just wanted a little moan about estate agents / vendors

[Susanna101]

anyone care to join me?

Had our offer accepted at the beginning of April. Vendors wouldn't let us do anything (our survey, lender's survey, fixtures & fittings) until they'd had an offer accepted which finally happened mid-June. We received their docs mid-July and it seems they've lost every single certificate for everything they've ever had done, including a recent ground floor extension, new boiler installation, and don't have a copy of the deed the house is subject to so we don't know what that says. Now they say they're ready to talk about completion dates although we're still asking them to get things recertifed or get indemnity policies, AND their estate agent seems to have taken against our solicitor (who is excellent) and keeps making digs at him in e-mails. Am just about worn out with the effort of holding it all in mind and trying to stay civil to "the other side" (even though I am sure they are very nice people otherwise!). And despite our best efforts to move in August when I'm not busy, it's almost certainly going to be September when I can hardly take any time off work :(

Anyone else in a similar boat? Or come out the other side?

They did you a favour by making you wait for surveys etc. how pissed off would you have been if you'd paid for all those and then they pulled out because they had nowhere to move to?

Indemnity policies take no effort at all, I imagine plenty of people don't keep track of boiler certs etc I know I didn't

We exchanged a whole two months after the original planned date and competed two weeks after that. It was the most exhausting process I've ever been through. You have my sympathies.

Thanks OMAGIAB. They probably did do us a favour I know but it just seems to have taken so long and I've started to dread e-mails from the agent because I don't want to see what he's found to dislike about our solicitor this time!

things like new boilers get building regs certificates, which will be registered with the council. So they can find all those.

your solicitor is a grown-up, is paid to be a grown-up and can deal with a stroppy hair-flicker. Don't worry about that. If the agent is being stroppy with you, complain to his/her boss.

you cannot commit to buy this place without the certificates and safeguards, so it is worth the pain.

Are you a first time buyer? This sort of thing sounds pretty par for the course to me. Buying/selling houses is horrifically stressful.

I may have had bad luck though.

It'll be worth it.

all house deeds are registered online

Thanks everyone. No not a first time buyer, but this is the longest we've had to wait. And actually the Land Registry is saying it doesn't have a copy of the deed so that is proving slightly more problematic than we had hoped. This isn't the title deeds (they are there) but a separate deed that the property is subject to, about what we are still in the dark given that no-one can find a copy . . .

Yes my solicitor is fab and he copes very well with the agent, I just dislike the pointed e-mails I get from the latter about the former! And perhaps when this is all signed and sealed I will raise this with the agency . . . I just needed a moan as it was all getting to me this morning. A few beers later and I am a bit more chilled about it all :)

If it is a missing conveyance, likelihood is that your solicitor will request an indemnity policy to protect you just in case someone turns up out of the blue to claim a breach of covenant. Chances are, if it was referring to something a long time ago, it won't happen but the indemnity insurance is protection just in case.

As you know, the EA acts on behalf of the seller. He's intimidating you/your solicitor because he wants the sale regardless and your solicitor is doing his job properly by wanting the paperwork to be correct. Don't let the EA grind you down. Your solicitor is working in your best interests and trying to protect you against any possibility that something in the future doesn't happen that you don't have any recourse towards.