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Original poster

14 day isolation - two days from completion!

115 replies

stickygotstuck · 07/10/2020 14:52

We are supposed to be enchanging and completing on Friday.

This morning my solicitor forwards an email from the vendor's solicitor to say that they've just got back from holiday and need to isolate for 14 days .

They want to know are we happy to postpone two weeks? Hmm What do they think? Angry

Our issues:
Furious with vendor. WTF were they thinking of going on holiday now? (And yes, there is the slimmest of slim chances that wherever they went has been put on the list after they left. Not sure there is anywhere currently not in 'that' list though).

Furious with both solicitors. It seems from the email that they both know they were on holiday.

We have booked removals van and tradespeople, so have our buyers have as well. All is in place, we are in a chain, vendor is not. One of us has taken time off that cannot be rebooked, the other has rejected self-employed contracts to be able to concentrate on decorating, moving stuff, etc. as of Friday.

We wrote to our solicitor to say it was not acceptable for all above reaons. We also asked why can't we proceed as we understand the house we are buying is now empty and no contact in person is necessary.

(Surely the vendor hasn't gone back to the house from holiday two days before having to vacate it, have they??)

Helpfully, radio silence from our useless solicitor since this morning.

What can we do? Has anybody moved recently and done all the legal stuff remotely? Did you have to physically see anyone on the day?

OP posts:
jeff1965 · 13/10/2020 16:40

Hope you have made progress today

Original poster
stickygotstuck · 13/10/2020 21:20

Thanks jeff. Afraid not! Sad

Seriously considering going round to the house tomorrow...

OP posts:
LadyWithLapdog · 13/10/2020 21:30

You poor thing. You must be exhausted. Just how do people behave like such total wankers?

Original poster
stickygotstuck · 13/10/2020 22:04

Thanks Lady, I am! As a matter of fact I'm off to bed right now, about three hours earlier than usual!

If this doesn't get done tomorrow I think we'll have to walk away. It doesn't bear thinking.

OP posts:
Acidburn · 13/10/2020 22:09

Just read the whole thread. This is ridiculous! Is the vendor still not answering his phone? Or is there any other excuse now?

BeepBoopBop · 14/10/2020 07:23

I hope it's not delayed again today OP. Waiting to exchange is the worst part of buying & selling I think.

picklemewalnuts · 14/10/2020 08:03

What a shame. Where's a reviewer's site when you need one!

ExConstance · 14/10/2020 09:58

The moral of the story is never to book removals etc. until you have exchanged and never to plan to exchange and complete the same day.
Until contracts are exchanged the buyer can just walk away without penalty under the English system, so there is far too much at stake.

organisedmother · 14/10/2020 10:04

@stickygotstuck this is INSANE!!! I can’t actually believe what I’ve read! Knock on his door with a bill of everything he has failed to deliver on!!! Ask to put your garden furniture in their back garden as your buyer want to put there’s in your back garden as none of you can get big moving trucks anymore due to his cock up!! Think of any excuse whatsoever to knock on their door to ask a question and bring up their ludacris behaviour!

Original poster
stickygotstuck · 14/10/2020 13:26

Thank you Acid, BeBoop, pickle and organisedmother.

Constance, I'm afraid I disagree with your moral of the story. My moral of the story is never buy a house in the English market ever again! Oh and, better to be devious and/or run around like headless chickens stressed out of your minds and leave everything to the last minute than to try to be organised, rational and upfront from the beginning Hmm.

Well, I thought you'd all like to know the final episode - it's fallen through. Yep.

Our solicitor rang this morning to say that the vendor's solicitor had managed to get hold of him and he agreed to exchange today he would ring solicitor back later this morning to give his mandate. I had this definite feeling that he wouldn't. And he didn't. My solicitor seemed shocked when he told me.

The vendor has cited unexpected personal circumstances. Which I am finding difficult to be sympathetic to, misfortune or not, sorry! He should have come clean ages ago, certainly before last fucking Friday, which was the original exchange day. FWIW, I don't think he went on holiday at all in the first place. Pretty sure he only got in touch because I managed to get a message to him directly last night.

