Conveyancer takes days to reply to emails/messages

[SSWMMB]

Where do we stand with this please?

Myself, husband, estate agent, vendor's solicitor multiple outstanding emails.

But can go days without contact/replies.

We're trying to do everything as quickly as we can. But the delays are so frustrating.

I know everyone moans that solicitors are slow but yesterday ours put forward a completion date and that we'd exchange immediately.

This morning first thing other solicitor confirmed it.

But since then radio silence. None of us can get email replies or phone calls answered.

Surely this is beyond "oh solicitors are so frustrating" levels and into genuinely poor practice?

I'll certainly not be withholding any of our payments to them as just want to compete and be done. But where would we stand on fee reimbursement etc?

Drives you nuts! I have had this problem with every house move. Radio silence is the order of the day, then you poke them a bit with a stick and a flicker of response might be forthcoming if you are lucky. They do not really seem to grasp what a big and stressful life event house buying/selling is.

I hope it all goes through for you soon.

Fixed fee I am assuming?

Those arrangements are not very profitable and can only work with serious caseloads per coveyancer. Often they will only look at files at scheduled intervals. Some are obviously better than others, but if you want a better service pay for it.

We used the solicitor advised by our (great) broker who was highly recommended by our IFA and has been used by friends with no delays.

Didn't just Google "cheapest conveyancer" like you seem to assume?

Quite the opposite.

But you say the other side confirmed the completion date only this morning.

Your Conveyancer will be drafting a completion statement, song a final file review, submitting the request to the mortgage lender for funds etc. All of this takes time. None of it is a 2 second job.

Averagely they are probably carrying between 50-130 files and getting anything from 30-100 emails a day (depending on the form they work for)

Give them time. Radio silence doesn’t actually mean they are not doing the work. It means they can’t get the work done because of the constant phone calls and emails usually.

I appreciate there's more work involved.

But - they agreed a completion date that's 5 business days away. Our lender requires 5 business days to release funds.

So I feel like really if you've put that date forward you need to be acting as if you realise the situation you've put everyone in.

I am not assuming anything. Most conveyances operate on that basis. They are professionals and if you paid by the hour it would be very expensive.

For the record, I don't think that 24 hrs is a huge wait for a response. As frustrating as it may feel. Like I said, if you want a personalised service where they are available to help you anytime you'd like then pay on a time spent basis for a solicitor (rather than a convenyancing firm). That's not being arsy, that's just the reality of the sector.

Well, you say they don’t reply for days but then you say it was only confirmed this morning. I think you’re being very demanding to expect immediate attention and responses. At least give them 24-48 hours. And with a string of phone messages and follow up emails to wade through, you might need to allow even more time.

Honestly, I appreciate some are just terrible at their jobs but some are managing huge case loads in what is an area of high risk transactions (from the perspective of their clients) and actually just need time to do the work.

Can you threaten to fire them and use someone else?

DS had a similar issue. Problem seemed to be that his vendor had gone for the cheapest option.

However it seems to be the case here that both you and the vendors, through your respective lawyers, have agreed dates to (a) exchange and (b) complete. Once you're at that point I think you need to step back and let them get on with it.

There's something to be said for thinking that having gone from weeks between exchange and completion to days, or even both at once we've gone full on ridiculous. There's not enough time to iron out creases and make sure that professionals have ensured their lay clients know what exchange and completion mean and what's required of them and when.

Son's vendor wasn't ready to move until 48hrs after completion for exactly that reason. Fortunately he was coming out of rented and was moving himself. Otherwise there'd have been a lot of money to pay for removers/storage, hotac and damages.

I will fully appreciate that in today's example I am expecting incredibly fast replies.

But only due to the suggested completion date put forward to me by my conveyancer yesterday.

We said yes that sounds great to us the sooner the better. Frankly were surprised that they suggested such a close date but having suffered the delays we have we thought maybe that was their way of just getting us out of their hair. Great.

Have since had this afternoon of the estate agent and vendor's solicitor getting me into a panic asking if I've heard that the exchange has happened etc.

We've heard nothing from our solicitor since yesterday when they said they would put the proposed completion date forward.

Again. 24 is not a long time to await a response. I've not been shitty about 24h before.

But when they've proposed a schedule with zero allowance for any delays I feel like the onus would be on them to get that deadline met.

Other wise don't offer that date surely?

As now the agreed completion date (that they came up with - no one else put that date forward) is clearly not going to happen.

Because I'm not the house buying expert in this process and that was the date suggested.

We (understandably) want to complete on the home we've been trying to buy for ages.

What should I have done say "no thanks let's wait longer"?

Yes we are first time buyers.

They know that.

When asked on preferences for dates we have always said ASAP as we don't have a chain and are keen to complete.

Retrospect is a wonderful thing.

As is having vast knowledge and experience of the property process like you. As you've made it clear we don't have that.

Was it unreasonable for us to reply 'yes please proceed, sounds good to us' was the correct response to an email saying:

"Great news - we have everything required from you and in place to exchange - x business days are required to release the funds from the lender - so that would mean that x date is the soonest you could complete - if that date sounds good please confirm and we'll suggest it to the seller's' solicitor"

I realise you see us as the problem in this scenario. But can you not step back from your position of knowledge and appreciate that someone in our position would act the way we have and would feel frustrated by that?

I'm an expert in my field but I don't pretend to fail to comprehend how others don't know the ins and out of it like me.