Don't buy from property developers!

[Monkey]

I bought a flat in East Dulwich 14 months ago. Believe it or not but my property has still not been registered. Some paperwork seems to be stuck with the seller's lazy solicitors. No amount of chasing, letters and faxes seem to do anything about it.

My advice: don't buy from property developers. They're bound to use cheap (+stupid/lazy) estate agents and solicitors and once they have their money, they won't do anything else for you.

Anybody agrees?

[tommy]

Does that mean that you haven't had to pay council tax in that period ?

[Monkey]

Unfortunately the council tax people are not that regarding.

[Amelie]

Write to the solicitors' senior partner and tell him/her that if they don't produce the paperwork within x days you will report them to the Law Society.

[lordship_bod]

Monkey, didnt your solicitors put in the land registry application for you?

[Caron]

I had problems with the conveyancing on a property and found legalcomplaints.org.uk unbelievably helpful. NOt only did they sort out the issue with my conveyancer, but also got me ?300 compensation, which I had neither sought, nor even considered. Give them a go. They'll sort you out.

[nutty]

A bunch of property developers kept advertising a house despite accepting an offer from me and claiming the house was off the market (so I ended up getting gazumped). It has certainly made me more wary of them. But I guess there are some nice ones too!

[Michael Palaeologus]

Yup - the Law Society will get them moving if all else fails.

[Nero]

Monkey, If you are not in the flat you don't have to pay council tax. My friend has been having his house done up for the psat six months and he did not pay as he was not living there. Not sure from your post whether you are in the house or not. Nero

[ednerd]

Yep - re council tax, you can get an exemption certificate. We had to move out of our house to do renovation work, and we didn't pay for that period in our main house. You shouldn't have to pay twice (as assumingly, you are also paying where you are).

[tommy]

Yep - I think there is a limit (maybe 6 months) to the exemption where renovations are ongoing

[mishadreams]

there is definately an upper limet, it's 6 months and they will not issue any further exemption without a valuation /tribunal. I've almost finished converting my house back from 2 flats into one family home and have finally bee given my new banding. However the council have not and cannot alter my council tax as the paperwork is stuck in the system and they have no way of knowing when it will change. Also they need to see all evidence ie plans/engineering drawings and 2 further site visits before they will accept that the house is not habitable (meaning legally, it has no water/sanitation)