Would anyone like an 'in a chain' support group? (3)

[Spickle]

Assuming all you lovely people in a chain still need a support group? Here it is......

Spickle it was 2 weeks ago it was sent so 10 working days. I've had this conveyancer since February and not once spoken with her, always her team. I don't think that's good service at all. I know I'm being impatient it's just those weeks where you hear nothing that frustrates you!

I have sent off all building regs certificates I have for windows, boiler etc. I've had fire and boiler serviced and sent that. Just more waiting I guess, thanks for the reply.

Star that's still a month though?! Why does it take a month to respond 😖 I'm sure there's a valid reason but god the process just drags on and on and on!

Yes it's crazy bored.

Our contract pack went out to our buyers end of May and it was only last week they responded with enquiries. We then had a few others come through a couple of days later following the survey. But again this one done ages ago so no idea why there was such a delay in the middle.

I'm quite pleased with my solicitor on the whole but I think either side are using online/fixed price ones so I can only assume they are incredibly busy!

What got me was the weird questions they were asking too. I've no idea how they are relevant or how I would even know the answer. For example, our buyers solicitor wanted to know why a previous owner of the house had decided against doing an extension they had approval for. How can I answer that without totally just assuming and fabricating a reason?!

They also wanted me to list all the commercial activities that had ever taken place in the property (it was built late 1870s!)

The whole point of an online conveyancer is exactly that - communication is online. Online conveyancers don't want to speak to clients by phone, the fixed price is for basic service, which doesn't include telephone contact - unless they contact you. You're supposed to get updates via email or online tracker/case management, that's the reason there are trackers you can view. We have upwards of 200 ongoing cases at any one time and we are a team of 3.5. Our solicitors will charge an hourly rate/part hourly rate if clients want face to face meetings or telephone calls. Harsh as that is, that is the reality of an online conveyancer.

Spickle that's my mistake then as I wasn't aware it was such an impersonal service. The worst thing is with all the costs added on it would have been far cheaper to have used a local Solicitor. I'll not make the same mistake again.

Bored The glitzy web pages that make online conveyancing sound like a great service would only work the way most clients want it to work, is if the case load was a lot lighter. In the early days of online conveyancing, a lighter case load was the norm, because they hadn't become well known enough for the general public. Nowadays a large majority of home buyers/sellers use an online conveyancer (or at least someone in your chain will) and the case loads have grown, but recruiting extra staff hasn't matched the volume of work because these companies have cut their margins to the bone. The solicitors/conveyancers are fee earners for the company. The company does not want expensive solicitors/conveyancers to be talking on the phone to hundreds of clients every week, they want them to be earning the company money and they earn it by dealing with all the technical legal stuff that assistants don't have the legal knowledge of.

As an assistant I have to do the pre-legal stuff, post completion stuff and deal with the constant interruptions of phone calls/emails/tracker messages from clients/lenders/estate agents/solicitors/management companies/freeholders/land registry/inland revenue etc. Some days I don't actually get any "work" done at all.

I agree with you, it is an impersonal service and doesn't work out necessarily cheaper.

It is rather telling that if I ever move again (and I hope not!), I will not use my firm to do my conveyancing (and I would get a staff discount).
Not because my firm is not good at what they do, because they are, but because they have far too much work and transactions get done in the order they come in and can add many weeks to the process simply because it takes ages for the post to be looked at, let alone dealt with.

I am also using an online conveyencer. I am really regretting this decision. I cannot get hold of my conveyencer, e-mails are not being answered. I have asked 3 times for an amendment to be made on my fixtures and fittings form and I still don't know if this has been done. It's making me very nervous as I am not sure if the case is just being passed around.

Oh dear just read a thread on here about the firm I'm using. It sounds like I am not alone in my negative experience of them.

Spickle sounds like you are all over loaded with work. Feeling even more depressed now that I will never get there! Serves me right for going for what I though was a cheaper option when it clearly is not (added extras have mounted up astonishingly). You are really saying they do not want the client to keep call them as they too busy and its meant to be online. I get a weekly email update if that and most of the time thats the same email I have had for weeks. I am paying them for a service and am bitterly disappointed. Such a stressful time.

Also with an online conveyancer. It would probably work if she was ever there out of 15 weeks of her dealing with our sale and purchase she has been on holiday/out of the office for three weeks. What with that and none of her team dealing with anything, her not responding to anybody else and her telling me to not talk to anybody and the sellers going on an exotic holiday for two weeks and turning their phones off iv completely and frankly had enough. I'm getting calls from estate agents and other solicitor asking if everything is okay. It's exhausting.

Bored I think people misunderstand a little about the service you are paying for. The service you are paying for is to transfer ownership of a property to another. That's it. There is no service regarding timescales, updates and forming a good relationship with your solicitor. The online tracker system was originally designed to clients with timescales and updates and therefore no need for the client to contact the solicitor by phone.

