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Only partly exchanged

4 replies

pastaforbreakfast · 07/09/2022 17:35

I know there's a lot going on in the world but need advice on housemoving. Chain is us buying an empty house chain free and our buyers are first time buyers and renting, so a very small chain. Finally got to point of exchange Monday. Had the emails back and forth to confirm we want to exchange, solicitor says he just needs to speak to seller and buyer's solicitor on phone to confirm and exchange can take place. Had an email to confirm exchange on our purchase. Now maybe naively I assumed we could only exchange on purchase if we exchanged on sale as we would be liable, so took that as we have exchanged and are completing/moving tomorrow. We've exchanged numbers previously with my buyer who at 3pm today says, do you know we didn't exchange Monday?! He'd only now 2 days later been told this and I hadn't been at all, so no chasing on our behalf had happened. He had assumed as I did it all happened as our estate agent called and said congratulations and I had the email of confirmation. Turns out they only exchanged on the purchase and not the sale. Today has been farcical since 3pm with them each saying they keep calling and missing each other, although myself and buyer have both got through to them, then when they did get hold of each other they realised they hadn't spoken to buyer today so didn't have 'renewed authority to exchange' so had to call him and again start calling each other and they haven't spoken since as keep missing each other. Sitting in a house packed up except beds as hired vans. Stress levels through the roof with not knowing. Can we still exchange and complete tomorrow? What if we don't, have they done something illegal exchanging only on one property for us, are we liable if it doesn't happen on the agreed date? Any reassurance or in fact honest advice would be so appreciated!

OP posts:
hedgehoglurker · 08/09/2022 21:01

Wow, just seen this, how frightening! Any progress today?

IrisVersicolor · 08/09/2022 22:32

Well if it all goes tits up your solicitor will be liable for complete incompetence.

pastaforbreakfast · 25/04/2023 22:20

Sorry just seen I never updated!

Long and short, the solicitor finally got back to us at midday on day of moving and said he could exchange and complete on same time...if we paid an extra £400. Luckily our buyer was happy to, as could easily have made us wait as they were first time buyers still renting and we moved that day!! Didn't get keys until 5pm, so was a very late and beyond stressful one. But as with all these things, 7 months later it's a distant memory!

OP posts:
Twiglets1 · 26/04/2023 06:39

pastaforbreakfast · 25/04/2023 22:20

Sorry just seen I never updated!

Long and short, the solicitor finally got back to us at midday on day of moving and said he could exchange and complete on same time...if we paid an extra £400. Luckily our buyer was happy to, as could easily have made us wait as they were first time buyers still renting and we moved that day!! Didn't get keys until 5pm, so was a very late and beyond stressful one. But as with all these things, 7 months later it's a distant memory!

Thanks for the update.

Incredible that £400 had to be paid when it was their incompetence that caused the issue but that's solicitors for you!

Glad it all worked out on the day.

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