Arghh!! Moving house and conveyancing frustrations

ferry23

Ah right, so a member of the Management Committee (i.e any resident) goes into said solicitor's office and asks them for a document they hold relating to the Management Committee, which they are quite entitled to see. The solicitor gives it to them, and the resident then hands the document back to the solicitor saying "this is the information you require for you clients Mr & Mrs xxxx".

Or what is it that I'm not understanding?

A member of a management company is not the client of the management company’s solicitors. I own company shares but that doesn’t entitle me to go to the companies’ solicitors and ask for company documents!

Unfortunately your management company seems to be very badly managed. If the management company’s solicitors hold documents which you need surely the new secretary can contact the solicitors and request them - though I would be very surprised if the solicitors hold as much information as you think they do. I have also expressed doubt that the accounts are filled at Companies House as this is not usual for a small company - but there’s nothing to prevent you from looking online and downloading whatever relevant information there is.

Most management companies are organised in the way that Fran describes and all the necessary information is provided to purchasers’ solicitors for a small fee. You are unfortunately paying the price for bad management.

The LPE1 is the problem - the Chair has sent it back to my solicitor but he has marked some documents "to follow" - he hasn't yet sent them and he is away overseas for a month and we're waiting to exchange contracts. I've managed to get a copy of the Fire Risk Assessment and other bits and pieces required, but the only other route for one piece of information are the solicitors who act for the Management Company - also the solicitor for my purchaser.

So I now have to ask them to give me that information - which I'll then pass back to them.

Unfortunately our Chair seems to be the person who has all the backdated information and he appears not to be very adept IT wise. Our previous Secretary is no longer with us and although we have a new Secretary who is proving very efficient, she doesn't hold the information required which dates back as far as 2006 in one case and 2016 in another.

Which is why I'm now trying to fill in the gaps of the LPE1.

I feel like I'm gradually disappearing down the rabbit hole!

As Secretary to our block of flats self-managed company, I keep on the computer the last few years accounts that have been presented and accepted by our AGM's. These are then just sent as an attachment to an email to venfors solicitors for them to pass on to the purchasers solicitors during each and every flat sale.

Also, sent in same manner - are the AGM minutes, building insurance, Fire Risk Assessment report, (all of which are required by purchasers solicitors). plus any other paperwork that may be requested.
There is a form, (LE1) with has many questions which is usually the first piece of paperwork required. I, on behalf of the Management Company, collate and send off this information. Not the seller of the flat.

Ah right, so a member of the Management Committee (i.e any resident) goes into said solicitor's office and asks them for a document they hold relating to the Management Committee, which they are quite entitled to see. The solicitor gives it to them, and the resident then hands the document back to the solicitor saying "this is the information you require for you clients Mr & Mrs xxxx".

Or what is it that I'm not understanding?

You obviously don’t understand that a lawyer can’t go looking through the files of one client to provide information to another.

"they can’t go looking in the files they hold for another client, the management company, to find information!"

Why not? They've asked the Management Company for this information as well as me.

The accounts on Companies House website are exactly the same as those distributed to residents.

OP, it’s your obligation as the seller to provide the information the purchaser’s solicitors needs and that includes all the management company information. The management company’s detailed accounts will not all be available from Companies House and they can’t go looking in the files they hold for another client, the management company, to find information!

Shame you didn't hire that hit man Petra - I'd be asking for his name

My last move was so bad I had visions of hiring a hit man to see to certain parties.
And then when we thought it was all over ( 3 months in new property) we received a court summons for non payment of council tax on the property we had sold.
Reason being: my buyers solicitors hadn’t registered the property in the new buyers name.