Obviously if the property has a problem that you need to know about, then the solicitor will phone you. It is the reason conveyancing fees have come down over the last 10 years, but as you've found out, there are lots of additional charges for extras on top of the basic fee.

I think we can now see that this method is not working because clients do not want to accept contact by email/tracker only and do not understand the difference between an online conveyancing factory and a local firm you can go and visit.

Becky it shouldn't make a lot of difference if your solicitor is away on holiday. The team should carry on the work and there will be another solicitor able to step in for exchanges and completions. If you file is not at the crucial exchange/completion stage, it is probably not a high enough priority.

Spickle yes I think you've hit the nail on the head. This is my 7th house purchase and I had no idea of the difference. I definitely wouldn't use online again for a house move just as I would never use an online estate agent either. You live and learn as they say!

spickle we were meant to exchange last week, it never happened, we were supposed to complete today... We are now wanting the 4th August. None of the team stepped in. Nobody has helped, just aslong as she had a good holiday tho eh!

Ea chased seller's solicitor and had the reply that all enquiries were back from vendor so they're sending them to our solicitor today. That's the last bit but solicitor will need to complete the report to us so how long will that take?

Really need to exchange next week so we can book everything for moving on the 7th.

Well we have received a pack of info from our solicitors, just one additional query from me regarding the boundary as it's not very clear. Our solicitor has queried the usual stuff planning/building regs for extension, gas safe check for boiler and electrical certificate.

We have received 2 enquiries from our buyers. One regarding the certificate for the new boiler, it's been registered and can be checked with Gas safe by phone just no paper certificate yet. The other planning permission/building regs for the garage, it's exempt from planning as it falls under permitted development and exempt from building regs due to the internal floor area.

So once these have been answered and accepted is that us good to go? Our solicitor/secretary has refused to discuss dates so far. Do you think a move in August is achievable?

I don't see why a move in august can't happen if you have the searches back, mortgage in place and survey done... all depends on the rest of the chain really.

I have now signed the contract, and so has DH today which will be returned to our sol tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can exchange tomorrow or early next week.
We have another pre-exchange viewing of our new house last weekend and it is so exciting now! Starting to think about booking carpet cleaners, oven cleaners etc

Thanks nonwonderwoman its a house swap so no chain at all, and we are both at exactly the same stage.

I've started thinking about a carpet clean as well, the downstairs smells a bit as it's been empty but the thinking a clean might be a good idea. We went round last weekend to note if we need blinds/curtain poles for any of the rooms and one thing we need to do straight away is a taller gate for the side path as it wont keep our Labrador in at the minute. The sellers are leaving us a brand new oven so no problems there but we probably need a new dishwasher ASAP.

I don't mind if it's not August as another payday at our current (ahem cheaper) house would be nice.

Not.. actually sure what to do at this point.

We had radio silence from the seller for a couple of weeks. Assumed he had decided not to sell and that was that, and was trying to find something else. Then on Thursday (a week ago today) he randomly picked up the phone to his solicitors and stated that he was 'really keen to sell, and would call Monday to discuss completion dates'....

Monday came and went. Solicitors called all day - he didn't answer the phone. Estate agents called. We emailed. They both emailed. They text. Nothing. Tuesday - same thing again.. We emailed stating "please contact us urgently regarding this transaction", and received an email back, stating that "things were looking up for him and he "guessed" we could discuss completion for next week". We replied immediately stating that our buyer needs 2 weeks between exchange and completion for their mortgage funds to be released, and heard nothing since. There have been multiple emails from us sent every day, phonecalls from the solicitors, estate agents, etc. All ignored. No instruction has been given. The solicitors have sent out letters now. He answered the phone once to the agents on tuesday and told them to no longer call him anymore, as he was in "direct talks with the buyer". I suppose the single email we got tossed is "direct talks", but he pretends not to receive any of the other emails we send, and we don't have his phone number. We send the emails from multiple email addresses and CC the agent in too, who also forwards them. They also text him to check his emails. We finally sent a letter today to arrive tomorrow via special delivery (tracked and signed for) that basically states, "please call your solicitors today to either give instruction, or pull out, as this is an absolutely terrible way to treat both us and our buyer". I am expecting the letter to be rejected.

I know that it's obvious. I know that he obviously doesn't want to sell. But at this stage.. We're all ready to exchange.. Everyone was ready months ago.. And he said he had cancer (baring in mind - this is also a second home, absolutely empty, with no personal possessions in there except furniture that he bought with the home (it is ex show home), which we offered to purchase as he was making noises about finding it difficult to arrange removals - AND he accepted), so we tried our best to wait, as he was "waiting for results" after weeks of stringing us along with "trying to arrange removals".. I just.. I just don't understand? If you don't want to sell - why don't you pull out? Why do you call your solicitors without any prompting and state you really do want to sell? What is going on?

