Signing agreement addressed to someone else

MisseyB2014

I've recently been asked to sign a 13 page service agreement with an estate agent. No problem there, but the digital signature process won't allow me just to sign the service agreement addressed to me - I have to also sign two other service agreements, each made out to siblings that I own the house with.

So in the end, the 3 of us will have all signed three letters, i.e 3 signatures on each letter, even though each letter is addressed to only one of us.

I'd imagine this is just a IT issues, i.e. systems needs all signatures on the document for it to be deemed signed, and the systems needs all clients on the one document.

Just wondering if there's any downside to this. I'm estranged from my siblings and relations between us aren't great, so I want to avoid adding to any legal issues down the line.

Thanks

E

PS - I'm told the text in the three letters is identical, and it wasn't my idea to buy the house with my siblings. That's a much longer story.

Peregrinus

If the three of you co-own a property, and you're estranged from one another, you are looking at problems that go well beyond faffing about with digital signatures, and that at worst could cost you a great deal, both in terms of money and in terms of grief. I'd be looking to develop a strategy to unwind this arrangement as soon as possible.

As to your question, it's impossible to answer without reading the letters that you will be signing, but if the three letters are indentical then my expectation would be that you would find that no, you don't incur any extra risk or liablity or obligations by signing all three rather than just the one addressed to you. What your signature on the other letters does do is provide incontrovertible evidence that you knew what terms your siblings had agreed to (and vice versa).

MisseyB2014

@peregrinus Thanks for that advice. Really appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Totally agree about your point about owning property with my estranged siblings. It wasn't my decision. I was told that if I didn't do it I'd be disinherited.

I should have made it clear that this agreement is about selling the property that I own with them, so hopefully I'll be free of them in the near to medium future.

All the best

E

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122560968#Comment_122560968

Who’s organising the selling? Do you have a solicitor to cover your own interests? Just a thought for consideration - for a few grand it might be worth looking into especially if the proceeds of the sale are significant

MisseyB2014

Thanks Oscar. My sisters chose the conveyancing solicitor. It's the same one that dealt with the purchasing of the house. I did get a solicitor to give me direct advice, both when buying the house and now selling it. Much to the annoyance of the conveyancing solicitor, who didn't see the need for me to get my own solicitor.