Buyer's solicitor's sloth like behaviour

[drcrab]

Our chain is complete and we instructed our solicitors to get a move on with things so we got a big pack of stuff on fixtures and fittings, etc. The usual. We returned the paperwork within a few days and thought nothing of it. This was early October. Things get sent on to our buyers on the 12th.
Our solicitors didn't hear back for 2 weeks so chased them on the 24th. No reply. Sent another email saying something along the lines of 'didnt hear from you so here's the same'. They got a read receipt and nothing more.
They should have started the searches and according to my solicitor, where we live the searches take 48 hrs. Haven't heard anything.

Today the 8/11 we send another email and reply from the associate was 'we are waiting for the land searches'. WTF?

Are people just genuinely so incompetent? This is not the first eg. This all transpired because on 24th Oct I got a phone call from my EA telling me that my buyer was in touch saying how come her lawyers haven't heard from mine?!!! (and that's when we found out that ours had in fact sent the paperwork on the 12th).

Help. If I were this incompetent at work and couldn't do things within reasonable deadlines I'll be sacked!!!!

Unfortunately there's not much you can do, if your solicitors keep chasing them you'll probably get charged for the extra work. I suggest you get on to the buyers direct and ask them to put a rocket under their solicitors.

I've just sent an email to EA telling them to tell those people to get a move on. And that I wasnt going to pay for any extra letters that my solicitors might charge due to their incompetences.

Your solicitor acts for you, the estate agent acts for you - the buyer's solicitor acts for the buyer and will ignore anything you, your solicitor and the estate agent says.

Talk to your buyer and point out that their solicitor is causing delay and costing them money, it is up to your buyer to light the fire under their solicitor's chair.

... as mumblechum said.

thing is I don't know her contact details - I have her address etc...but no phone number! so how can I talk to my buyer, unless through the EA?

You should keep on the estate agent's tail as they're good at chasing up for you (they want their commission!).

A couple of things could be causing the delay. The buyer may have been slow getting the search monies to the solicitor, the solicitor may be waiting for the buyer's mortgage offer to arrive so as to report to the client. However I am surprised that your solicitor hasn't received any enquiries on receiving the contract papers and PIFs.

My daughter had the exact same problem when they sold their house. The buyers solicitor was a nightmare, very slow, kept asking for documents already sent, asking about the drain adoption even though legislation was imminent making the request redundant!!! etc etc. Her DH contacted the buyer who basically said go away I'm stressed enough already! and contact my solicitor not me!...

DDs solicitor and estate agent were on a fixed fee so didnt mind hassling the other solicitor so no extra cost to DD. Her solicitor in the end complained to the senior partner but it didnt do much good! In the end they just had to sit it out, giving all the extra help asked for and chewing their fingernails, but after much longer than it should have taken, they did get the house. Oh and they kept in regular touch with the owner of the new house who was very understanding.

the search money had been paid (according to the EA), the buyer is a cash buyer so no mortgage... so really there's no excuse except for sloth behaviour on the part of the buyer's solicitor...

but GOOD NEWS!! :) apparently the elusive land searches have come back and they are 'favourable'!! they say that they are going to send it to my buyers and get her signature and then we're ready to roll! lets just hope somehow it doesn't disappear from their offices up north to London....

My DDs buyer was a cash buyer...her share of divorce settlement, said it was in solicitors account, then it wasnt, then it was. Dont hold your breath its probably the same solicitor, when one problem was solved another reared its ugly head