Pestering my solicitor?!

[Watto1]

We are in the process of selling our house and buying a new one. We had our offer accepted on 6th October. It's all gone quiet! I spoke to my solicitor last Monday and he said that our sale was going smoothly but the solicitor for our purchase is being v slow at sending the contract to him. He was going to chase him. Would I be unreasonable to phone him again on Monday for an update? I don't want to pester him but I'd like an idea of a completion date. Also, our survey on the new house hasn't been done yet. Who do I chase about this? My mortgage advisor? I haven't bought a new house for 14 years and I can't remember how it all works!

Thanks!

God yes, definitely chase, in my experience if your not chasing, they’re not doing! I chased every couple of hours towards the end of ours 🙄

**you’re

I'm a conveyancing solicitor - definitely not unreasonable to check how things are going a week after you last spoke!

And yes, do give your mortgage advisor a call regarding the survey

My experience has been our solicitors didn't bother doing anything until after our survey was completed. Despite us paying a deposit

@Angryosaurus really? I have honestly never heard of any firm local to me operating that way. Very odd.

I am finding the whole process painfully slow this time. My solicitors and vendors solicitors write to each other using what can only be second class stamps as letters take 4 days to arrive each way. Our buyers need to complete ASAP, yet it apparently took over 4 weeks for our initial searches to come back?!

We pestered a lot but it did mean we ended up paying more for the conveyancing than originally quoted. Don’t expect a completion date though at this stage. We had no idea of that until we exchanged.

@Angryosaurus 4 weeks is a normal wait for searches unfortunately - that wait is not within your solicitor's control (unless they were very slow in ordering them to begin with).

Pester pester pester! Our sale has been dragging on since September and honestly it has only been badgering of everyone involved that has gotten it to this stage. Conveyancy solicitors seem to have been taught to work as slowly as possible. The time it takes to get anything done is shocking.

Agree they are unbearably slow we have been in a chain since July. We asked them to look into an issue right at the start. After constant pestering they then ‘infirmed’ Us of the issue 3 months later. Having done nothing about it!!

I think phoning weekly is fine. To be honest I found when I bought my house that I had to keep chasing to push the whole thing through in the end, as if I just left them to it nothing got done.

It can take a little while at the beginning to be fair. Dealing with anti money laundering requirements, sending out the client care letter with property forms, getting the completed property forms back, potentially waiting for deeds to come back from storage and sending out a contract package can easily take over a week.

I’m glad the consensus is to pester! In that case I’ll phone our solicitor tomorrow, because waiting and not knowing is stressing me out. I hate being in limbo.

Hi Watto my offer was accepted on 5th Oct so am in a similar boat to you. Interested to hear what your solicitor says tomorrow as I’ll be chasing for an update too. Haven’t had anything except survey and offer yet - neither of which involved Solicitor.

We had another nightmare sale a few weeks back. I don't trust any of the solicitors , they play us off against each other . Good for you OP pester the hell out of them.

My experience is if you want something doing chase them. I trusted them during my flat purchase, offer made August last year ...completed February this year because the solicitor couldn't get off their arse and chase a signature on one bit of paper. Apparently he had done enough already! I did it myself by tracing the last owner etc took me a couple hours a few phone calls and it was sorted. If I'd not done it I suspect I'd still be sat waiting now..

Sorry everyone, I started this thread and then forgot all about it! Well, I rang the solicitor this morning and this are finally moving. Contracts are ready and searches should be back within a fortnight. Completion hopefully first or second week of December. Woohoo!

Yay Watto that’s great news!

Any joy with yours MrsPuss?

Turns out my survey was done ages ago but nobody actually told us! We know it's fine from the mortgage people's point of view but I'd still like to see it.

When you say survey, could it just have been the mortgage valuation?

If so it is unlikely that you will be sent a copy, and in any event it should not really be considered a survey, it is purely just to confirm the property represents suitable lending security for the mortgage provider.

Yes, I meant the mortgage valuation rather than a structural survey. However, I have always had a copy of it when I have bought houses before.

It is becoming more common for lenders not to send a copy to the buyer.

I wouldn't worry, it contains the most basic of information, in my experience the surveyor carrying out the valuation likely spent fewer than 20mins at the property.

Watto I haven’t seen the mortgage valuation either but the same man did my private survey. My searches were ordered on 16th Oct, due back 24th Nov that’s despite the council confirming their 15 day turnaround time. But like you I should be in by mid-Dec. Need to exchange on 30th Nov so I can end tenancy so slightly stressed here.