Posting on behalf of a friend who is in a panic after a last-minute Friday-afternoon request from her purchaser's solicitor.
She's selling her flat. It's one of three converted flats in an Edwardian house. She bought it 30 years ago and the other flats in the building have been owned by their occupiers for about 15 years, so none of them are up to date on current regulatory issues.
It's been a long slow sale held up in a chain and they appeared to be approaching exchange — and now the purchaser's solicitor has demanded a fire risk assessment.
Neither she nor the other freeholders in the house are clear what's required. She's read stuff from the Law Society on the internet and has disappeared down a wormhole — seems as if all three freeholders have to agree and pay for a Fire Risk Assessment. One of the other freeholders is concerned they're going to incur a huge bill for installing sprinklers or something similar and has said no. The purchasers are going berserk: their mortgage offer expires in three weeks.
Any/all information/ suggestions welcome.