · 09/06/2022 17:08

No that's really weird. Maybe a card if they have gone particularly above and beyond.

MrsEmmelinePankhurst · 09/06/2022 17:08

No.

I’m paying them thousands of pounds. That’s plenty!

TaranThePigKeeper · 09/06/2022 17:10

Christ, no. By the end they had more of my money in their accounts than I did, I consider that a pretty big thank you.

Leypt1 · 09/06/2022 17:10

We got our solicitor and mortgage broker a card - they were both very good and efficient, which helped

Fleur405 · 09/06/2022 17:13

I’m a solicitor (though not conveyancing). I really don’t expect presents from clients! A thank you email is nice as is paying the fee on time but that’s all!

Johnnysgirl · 09/06/2022 17:14

No! They haven't done you a favour, they've provided a service and charged for it.
How weird.

Johnnysgirl · 09/06/2022 17:15

Do you buy your dentist a thank you gift?

ChampagneCommunist · 09/06/2022 17:18

I am a property lawyer - it does happen, but very rarely. But it's really nice when it does (and it's always unexpected).

I occasionally get chocolates (shared with rest of the office), wine (not shared!) and flowers (which go in a vase in my office)

squareframe · 09/06/2022 17:20

No, they are just doing their job. I guess I would consider it if it was a stressful move and they went above and beyond to get things done.

livingthegoodlife · 09/06/2022 17:22

I've had wine, biscuits but mostly flowers. Always a complete surprise. I have kept every thank you card I ever received.

Honestly, it is appreciated so much if you think they have done a good job. If just average job I wouldn't bother but anything more then I would.

GonnaGetGoingReturns · 09/06/2022 17:24

Used to work for a conveyancing solicitor. Some of our clients might've sent thank you cards but generally no, a bit weird to give a gift.

One client after we'd helped him get a new lease on a restaurant with a complimentary drinks license (think that's the word) - he was so grateful we'd got this done that he dropped around a few bottles of lovely red wine (was at Christmas). He wasn't English, not that that makes a difference, but sometimes our foreign clients were pleased we'd made an effort and some of them were more polite (which pleased my boss!).

FangsForTheMemory · 09/06/2022 17:31

I moved house in two stages: sold, then rented for a few months, then bought. My first solicitor when I sold, I gave a five star rating and a detailed write up saying how good he was. If I'd still been in the same area I would have dropped in a bottle of wine for him.

My solicitor when I bought was efficient but patronising. She made it clear she thought I was being unreasonable to expect completion in three months on a chain-free cash purchase and was rude to me in a very polite way. I thanked her sincerely for her help, but that was it.

OceanbreezeSun · 09/06/2022 17:32

No.

We hardly saw out agent, they got enough money from us and did the bare minimum.

We did however get our mortgage broker a thank you card as he was really great.

McT123 · 09/06/2022 17:35

LovelyDaaling · 09/06/2022 17:08

Barmy idea. What next? A gift for the builder or plumber?

I gave the electrician a bottle of wine as he was so helpful. Went well beyond what was paid for.