My brain is frazzled and I can't take anymore. There's just nothing else on the market, and we've already had 2 other properties fall through as it is.

What do we do now? Has anyone ever faced such an odd situation like this before? Can estate agents REALLY wash their hands of it but then still expect to put their hand out for their fee if it does end up going through at the end of it?? I can't believe he could just do this to us - leaving us in limbo is actually worse than if he'd just pulled out.

Sorry I've been so crap and not replied to anyone, btw. I'm just so stressed and exhausted from this whole process.

Good luck to everyone still waiting to exchange/complete. I can't see why an August move wouldn't be achievable, but at this point I don't hold anything for granted anymore.

Cosh that sounds ridiculous. House buying brings out the worst in people.

My director at work took me to one side this week to tell me I'm really impressing him and although I've always been good at my job he's noticed I'm really flying right now. What?! I'm on bloody auto pilot and my brain is mush. Oh well, at least I'm holding it together for those on the outside.

Today I chased and my EA chased my solicitor who had to go back on 2 of the enquiries that havent been answered. My solicitor sent me the email she sent to the vendor's solicitor and my god she's pissed off. I thought my emails were sometimes blunt but hers was having a serious go at the other solicitor. I assume she sent it to prove to me she's fighting for us. 2 enquiries not answered include a very standard thing about any breaches of covenants that they've just ignored/avoided answering and there is a wall that's been removed between kitchen/dining room which they argue previous owners did so they're not responsible for supplying building regs certificate. Basically their solicitor failed to do this when they purchased. Our solicitor is insisting they pay for the indemnity. No idea what the cost is but they're usually very small amounts so should just agree I would have thought but we will pay if we have to. Not offered yet though. Any idea how much an indemnity would be?

m0ther We're having to pay indemnity insurance for 2 enquiries that they couldn't satisfy.. Coming to £221 for one and £116 on another. The vendor refused to pay, just to top it off. Plus a £60 admin fee from the solicitors.

The tiniest of progress here. Solicitor is finally happy with the last 2 queries. It's only taken her 5 fucking months. She's going to send us the paperwork next week and then hopefully the people at the bottom get their mortgage offer in.

Not holding out too much hope with what's happened so far though.

Sorry for the rest of you having just the same struggles. I swear I only come on this thread to rant.

Iamcheeseman Keeping fingers crossed for you. 5 months? That's ridiculous.

Interesting development yesterday. We sent a special delivery letter that arrived at 10am (and he signed for) that basically said, "look, please call your solicitor and give instruction for exchange or pull out, this isn't fair anymore" and he sent us an email blaming us for the delay (apparently the enquiries that he took months to reply to were the sole reason, nevermind that we've been waiting for him alone just to exchange for the past 7 weeks or so), but then ultimately called his solicitors. He didn't give instruction to exchange, but did mention the furniture we'd offered to buy. We only offered to buy it because he kept lying to us for weeks about "struggling to arrange removals" (he wasn't doing a thing) and as it's a second home with furniture that came with the house, he was keen to try and sell them to us in the first place. He's pushing for August 15th for completion but we pointed out several times our buyer needs 2 weeks, so we'd have to exchange Tuesday the latest, and I just can't see that happening! The fact that he can dictate when we complete makes me angry when neither he nor the buyer is having to do anything physically in this - our buyer is a developer buying ours up to rent out, and as said before, this home is the seller's second, and is left empty year round (minus the furniture that came with it).. So nobody actually having to do any physical moves but us, and nobody having to take time off work but us.

Cosh you seller sounds not dissimilar to ours.

We've had no response to enquiries send mid June and they are ignoring chaser calls from the EA and the solicitor. I'm really not sure what's going on.

Our buyer is all ready to exchange so we are just waiting on the seller. The EA assures us she wants to move still, and has organised a rental to start end of August; but I've no idea how that's likely to happen if she won't even reply to our enquiries, let alone discuss exchange/completion dates.

I've had enough now!

Cosh I think you need to give him an ultimatum for a specific dat and be prepared to walk away. He is dicing you around for whatever reason, he knows and you know it. I know its so hard when you have got this far but a time comes when enough is enough.

On my side my Solicitors have proved themselves to be shit. I had not had feedback to enquiries raised on the house I am buying despite them having them since mid-may. They have still to hear on a few points apparently so I asked for a copy of where they are at. 5 outstanding points - one which took a 2 minute call to the water board to see if the house has a meter, no it doesnt so there you go let me do you job I am paying you to do. Another, we are waiting for a copy of a covenant which is odd because I found it amongst the file that they sent. I sat in tears yesterday on the verge of ringing the estate agent to tell them I am pulling out. ARGHHHHH but then went out dancing with some friends and felt much better for letting the stress out!!

I cannot take much more of this process, it is so ridiculously stressful when it really need not be.