Were our solicitors negligent?

[L00b 441]

The OP should look out for a solicitor who has free advice sessions and attend one of those. Otherwise he or she could contact the Legal Ombudsman.

No solicitor I know (and I know a few) will ever advise about the (potential-) negligence of another solicitor for free, because that sort of advice is fraught with flameback. Serious flameback.

 

The Legal Ombudsman is a better option. OP, go look at the SRA's website.

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

The Valuation Office who is responsible for this say our solicitor should have picked up the fact that this property was 'flagged' when they carried out the searches and advised us accordingly which didn't happen.

No. Unless this information is divulged by the Local Authority**, nobody- inc. your solicitors- knows it.

So did the solicitors provide you with:

a. a copy of the forms mentioned below, with the answers supplied; or

b. at least their advice about the answers?

 

** What's colloquially called a 'Local Search' is in fact two or more things:

1. Local Land Charges Search (form LLC1), a search of statutory registers.

2. Local Authority Enquiries (form CON29R), a set of standard non-statutory questions.

(+ 3. [sometimes] Local Authority Optional Enquiries (form CON29O), a set of standard non-statutory questions covering much rarer points not generally applicable).

[daisy2 10]

As someone has previously mentioned once a house is sold it is re-evaluated. When we bought our property last year we received a letter informing us of this process seemingly out of the blue. We were fearing the worst but fortunately the extension done since the original valuation did not significantly alter the size of the house and we only went up one band.

I don't think any solicitor could predict the outcome of the valuation during conveyancing. I can understand your predicament and I hope you manage to afford your house.

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

As someone has previously mentioned once a house is sold it is re-evaluated** When we bought our property last year we received a letter informing us of this process seemingly out of the blue. We were fearing the worst but fortunately the extension done since the original valuation did not significantly alter the size of the house and we only went up one band.

I don't think any solicitor could predict the outcome of the valuation during conveyancing. I can understand your predicament and I hope you manage to afford your house.

** No. Although a prospective purchaser will usually seek a valuation, no CT revaluation is routinely undertaken unless the property is radically altered.

[Bonjon 10]

Surely the mortgage company have been negligent? We recently bought and budgeting etc is looked at, if we were anywhere near 50/month from the bread line they wouldn't have touched us.