Bizarre questions from buyers solicitor !

[bumblebee1000]

So had house on market for only a few days and lots of offers over asking price so accepted from a lady who outbid the others as wanted the house etc...survey done a month ago and now we get these odd questions sent to our solicitor from hers...are they dim or have they got the wrong house !.E.G.

1. does the conservatory have building certs ?..There is no conservatory.
2. does the 4th bedroom built over the garage have building certs ?...It's part of the original structure. Other houses in road have similiar design.
3. does the removed wall in kitchen have a building regs cert ?...Wall hasnt been demolished
4. does the extension have building certs ?...never extended.
5. What is the impact of Crossrail construction ?....It was finished over 2 years ago and station in use. Line is no where near house.

Why doesn’t your solicitor just call and ask?

Sounds like they may have got the wrong house.

I would just answer the questions matter of factly as you have listed them on here.

Yes, ask your solicitor to handle it asap No point in answering ? that are clearly incorrect; wastes everybody's time and slows down the process.

Their solicitor is a human being who has made a human error. Just get your solicitor to give them a call and stop suggesting they're "dim". They're probably just overworked and stretched to the limit by clients wanting answers NOW.

The conveyancing assistants tend just ask everything that might be applicable without knowledge of the house or area. Just reply what you've said here and move on. It won't be direct from the actual buyers in all likelihood

Sounds like they have a standardised list. Just put n/a if not applicable to your property.

It's normal to check building regs approval on building work. It sounds like as pp says. A standard form that has been sent out or they have failed to delete where appropriate. It's possible that the buyers have flagged problems that don't exist and the solicitors have just done what they've been told.

Just list as you have written is fine. Just send that to them.

I agree it's just a list of specific set questions, nothing more. As they need to consider every possibility. They won't know what all the other houses in your street look like will they!

You've spent more time typing here than responding 'yes, no, not applicable' and being done with it.

It’s pretty standard to get silly questions from buyers solicitors. Maybe they have got the wrong house.

I wouldn’t get too worked up about it Just respond as you have done here, ‘There is no conservatory’ ‘It has never been extended’ etc.

He’s jumbled up two different client’s files. Maybe dropped them and it all got shuffled. Idiot.

I would just write the answers to each question as you have above and return them. It’s quicker than trying to argue about it

We’ve all sent an email with the wrong attachment on occasion - maybe that’s what has happened here?

They aren't deliberately silly questions, mostly those types of questions are actually very targeted and strategic but not for the very reason of getting the sellers to confirm "none" "no" "not applicable" so that the buyers are relying on the sellers giving the information (who are then on the hook for misrepresentation of it's wrong) rather than the buyers solicitor relying on their own assumptions. Not silly at all, it makes the seller more responsible for their own sale. Just not obvious if you are the lay persons involved.

The conservatory one is more of a duff though unless an old entry has come up on local search mentioning a conservatory - that either was then never built or was built and no longer there (which happens)

Solicitors very often work from templates and it looks as if these have been asked in error (not deleted from the template). Just go back with the answers you've provided.

would these still be paper files? Are they that antiquated?

anyway, just answer as you have done it’s not really a big deal is it

Idiot? I take it you're perfect at your job then?

No sometimes I’m an idiot. A lot of people are sometimes. I’m guessing you absolutely never ever are.

Maybe they've got your house mixed up with someone else's? Just phone them.

@Lurkingandlearning you were the one who called him (or her) an idiot, not me.

Huh? You’re bored aren’t. Have a bit of lunch and a lay down

just Answer swiftly, briefly, clearly and politely and move on

I don't think they're generic questions... especially the removed kitchen wall one... I think they've mixed up with a different house and it would be better to ring and check than to waste time answering them with N/A. Sending the answers back might not alert them if they don't check until later down the line.