Will have to get in touch with the EA now to give the tenants the news Sad. I so hope they can extend their current contract long enough for them to find something else.

That's it, it's just not going to happen for us now. I can't face doing this stupid dance again.

OP posts:
MrsTWH · 14/10/2020 13:30

Oh no, I’m so sorry OP. What on earth?! It probably feels awful now but I strongly believe it all works out for the best in the end and you’ll find somewhere else better.
I just can’t believe this, how can he pull out at exchange?! Obviously I know legally he can but...

MahMahMahMahCorona · 14/10/2020 13:40

@stickygotstuck - I didn't want to click on the thread as I was worried this was going to be the final outcome.

I'm so sorry this has happened. What a completely selfish, self absorbed and irritating vendor. I really hope that karma serves him up a cold plate of semolina, and that soon enough something positive will happen (maybe the house will succumb to subsidence...) and you will realise that things happen for a reason... Thanks

GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly · 14/10/2020 13:49

So sorry OP, it's disappointing and stressful and I hope it doesn't leave you too badly out of pocket. I also blame the 'professionals' involved for not getting the truth out of him earlier so you didn't have an extra 4 days of worry. It really sucks!

Don't give up, there will be a better house for you out there and a move can still be done while the stamp duty benefit is in place.

FeelinSpendy · 14/10/2020 14:19

I'm so sorry to hear this. The system here is just awful - the buyer can spend thousands on surveys, searches, solicitors etc, and then the seller can just pull out at the last minute without any penalty.
We're in the buying process at the moment and already had one seller mess us around for a couple of weeks and then pull out (luckily before we had incurred many costs). We're now buying a different house and the sellers' seller has started to raise issues so I'm not so optimistic on this one either.
I jsut have to hope that what is meant to be will be, but I still think the system needs overhauling so that there is some financial penalty on either side if they pull out at a late stage (but before exchange).

BeepBoopBop · 14/10/2020 14:53

I am so sorry. I wish there was some way of suing for the costs involved - it might make the flakes pull out before monies have been spent or not bother in the first place.

friendlycat · 14/10/2020 16:19

I'm so sorry to hear your update but not really that surprised sadly as it was really going wrong for a while and something wasn't stacking up. I feel for you I really do as it just seems as though the Vendor wasn't commited to this and has messed you around big time. You mentioned they had wanted a delay before the last supposed delay as well.

They really have acted in a dreadful manner and our stupid system just allows for people like them to get away with it, whilst you and your tenants have to pick up the pieces and salvage what you can. I know this will also have cost you a lot of money. (It cost be nearly £5k when my own buyer pulled out on the morning of the supposed exchange at 12 noon.)

But I am a firm believer that sometimes in these circumstances things happen for a reason and you were just not supposed to have that house. In time, you will find a better house that you love far more and this will be a distant memory. You even said that you don't truly love the house that you were buying. Something better will come up and you will get your next chapter.

Financially though it is very unfair that you are now out of pocket to the tune of several thousand. The system should be overhauled I totally agree.

AntiHop · 14/10/2020 16:29

What absolute fucking arseholes those vendors are. Some people are so selfish, stupid and lacking any integrity.

I am so sorry. All that money and emotional energy you have lost thanks to those buggers.

Original poster
stickygotstuck · 14/10/2020 17:12

Thank you Mrs TWH, that's what I'd like to believe.

Thank you, MahMahMahMah. Yes, I had the feeling it would go this way.

Thank you, Grumbly let's hope so.

Thank you, Feelin. Sorry to hear you're being messed around. I'd set a limit of how much you're prepared to fork out before anything is signed.

Thanks BeepBoop, totally agree. Hit them where it hurts - their pockets.

