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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Surely this is part of solicitors job?

46 replies

Confused500 · 04/04/2025 08:56

Please enlighten me if I am wrong, but AIBU to think that it is part of our solicitors job(we are selling home) , to chase the buyers solicitors, if they have not heard back after sending responses to enquiries? One of the queries was about completing before stamp duty changes, which has obviously happened now…
I have seen an email he has sent to the estate agent, which is involved further up the chain, saying that they haven’t heard back yet from the buyers solicitor and presume that she (EA) will be doing the chasing

YABU- this is not what the solicitors are supposed to do

YANBU- you are paying them for a service, and they should be doing this

OP posts:
grimupnorthnot · 04/04/2025 08:59

Solictors need to be more accountable for their jobs - they really are the worst occupation out there - just overcharge and under deliver - and usually there still seems so much they miss -worked with so many in either house / or business and yet to find a competent one - and don't get me started on them doing due diligence and conflict of interest checks - I don't think they exist - certainly within in several legal firms we've worked with and then months down the line the find a conflict - even though in at least two cases we raised it at the start and they still didn't do it.

graygoose · 04/04/2025 09:04

So I’m a solicitor but not in property and have had experience of shitty solicitors on my own property transactions. My experience is that a lot of conveyancing solicitors who charge affordable fees (which is all I can afford myself btw!) are swamped and give the bare minimum service. They charge for a lot of “extras” and yes, they should be expected to chase the other side but clearly don’t think our fees are worth it.

Ironically I work for quite an expensive law firm and I know my property colleagues give stellar service to their clients, but they are very expensive. And no, sadly my firm doesn’t give us free conveyancing services, so I feel your pain. But you aren’t being unreasonable at all, that is part of their job.

Rubybetsie · 04/04/2025 09:07

We have just moved house. It took 6 months to complete, there were just my buyers and us moving to a new build. We ended up chasing various people to get information or documents that our buyers solicitor requested. My solicitor would sit on enquiries for weeks and asked us to chase as she hadn't had any response. We found information out within minutes, my solicitor could have done the same but we needed to complete before stamp duty deadline so just got on with it. We weren't happy given how much we were paying for their service but it seems to be becoming the norm now.

Flufferz · 04/04/2025 09:10

I’m not sure who is actually responsible so to speak but I have bought and sold 3 houses in the past 3 years and every single time the estate agent I am selling with has chased and provided updates on the whole chain every week. If my solicitor has been waiting on something from our buyer or seller’s solicitors then the estate agent has picked this up on his weekly chase around and has contacted the buyer/seller directly who has then chased their solicitors. Also might be worth noting that the large law firm I use is owned by a family member so I can only presume the lawyers dealing with my case do everything by the book.

brombatz · 04/04/2025 09:13

Estate agent with a dedicated chain chaser is the best option these days.

Too many cut-price operations with many people handling the transaction for accountability, so even if you have a good solicitor, it's difficult for them to chase.

FartyAnimal · 04/04/2025 09:16

The vendor's solicitor in my last house purchase was next to useless. Mine did chase him up - usually at my prompting - Which helped, but I was charged every time - every call I made to them, every call/email they made. It had to be done, but our fees were twice as much as they should have been.

Bearbookagainandagain · 04/04/2025 09:19

It probably should be, but IME they don't really have much incentive. So all you would get is 1 solicitor who doesn't really care how long it takes chasing another solicitor, who doesn't really care how long it takes... Plus they don't really have any leverage.

Estate agents are much more motivated usually, and so are the buyers and sellers obviously. So getting the EA to contact the buyers is more likely to yield results quickly.

Original poster
Confused500 · 04/04/2025 09:21

Thank you all for your thoughts so far.
I suppose I am just surprised at how much of a grey area it is.

The solicitor has responded that, if we wish, we can ask the EA to chase the buyers solicitor, as that is part of the role of the estate agent, and until they hear back from the buyers solicitor they can’t do anything further.

OP posts:
Tarantella6 · 04/04/2025 09:25

You pay the estate agent far more than the solicitor so they should be chasing and making sure the chain stays intact imo.

BountifulPantry · 04/04/2025 09:25

What fees are you paying?

if very low then that’s your answer.

GOODCAT · 04/04/2025 09:27

Estate agents do the chasing. It is more economical.

