Conveyancing delays

[Emmie3]

We accepted an offer at the end of April. Assumed they’d get the survey done early on, or at least simultaneously with searches. They’ve decided they want to do searches first and only instruct a surveyor once they’re satisfied the searches are ok. Is this a usual way to do things?

It’s obviously going to cause a delay in the later stages and it’s a 6 year old house so I don’t understand what they think searches are going to say. They’ve said searches are due back 26 June.

Today, I was curious about the searches taking a long time for our area so I rang the provider of the drainage and water search (there’s only one in our area) and they told me they haven’t received a request. I find this odd, and can only assume they are doing this search last but I thought they were all requested together. Is it normal to do it piece meal like this?

Anyone?

Whenever I've had surveys they always been completed within a couple of weeks so I don't see this being a massive hold up in the grand scheme of things.

I do think it's odd to wait for searches though as they're usually a tick box exercise that doesn't throw much up....are you on a flood plain or some other reason they might be expecting bad news?

Pur surveys were delayed because we missed a bit of a solicitors email saying click on this link to pay the company which prepares the report. Took weeks for anyone to figure out what had gone wrong, we thought it was the other solicitors holding things up.

We don’t live on a flood plain or anything else that would pose a risk, in fact we had searches done in September which they know about and all was fine (chain fell through at the bottom hence new buyer).

It’s definitely intentional that they are doing the survey last, apparently their solicitor has advised them to do that.

Surely the survey would be better for everyone if done first, as that’s the most likely to throw up any issues (hopefully not but I don’t like that it’s going to be done at the eleventh hour).

Just seems odd!