Thank you, friendlycat. Sorry to hear you were messed about and out of pocket too. It's unbelievable that this can be allowed and legal. Like you and PP say, the only way is hitting them where it hurts - their bloody pockets. It must be a vanishingly rare thing that someone genuinely has to pull out on the day. If financial sanctions were matter of course, people wouldn't even think of it. As it is, it's just considered normal and they can get away with this. That's the thing that makes me pull my hair out - No, it isn't bloody normal!

Thanks, AntiHop. That summarises my feelings exactly!

Something just felt off, and you're right, the moment the asked to delay we should have known. As it is, I am pretty sure they only got back to us with a final answer because I actually put a note through their letterbox last night! We'd still be waiting like stressed lemons otherwise.

The bit of good news is that the tenants will be able to extend their present agreement so will not be homeless in a couple of weeks. That's a major relief!

Thank you everyone who has contributed to this thread Flowers. It's helped keep my sanity (to a point!) during these times. I do hope you are all right and the right house will turn up soon - or at least a good enough one Wink.

OP posts:
WombatChocolate · 14/10/2020 17:29

Sorry to hear your news.

I once had a similar situation occur. A couple of days later I contacted the EA and my solicitor to ask exactly what had happened and why. The EA in particular seemed totally unaware that it had all fallen through. They went back to the vendor direct to talk about it all and clarify and got a different story to the one I had been given by the solicitor. Anyway, lomg story short, with the EAs help, it was got back on track and exchange happened a week later.

I do t want to give you false hope....but I've sometimes found solicitors bloody useless and that EAs who can speak direct to both yourself and to the vendor can sometimes get things moving and clarify miscommunications.....it's in their interests as they don't get paid otherwise!

I would wait a day or so and I would pursue both the solicitor and the EA for clarification about how this happened and how it was dragged out for so long. It probably won't resolve any of it but sometimes a few answers help you to move on.

Original poster
stickygotstuck · 14/10/2020 17:41

Thank you Wombat.

We are way past that, I'm afraid.

We have been in direct contact with the EA since Friday and he has been trying to chivvy the vendor along. The vendor has lied to the EA, our solicitor and, by the sounds of it, their own solicitor too when the said he was prepared to exchange. Twice, last week and this morning.

I'm convinced the only reason why he's come clean now is that we got in touch with him directly, since we know where he lives, so to speak. We are the ones with the most information, it seems.

In any case, our patience has reached its limit. We don't want the bloody house anymore, we were never crazy about it, it was just the right time for us after years waiting. Losing the money we've spent so far is a blow but, I really, really don't want to line the pockets of such an asshole, frankly. We'd just be condoning this behaviour. I feel very strongly about that.

OP posts:
DespairingHomeowner · 14/10/2020 19:04

So sorry to hear that... it did sound a bit off for last several days

I really hope you will find a better house soon: what a #£&&&##& !!

picklemewalnuts · 14/10/2020 20:21

That's terrible. Have you checked your insurance, particularly if you took some out with the removal company?

WoolyMammoth55 · 14/10/2020 20:26

Nothing to say OP but Flowers Flowers Flowers

Wish you all the best with whatever comes next - stiff drink for now. Promise you will feel better eventually! This too shall pass.

LadyWithLapdog · 14/10/2020 21:26

I am sorry this happened to you. What absolute bastards. Let’s hope one day they’ll have to rely and trust a stranger and they’ll be bitterly and expensively disappointed.

Original poster
stickygotstuck · 14/10/2020 21:46

Thanks Despairing, WoolyMammoth, pickle & Lady for your kind wishes.

pickle we've been lucky with the removals people. As we had a buffer of a few days they're being really good and they say they'll only keep the deposit, which was reasonable. So that's one little thing. The EA fee will be lower too as no tenancy agreement has been signed. Not fantastic but every little helps. Tomorrow I'll have to cancel tradespeople and similar.

From tomorrow we'll have to live permanently attached to Rightmove. We have been anyway and it is not promising, but not much more we can do.

I do hope karma kicks in at some point, I must admit though!

OP posts:
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