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Original poster

Seller demanding cash as completion delayed

104 replies

Housebuyer2020 · 08/02/2021 18:39

We are in the process of buying a property..We the offered in mid October abs we had our mortgage by Mid November, I have been very proactive calling agents solicitors weekly to keep things on track.. searches sent out in December. Both party’s solicitors gave been slow.. and the vendors management company only sent out the pack in early January.I have been pushing for a fast completion and I was given the date for tomorrow. We asked the vendors if we could vidyut property before completion, they refused, so we asked for a video. Anyways I called solicitor this morning asking about completion for tomorrow. She turns around abs says the money hasn’t been released and the completion will be on 25 th of February... i was fuming but nothing I can do. The vendor,is also fuming and ha asked us to pay him £1000 or he is going to put it back on the market.. we reluctantly agreed, ( as he has done this to another seller before we put our offer in) now I’m concerned if there are any more set backs he will keep asking for money. I’m trying to get the exchange done tomorrow, it still worried can he pull out even after exchange??? Arrgghh so angry

OP posts:
gorillasinthemist · 08/02/2021 20:08

@Housebuyer2020

Now I’m getting ideas!! I think I would need to ask For one!
What ideas are those?
WeeDangerousSpike · 08/02/2021 20:11

Good grief! At no point whatsoever when we bought out house did we even speak to our vendor! If they rang us ip asking for random payments they'd have been told to get stuffed talk to their solicitor. Op, the whole point of your deposit being held by your solicitor is both sides know where it is, and if one side or the other breaks the agreement then the solicitors make sure the money gets to whichever side should have it. It sounds very much like this chap doesn't want to exchange before completion because then he wouldn't be able to pull out without compensating you, but he wants you to be paying him random lumps of cash without any legal agreement in place at all. He's a bloody chancer!

carly2803 · 08/02/2021 20:13

absolutelydo not pay!

he wont pull out, cause he cannot complete before the end of feb and he knows!

hes trying it on. dont bite!

Original poster
Housebuyer2020 · 08/02/2021 20:18

Asking for receipt, or informing Hmrc of his dodgy dealings Grin

OP posts:
lurch3r · 08/02/2021 20:21

Thank goodness you haven"t paid. Cease all direct contact with him or his estate agent and ask your solicitor to sort it out with his solicitor. This kind of rubbish is what you are paying them to deal with.

DogsSausages · 08/02/2021 20:25

What's your position, are you in a chain. I would wonder why he didnt let you view or have a video if the house is empty, can you pull out yourselves.

FurierTransform · 08/02/2021 20:26

Absolutely don't send him any money. I assume you mean exchange when you say complete?

DogsSausages · 08/02/2021 20:27

Why do you need to complete tomorrow

DelphiniumBlue · 08/02/2021 20:29

Why can't you exchange contracts tomorrow with a view to completing on 25th Feb? Has he even signed the contract? have you done so, and transferred your deposit to your solicitor in readiness?

Aintnoshepherdess · 08/02/2021 20:36

You sound like you haven't a clue what you are doing.
Listen to the advice you are getting here.
Stop thinking you are being clever asking for a receipt or informing hmrc.
Just get in touch with your solicitor.
Why on earth are you even in direct contact with this arsehole?

apric0t · 08/02/2021 21:02

This sounds EXACTLY like the vendor of the house I bought earlier this year, you're not buying in Kent are you!?

BlueThistles · 08/02/2021 21:12

This happened to us. Seller contacted us, 2 weeks before completion, to say he had another interested party, and wanted 25K cash in hand to complete.

We contacted our Solicitor and sent a non negotiable withdrawal. We lost in fees etc but nobody was black mailing us. You start paying.. where would it end.

Don't Pay Flowers

MrsAudreyShapiro · 08/02/2021 21:20

This person is trying to blackmail you! Don't pay him anything. October to February is a fast completion. It took us 6 months to buy this place.

Speak to your solicitor. Let them act on your behalf, it's what you are paying them for. Don't have anymore direct contact with the vendor, just refer them to your solicitor

Original poster
Housebuyer2020 · 08/02/2021 21:31

I have requested our solicitor for exchange tomorrow this morning when we found out money hasn’t been released yet, and we can’t do simultaneous events exchange completion. But then at about 230 this all kicked off.. I panicked, I was middle of my work day, still homeschool my two kids and I was on a deadline to decide...

We aren’t in a chain..

We were naive, communicating with Estate agents- but yes we will tell solicitors to deal with him.. I think they realised how keen we were for the property and our naivety as he is a a buy to let landlord

OP posts:
SnoozyLou · 08/02/2021 21:38

Just make sure everything goes through the solicitors. I worked in conveyancing for years - being asked for a bung on a property he's already agreed to sell you isn't kosher! And exchange dates frequently do have to be pushed back.

Having said that, if your solicitor is continually holding things up I would be having words with them too.

Nevertheless, if he thinks he can find someone to start from scratch with and complete faster, I'd be saying good luck to him. To be honest, this would rub me so far up the wrong way, I would probably withdraw, even if I did lose fees. Your dealings with this person are a long way from over.

BlueThistles · 08/02/2021 21:59

You're doing the right thing OP... Flowers

SunshineCake · 08/02/2021 22:15

Are you going to give in to his blackmail ?

BlueThistles · 10/02/2021 19:25

Are you okay OP ? 🌺

Weirdlynormal · 10/02/2021 19:35

He’s avoiding CGT. Wanker

Seeingadistance · 10/02/2021 19:57

I believe it’s extortion rather than blackmail. You shouldn’t pay him a penny, OP.

What does your solicitor say about this?

user1471538283 · 10/02/2021 22:31

Oh my god do not pay him! With my last house the vendor tried to blackmail me into paying him £500. I really, really wish I had told him to stuff his house.

Let him put it back on the market and start again. He is not going to complete any sooner.

And please consider withdrawing completely.

Original poster
Housebuyer2020 · 10/02/2021 23:42

The vendor is erratic.. he has been going crazy since Monday demanding we exchange, estate agents has been emailing our solicitors. The vendors solicitor has contacted ours informing that the vendor wants to be compensated for the delay. Our solicitor has advised to pay as
She thinks it’s not worth the hassle.She said that the thousand pounds won’t be added on the purchase price. But we will have to
Pay tomorrow. We are supposed to exchange tomorrow, so fingers crossed

OP posts:
Original poster
Housebuyer2020 · 10/02/2021 23:45

So we will transfer £1000 Tom to our solicitor before exchange..

OP posts:
NoSquirrels · 10/02/2021 23:53

@Housebuyer2020

The vendor is erratic.. he has been going crazy since Monday demanding we exchange, estate agents has been emailing our solicitors. The vendors solicitor has contacted ours informing that the vendor wants to be compensated for the delay. Our solicitor has advised to pay as She thinks it’s not worth the hassle.She said that the thousand pounds won’t be added on the purchase price. But we will have to Pay tomorrow. We are supposed to exchange tomorrow, so fingers crossed
This is absolutely terrible advice from your solicitor and I am shocked.

Say no. Exchange contracts but do not pay extra.

Just no.

Your solicitor shouldn’t be saying this payment ‘won’t be added to purchase price’. This sounds very dodgy.

You can exchange tomorrow and complete by the end of the month. The seller has nothing to be compensated for.

Is this your first property purchase? You will regret paying extra, I guarantee you. What else could you use that £1,000 for when you move in?

LawnFever · 11/02/2021 00:15

That sounds like utter batshit advice from your solicitor Confused

So is this £1k being taken off the asking price, do you have that legally agreed?