First world stuff

[Sunnypad]

Hi
How is everyone?

I wasn't quite sure where to put this but I'm not even sure what the practicalities are at the moment. Obviously I am here for comfort and to try to stop freaking out.

My situation

1) I moved home to be closer to mum needing care

2) I am now trying to sell my former home, a high rise which is subject to the Building Safety Act of 2022.

3) I am finding the stress of trying to sell in a high rise to be overwhelming, and I have concerns that something legal will come back to bite me on the bum later. Solicitors seem to be in uncharted territory as well. I am the first person to attempt a sale after that legislation came in, so no precedents to look at.

4) I am worried that the government have faffed so much with this, something will change again and there will be more legal issues.

In a way, I can't see the situation improving, because when does bureaucracy or red tape ever improve?

Some of you will know that I am on medication for depression and anxiety generally so not sure if I am over worrying.

Final point - which is quite funny if people don't get morally outraged about it - I am now dating a man who is about half my age, living in that area.

So if mum dies tomorrow, which wouldn't surprise me, my most practical option may be to return to that flat and rent out the one I live in now.

I mention his age because I see his declarations of love and commitment as not to be taken at all seriously.

I am conscious that these are first world problems but going ahead on a sale where there are no legal precedents worries me. But given that everything worries me, I don't know what to do.

Interestingly, for a flat in London, there were no cash buyers at all to view it. I understand from EAs that investors are not going for high rises.

Thank you for listening.

[MrFoolish]

I suspect such is the demand for living space in London that someone will buy it before too long. Everything will sell if the price is right. I'd let your solicitor worry about any legal issues. You are bound to stress over it (and you have my sympathy and understanding) but I expect it will all progress and you'll come out the other side without too many issues.

Whether you are better off renting it out or moving back in is another matter that depends on your lifestyle etc.

Don't worry about dating a younger man. It did Phil Schofield no harm Joking apart, it's your life.

[Lootman]

I suspect such is the demand for living space in London that someone will buy it before too long. Everything will sell if the price is right. I'd let your solicitor worry about any legal issues. You are bound to stress over it (and you have my sympathy and understanding) but I expect it will all progress and you'll come out the other side without too many issues.

Whether you are better off renting it out or moving back in is another matter that depends on your lifestyle etc.

Don't worry about dating a younger man. It did Phil Schofield no harm Joking apart, it's your life.

Yes, my youngest son sold his former council flat in Southwark last year. It was crappy and I would not say he was overwhelmed with offers but it sold within a few weeks.

As for dating a man half her age, go for it. Nobody criticises a guy for doing that. Not my Mastermind special subject but isn't that called being a Cougar?

[Sunnypad]

Thanks for the replies

I think the Building Safety Act is so new, even solicitors don't feel confident dealing with it. So I feel the field is wide open for being sued if anything goes wrong after I've sold. That might sound mad but if anyone's had to follow the government on this, then you might see that too? I'd be interested to know if anyone has experience of this.

In terms of price - if you did ultimately get stuck with a cladding-related bill, that would potentially wipe out savings.

In my rational mind, I want to sell. But the universe keeps throwing obstacles in the path...another thing I don't normally think. A few neighbours wanted to sell but are delaying because they want to see how things pan out with the legislation.

If the younger man turns into more than dating, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the flat as we don't know what will happen to mum. Sometimes she seems to deteriorate on a daily basis. It's very weird.

At the moment, he does all the travelling to see me but there's a limit to how long anyone will tolerate that.

[MrFoolish]

I'm not a legal expert but would have thought so long as you fill in all forms correctly and honestly then nobody is going to be suing you. This is why you employ a solicitor. Hopefully someone will come along to say if I'm right or not.

PS. I always thought the buyer of a house has fewer legal rights than the buyer of a kettle - because with the house they are supposed to do serious due diligence.

[Lootman]

I'm not a legal expert but would have thought so long as you fill in all forms correctly and honestly then nobody is going to be suing you. This is why you employ a solicitor. Hopefully someone will come along to say if I'm right or not.

PS. I always thought the buyer of a house has fewer legal rights than the buyer of a kettle - because with the house they are supposed to do serious due diligence.

