Contacting seller directly?

headdesk_2015

Hello,

OH and myself are in what we hope are the final stages of purchasing a house. The process has taken longer than expected with various certificates of compliance and planning issues to sort out. We thought today that it was all finally sorted but seemingly there's one final certification still outstanding. To be fair to our solicitors, they're not changing the goalposts or anything like that, this is all stuff they've said was required from the beginning of the process.

However despite this it seems the vendors' solicitors are getting annoyed at what they see as being unnecessary bureaucracy. I'm therefore worried that the vendors are being given the impression that we're stalling the process or are being overly difficult.

We're desperate to close on this and we're wondering if it would be a good idea to contact the seller directly. Due to a business being run from the house we're buying, there's an email address and mobile number very publicly available so it wouldn't be the case that we would have found this in any dodgy way.

We just want to reassure them that we're very serious about the purchase and not looking to stall or pull out at all and that we're not being difficult. While I'd like to do that, I also think this could be very risky and the sellers might see it as being intrusive or putting pressure on them.

I feel so confused and exhausted from the whole process that I don't think I'm thinking straight anymore so would appreciate any opinions on this.

Archaeoliz

When we sold our last house I was in direct contact with our buyer because the estate agent copied us both in on the same email and it made the process so much more pleasant and less stressful because I could answer questions fully without Chinese whispers.

Fortune favours the brave and as long as you explain how you got their contact details I'm sure it would save both of you some headaches. If you're really unsure you could send it to the EA and ask them to forward it, but my instinct would be to go for it. What have you got to loose?

headdesk_2015

Thanks. That sounds great. My worry was that it would seem intrusive and inappropriate. But we're still doing everything via solicitors as normal and I suppose an email to a very publicly available email address isn't all that intrusive.

We've been in touch with the EA a couple of times as there's been so much toing and froing with paperwork just to sort of check in and I think she has passed on the message that were still very keen to go ahead. But it is, as you say, Chinese whispers.

I reckon we'll send an email so. Thanks again.

4ensic15

I was advised long ago not to do any such thing. All contact should be through solicitors. No harm in contacting the EA as sometimes they can intervene to get a solicitor on the move.

antoinolachtnai

It would be intrusive and inappropriate. Tell the agent what you planned to tell the vendor.

I would get into the detail of what the actual legal problem is with your solicitor. However this is not for everyone. But it might help if you discussed it with the solicitor, then discussed with the agent.

antoinolachtnai

It would be intrusive and inappropriate. Tell the agent what you planned to tell the vendor.

I would get into the detail of what the actual legal problem is with your solicitor. However this is not for everyone. But it might help if you discussed it with the solicitor, then discussed with the agent.

Tigger

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

It would be intrusive and inappropriate. Tell the agent what you planned to tell the vendor.

I would get into the detail of what the actual legal problem is with your solicitor. However this is not for everyone. But it might help if you discussed it with the solicitor, then discussed with the agent.

+1 getting the agent onside is important; getting his back up would be a mistake imho

witchgirl26

I would advise against unless you've been in direct contact from the beginning. We did, admittedly near the start of the process, and the seller didn't like us so pulled out. Don't think that would happen here (we were no where near as far in as you) but not worth the risk. There's a reason they've used an EA and solicitor to handle this. Like others suggest, the EA could help in this case.

tcif

Leave it to your solicitor. They are doing their job, which is making sure your interests are taken care of. If the process of getting the documents for compliance etc. is taking longer than you thought that's because the vendor and their solicitor are not organized and/or not doing what they need to do in a timely manner. From personal experience, there are times when you have to keep the pressure on the other side to get their act together and you contacting them to aplogize or explain etc., reassuring them when you're not the delay, could be counter productive.

headdesk_2015

Thanks everyone for the replies. The consensus seems to have been not to do this - all replies that I saw after we contacted the seller. It went really well however. We emailed the seller who called us within a matter of minutes and said he had been on the verge of trying to contact us directly too.

We were able to sort out a lot of misunderstandings there and then that our solicitors had been going back and forth on for weeks. Long story short, things are proceeding much more quickly and easily now.