Augustus40 · 04/04/2025 09:28

Usually the estate agent role. However the buyer can always remind the seller to chase up their solicitor to get a move on.

A lot of solicitors ignore estate agents when they call lol. I worked as a legal Secretary when younger.

ThatShyRoseViper · 04/04/2025 09:29

Conveyancing is far too cheap in most cases and you get what you pay for.

FartyAnimal · 04/04/2025 09:30

Forgot to add - there was no estate agent involved in our purchase.

Bluevelvetsofa · 04/04/2025 09:31

Ours last year was so useless, that we got compensation.

ShockedandStunnedRepeatedly · 04/04/2025 09:33

Estate agents take minutes to “train” and get more fees ; Solicitor training is expensive, onerous and takes years and their fees have been cut to the bone by competition to provide a no frills cut price service so it’s no surprise who has more time on their hands and the incentive to close the deal.

Not quite sure how we got there but it’s a crazy situation.

I am not a fan of AI in general for legal work but obviously they could be using it to help with routine things like chasing the other side if they invested in decent systems. But as I said the incentive isn’t there when the fees are so low especially compared to the estate agency cut.

ShockedandStunnedRepeatedly · 04/04/2025 09:35

My understanding is they are permitted to use largely lay people with one solicitor “overseeing”.

TortolaParadise · 04/04/2025 09:35

I think solicitors bite off more than they can chew in terms of their timekeeping. They should say no when they have no intention of giving your case the time required.

ScaryM0nster · 04/04/2025 09:36

What does your contract with them say their job is?

Im guessing probably not chasing responses.

The buyers solicitor doesn’t work for yours, or for you, so realistically they’ve got no influence over them. Whereas they do work for the buyer. The agent works for the seller, and has a role in getting the sale to completion. So if the buyers solicitor needs chasing it needs doing by someone with a professional relationship with the buyer.

Mischance · 04/04/2025 09:40

Don't get me started on this! It makes me furious.

Here's the scenario - I was newly widowed, selling my home to pay late OH's nursing home fees, in danger of losing sale/purchase ....

Hold up because a piece of info had been requested and not appeared. I ask my solicitor if they could please chase this up. Her reply: "I can do this, but it will be reflected in my fee." Fee had been agreed, but she clearly did not see it as part of her job to ensure that the transactions went smoothly - that was over and above!

I was gobsmacked! Working as a social worker for many years I saw it as absolutely my responsibility to chase up links in a chain towards care where there were holdups.

It has rebounded on her though - several people have asked me who I used when they have been moving home - I have told them not to touch her with a barge pole!

Augustus40 · 04/04/2025 09:40

Freehold sales have very little work involved as a rule.

ThinWomansBrain · 04/04/2025 09:40

when I purchased my first flat 40 years ago, fixed fee solicitor recommended by the estate agent. In my early 20s, I knew nothing about buying property/conveyancing, etc. The first small problem that arose regarding the lease he advised me to pull out - he'd have collected the same fee.
Fortunately I was in a house share with a trainee solicitor (at a v large and expensive firm) who saw it as a project and helped me enormously with what to do, say & recommend to the fixed fee solicitor, who probably hated me by the end of it.
Bought the flat, it was all fine. I almost forgave the trainee solicitor housemate for practicing the cello at 2am.

Embobs89 · 04/04/2025 09:44

Having worked as a conveyancing secretary for several years in my 20’s I can say my boss and myself would be ringing the other side relentlessly until they answered and have the agents chasing also. Estate agents can of course assist in moving things along but primarily it’s your solicitors responsibility. You do get lazy ones unfortunately. Or it may be the case your buyers are not responding to their solicitor. perhaps contact them directly or speak to your estate agent to see where the land lies.

Original poster
Confused500 · 04/04/2025 09:54

The fees we are paying are just under 2k, and the firm is well known and recommended.

There are no estate agent fees, as they are not involved as it is a private sale, the estate agent being referred to is for further up the chain.

OP posts:
Mildura · 04/04/2025 09:57

Conveyancing is a high-volume, low-margin game. It's perfectly normal to be running 100 or so files at any one time, which leaves little time for chasing up the other side if they've not acknowledged replies to enquiries.

Some firms do it, but it's not completely widespread.