Extended lease money missing

[outofmymind26]

Don't suppose anyone would have any advice?

Basically my mum has used a company that 3 other neighbours have used to pay for the lease to be extended on a flat. They are selling the flat. Buyer ready but paperwork for lease is only thing they're waiting on.

Her solicitors have forward the funds to this company & have been waiting a couple of months now for the paperwork to come through.

No paperwork has ever arrived & the buyer is going to back out. The solicitor has said to my mum today that he's unable to contact the company that he's paid to extend the lease.

Now the solicitor has washed his hands of this & my mum is in a state & doesn't know how to move forward with this.

How do we get our money back. Or the lease paperwork .

Thank you everyone in advance

I don't pretend any expertise but I wouldn't have thought the solicitor can simply wash his hands of the matter. Can he contact the freeholder to see what (if any) contact that they have had from the company? Assuming that the freeholder hasn't received the money, I would ask for a meeting with the senior partner at the solicitor's firm to discuss future options - would a law practice have insurance to cover payments in these sorts of situations? Should the solicitor have carried out some due diligence before the money was sent? Why didn't the solicitor sort out the lease extension since this is something that they are qualified to do?

Good luck, this must be very stressful for your mother.

Have they all contacted their MP?

Thank you so much for responding. Since the initial shock I've been doing some research & looking into things a little more as i rent & have no idea how all this works etc.

Basically I'm of the same thought, the solicitor needs to explain who he paid etc & where the money is. So far he's not returning calls but the office is only down the road so maybe we should pop in & bring it to the attention of his boss?

Posted too soon. I've found out that the solicitor has been in contact with the other solicitors & has transferred the money & that my mums solicitor has had confirmation the money has been received & paperwork will follow with the new lease showing. However this was months ago & mums solicitor just keeps saying that he cannot get hold of the person sorting the paperwork. So feeling a little better as it appears the other people have confirmed in email they received the funds etc. Just wish mums solicitor would be a bit more pro active at chasing. He just keeps telling mum there's nothing he can do. The man has disappeared?? So weird. Thank you though for replying. Head was all over the place & panic set in. Don't know where to start with legal things.