This review is for a different branch.
The property purchase, since the offer was accepted, lasted 12 months. In itself, this is far longer than the market average - particularly for a first time buyer in a no-chain purchase - and as proven below, has been largely unnecessary. This is double, if not triple, what is stipulated in your home buyers guide - which estimates a 2-4 month process.
While the length of time was impacted by other parties and factors beyond this company's control (including the council taking months to respond to the first set of enquiries raised), these are not the sole cause of the delay. Unfortunately it is clear that Gaby Hardwicke has directly impacted the delay of this property purchase, in the below ways:
1) Poor communication with other parties, showing Gaby Hardwicke as having little urgency and care to get this property purchase over the line. E.g.:
- Most emails I receive asking for clarity or updates are one sentence, with lack of detail.
- Emails not replied to
- The poor communication and delays in responses have caused me to have to chase almost daily for the last 5 months via email.
2) Poor communication with the council's solicitor:
- Mis-numbering enquiries raised in communication with the council's solicitor, leading to confusion and therefore delay in council's responses.
- The need for my intervention. It wasn't until I myself intervened in communications with council directly that they started to respond to the enquiries quickly, in May. Since I intervened, having no legal know-how or property purchase experience at all, the council were able to respond, due to obtaining clarity on what it was Gaby Hardwicke was asking for. As the property purchaser, I should not have had to intervene in this way; it is the job of Gaby Hardwicke to provide the legal service I am paying for, communicating with ISHA's solicitor to get these enquiries and responses over the line in time, not mine. The amount of emailing and phone calls I have had to make is vast, and should not have been needed.
3) No agency and poor coordination from Gaby Hardwicke, in respect to what is needed from the lender.
- Doubling up of work by the broker on fire safety documents - this was already cleared by the broker on getting the mortgage offer in place in the first instance, the work needed to ask for these documents again is unnecessary.
- Lack of lender handbook usage. Gaby Hardwicke's need to check with the lender on multiple responses caused weeks of delays (amounting now to months) in waiting for the lender to respond, when they should have agency to take views on these subjects by using the lenders handbook. To check every single point with the lender is unnecessary.
- Lack of coordination. The number of times Gaby Hardwicke has had to go back with 'new' items for the lender to approve on separate occasions and in separate emails has caused unnecessary delay. If the lender did need to be consulted, this should have been once, with everything that was needed from them raised in one go.
4) Gaby Hardwicke's delay on this property purchase has directly impacted me financially:
- The delay has lead to the searches to run out, which means I need to purchase new ones. This not only doubled the cost, but also causes more delays since the searches take the council 45 days to come back. A reminder that I have already waited close to 10 months, and so needless to say another 45 days through no fault of my own is extremely frustrating.
- I was renting accommodation, and have been in my rental accommodation for 10 months since the offer was accepted on the property. Assuming this process should take 4 months as is market average and suggested on your website, I have paid 6 months more in rent than I anticipated, due to the delay from Gaby Hardwicke to get this purchase over the line.