The last time I sold a property (2010) I was told that it didn't matter what I said to the prospective buyer. The only liability is with the professionals involved e.g. estate agent, solicitor, surveyor etc. and they all have indemnity insurance.

[Sunnypad]

I'm not a legal expert but would have thought so long as you fill in all forms correctly and honestly then nobody is going to be suing you. This is why you employ a solicitor. Hopefully someone will come along to say if I'm right or not.

PS. I always thought the buyer of a house has fewer legal rights than the buyer of a kettle - because with the house they are supposed to do serious due diligence.

The last time I sold a property (2010) I was told that it didn't matter what I said to the prospective buyer. The only liability is with the professionals involved e.g. estate agent, solicitor, surveyor etc. and they all have indemnity insurance.

I feel as if the world has changed a lot since I last sold property in 2020!

[staffordian]

I'm not a legal expert but would have thought so long as you fill in all forms correctly and honestly then nobody is going to be suing you. This is why you employ a solicitor. Hopefully someone will come along to say if I'm right or not.

PS. I always thought the buyer of a house has fewer legal rights than the buyer of a kettle - because with the house they are supposed to do serious due diligence.

The last time I sold a property (2010) I was told that it didn't matter what I said to the prospective buyer. The only liability is with the professionals involved e.g. estate agent, solicitor, surveyor etc. and they all have indemnity insurance.

I suspect you are correct in so far as anything verbal is not only hard to prove, but is not a part of the contract of sale and purchase.

On the other hand, if you said something to your solicitor which was not true but was part of the contract, such as lying about neighbour disputes, that would be a very different matter...

[Lootman]

The last time I sold a property (2010) I was told that it didn't matter what I said to the prospective buyer. The only liability is with the professionals involved e.g. estate agent, solicitor, surveyor etc. and they all have indemnity insurance.

I suspect you are correct in so far as anything verbal is not only hard to prove, but is not a part of the contract of sale and purchase.

On the other hand, if you said something to your solicitor which was not true but was part of the contract, such as lying about neighbour disputes, that would be a very different matter...

I actually had that conversation with my solicitor. The reason was that during the conveyancing for the sale, I discovered that I had claimed to have planning consent for some works that it turned out had expired. It was an error rather than a lie, but even so it was a misrepresentation. I let my solicitor know this right away.

He replied that as a principle he never makes a representation that he cannot independent confirm. So rather than say "Mr X has planning consent for Y", he says something like "Mr X has stated that he has planning consent for Y". This lets the solicitor off the hook, whereas the seller was never on the hook anyway.

As always, the buyer has to do his due diligence and not accept claims at face value.

[Sunnypad]

Lootman - I definitely feel my solicitor is doing this.

He's very careful to say "to the best of her knowledge" though.

I think my worry is compounded by the fact that stuff is going wrong in my new place and I need to get back on a higher dose of ADs. I have been on a reduced dose for a year or so now.

[GoSeigen]

Lootman - I definitely feel my solicitor is doing this.

He's very careful to say "to the best of her knowledge" though.

I think my worry is compounded by the fact that stuff is going wrong in my new place and I need to get back on a higher dose of ADs. I have been on a reduced dose for a year or so now.

My mother has been on antidepressants for most of her life, and as an external observer I can say that there is a clear pattern of her experiencing coping difficulties after tapering her dose. It creeps up and she doesn't suspect the ADs until everything becomes overwhelming and she has no option but to see her psychiatrist. She then raises the dose or takes a different one and within days is back to coping completely as normal.


You have already pointed a finger at the AD dose being too low, maybe trust your instinct/feelings and see what happens?


GS

[Sunnypad]

GoSeigen

Yes, that is probably the explanation. I'm going back up to a full dose again. I nearly contacted the bank about a possible fraudulent transaction, having forgotten entirely what I had done on Wednesday....!

A tradesman didn't turn up for a third time as well and I literally couldn't stop crying. Only mum knows, so some embarrassment saved there! And I realised it's about the meds.

Some of the legal paperwork I've filled in wrong is pathetic. Perhaps the lesson is "never reduce your dose". Historically I've always had a higher dose in winter.