Fuming at solicitor

[Bunnyflop]

We are getting towards the latter stages of the process and nearing exchange. I rang the solicitor two days ago to ask how things were progressing having not spoken to her for weeks and she suddenly said oh actually we are probably going to complete by the end of November. I was very surprised and thinking wtf we haven’t even exchanged yet, but she was adamant.

Had a conversation with dh and we realised we really needed to know ASAP if completion would be happening in the next two weeks to pack and take time off work etc. So we left several messages for her for clarification. She has not called us back. It’s been two bloody days. And in the mean time the agent for the people we are buying from rang us and during that call she said that they don’t want to move til jan and aren’t ready to exchange.

I have no fucking idea what our solicitor is playing at and she is ignoring our calls and not ringing us at all. I’m absolutely fuming.

Are you sure that your solicitor isn't just indicating that they are ready to exchange/complete at the end of November, but they cannot speak for the rest of the chain? Obviously everyone in the chain needs to agree these dates and if you are saying that someone else doesn't want to move until January/they are not ready, then it can't happen this month. Solicitors do phone/email each other to find out if they are ready/what's still outstanding, but obviously your solicitor can only speak to the solicitor either side of your transaction. If the chain is longer than that, your solicitor won't know how far they have progressed. This is where EAs can help, ringing up and down the chain to ascertain how near everyone is and what is still outstanding.

Don't panic, it won't happen until every party is happy and firm dates can be discussed.

No she said we would all exchange and complete by end of November which seemed barmy to me but there you go. And now she won’t pick up the phone and call me back.

I’m more cross that she isn’t ringing me back than anything, two days is ridiculous and she emailed me and said she would call us at 12 this morning. But nothing.

Your solicitor works for you. You tell her when you want to complete.

You need the agreement of all parties and your solicitor is dealing with their solicitor and not the agent? They will be basing it on the paperwork process.

Have the sellers informed their solicitor who would have discussed it with your solicitor and they in turn with you? Check your solicitor knows this.

I wouldn’t feel too angry about the actual exchange bit as clearly there are just crossed wires here if the chain above you isn’t ready & doesn’t want to move until January. It’s not up to the solicitor when you exchange/complete, it’s the decision of the chain.

However, I feel your frustration with the lack of communication. I’m finding solicitors up & down our chain are terrible. I email mine & get no reply pretty much 99% of the time. I call and get fobbed off with ‘she’ll email you’ and then nothing. We had a couple problems with missing documents. In the time it took my solicitor to send one email to the council to query where we might start to look for these documents, I’d made several phone calls to the council, building company & NHBC. It was me who found the missing documents 🙄 And this week, due to exchange & the solicitor at the bottom has ‘missed’ something & isn’t replying to anyone. The bottom of the chain are now hunting themselves. It’s beyond infuriating! I appreciate they are very busy but we are paying thousands, they could at least reply to simple queries. They’ve got assistants!